Dussack

The dussack was considered by Meyer to be the fundamental weapon which bridged the gap between longsword and other single handed sword varieties. The dussack itself is a short single edged training sword. The training version of the weapon seems to have been generally constructed from wood and possibly wrapped in leather. Because of this, few extant examples of dussack exist, however metal versions do remain of the combative version of the weapon. The dussack has integrated hand protection in the form of a knuckle bow, and its techniques mirror those used with the messer or falchion; both single bladed weapons which were common up to this era. The type of dussack used by German townsmen in times of war seems to have been an early version of the sabre, combining a messer like blade with a complex hilt, as seen below.

Fundamentals =

• Gripping the Dussack

Guards

Side Guards

• Zornhut (wrath guard)
• Stier (steer)
• Mittelhut (middle guard)
• Eber (boar)
• Wechsel (change)

Centreline Guards

• Wacht (watch)
• Schnitt (slice) or Gerade Versetzung (straight parrying)
• Langort (longpoint)
• Bastei (bastion)
• Bogen (bow)

Strikes

Principal Cuts

• Oberhauw/Scheitelhauw
• Zornhauw
• Mittelhauw
• Unterhauw

Principle Cutting Sequence Drills

• Dussack Drills 1 - Basic cuts to the point, and all the way through
• Dussack Drills 2 - How to drive cuts through opposite lines
• Dussack Drills 3 - The beginning of deceiving by changing off cuts
• Dussack Drills 4 - Changing off cuts into one another

Secondary Cuts

• Sturtzhauw (plunging cut)
• Krumphauw (crooked cut)
• Kurtzhauw (short cut)
• Zwingerhauw (constrainer cut)
• Brummerhauw (roarer cut)
• Weckerhauw (waker cut)
• Rosenhauw (rose cut)
• Gefehrhauw (danger cut)
• Entrusthauw (anger cut)
• Fehlerhauw (failer cut)
• Blendthauw (blind cut)
• Schnellhauw (flicking cut)
• Windthauw (winding cut)
• Bochhauw (knocking cut)
• Wechselhauw (change cut)
• Kreutzhauw (cross cut)