Krumphauw

Crooked Strike

One of the five meisterhau, krumphauw is used to defeat cuts from above, and the ochs guard.

Execution

For example; stand in a right nebenhut. When your opponent strikes an oberhau/zornhau do a passing step forward and off to the right and bring your sword over like a windscreen wiper with your hands out in front and the blade angled toward your opponent, so that you strike his blade with your long edge, or strike over to his hands.

Generally if you hit the blade you should follow on the pressing the hands (hendtrucken).

Meyer describes the technique with hands held high in the cut, though this can be adjusted as required.

Application

The krumphauw can be used to parry incoming blows by deflecting or redirecting them. It can also be used to attack in a number of ways and indeed Meyer tells us that there are many secondary cuts which are simply variations on the basic crooked strike - the Sturtzhauw, for example is a high krumphauw facing out to the side.

The krumphauw can also be used from the bind; when you bind them from the right a krumphauw without taking your sword from theirs can set their sword aside, or fall down on it to bar it (Sperren).

Fencers should be wary using the krumphauw (especially in the bind) as the opponent can change through against them (Durchwechseln).

Application Example

In which the 'student' demonstrates their knowledge to the 'teacher'.

Teacher	Student
Vom tag, left leg forward	[[Nebenhut]], left leg forward
Passing Step Zornhauw	Passing Step forward and right, Krumphauw to parry the blade away
	Gathering Step forward, shifting the blade up to slice (schneiden) the arms and bar them to block their movement(sperren).