Mountain Axe at the Recreational Violence Weekend!

Recreational Violence Weekend V

June 11-12 here in beautiful Northeast Ohio..we will have a variety of axe classes including a class Sunday on the mountain axe. I am picturing this as the most people ever swinging mountain axes in one place outside of the Carpathian mountains ever…or at least in a very long time. Should be alot of fun. Will give an update after the event.

*Knife vs. Entrenching Tool*

*Knife vs. Entrenching Tool*

A real life survival story

By: Gordonnach

24 June 2008

*Knife vs. Entrenching Tool*

A real life survival story

By: Gordonnach

24 June 2008

Janosik!!!!!!!!!

Here is the teaser trailer for the upcoming Janosik movie.

Mountain axe at ISMAC

On saturday afternoon I taught a 1 1/2 hour course on the Carpathian mountain axe. While taught a shorter course at a local SCA event last year, this marks the first complete class of this kind ever taught by me using this material.

IIRC we had 12 people in the class…for a while it looked like there would be 3 but people straggled in…better late than never really applied here. Few things worse than teaching to an empty room. As it was, the number of participants perfectly fit the room.

I went over the 3 basic stances with variations and talked about the reasons and origins of each. We also went over a large amount of figure eight motions with more of a focus on how to move with the weapon rather than fit techniques.

Of course we did do some set plays to illustrate the use against a like weapon. I would have really liked going over it’s use against saber and bayonet but with only and hour and a half I wanted to get as much of the basics of movement down as possible.

Everyone seemed to grasp the material quite well, which is not surprising in the least since for the most part everyone in attendence at ISMAC tends to do a lot of weapon work…still I need to polish the presentation and work out a few kinks in how things are explained. I will get a chance to teach it again this year at the Recreatioal Violence Weeked in July.

Russian peasant in 1812 British Caricature

From wiki

A redrawn version of a Russian caricature (on Napoleon’s 1812 campaign in Russia) by British artist George Cruikshank. A Russian peasant holds a bloody axe above Frenchman’s head, ready to strike. On the ground are the bodies of two French officers, whose skulls have been split by the Russian soldier’s axe. British caricature. Dorothy George translates the caption as: “There were hordes of you, weren’t there? Well, that’s the lot! That’s what you were up to, trying to hack your way through; in future you won’t give any trouble!”

Not really on topic but a very cool period illustration as long as your idea of cool is split open craniums:)

Mountian Axe Mayhem!

After we got done filming the clip below, we decided to do some bouting with our axes……

Four engaging ways to deal with an incoming attack

Just a short video clip as promised a few posts back.

1. Parry with the poll side of the axe.

2. Parry with the cheek or side of the axe or shaft.

3. Direct block with lead edge then turning to attack.

4. Direct stop with the head of the axe, best done on their hand or forearm.

Zbojnický tanec – Outlaw dance

Jurošík a zbojník Hrajruka

Link: Hurstwic Viking Axe

Here is a link to a nice site that deals with Viking use of the axe…a bit off topic for us but don’t all of us axe swinging wildmen have to stick together? I mean it’s not like we are fencers or something. So vistit the Hurstwic site now!