Nikolas: I'm here with Jonathan Spouge, and he's just given me a workshop
Nikolas: I'm here with Jonathan Spouge, and he's just given me a workshop [Jonathan Spouge—Academy of Historical Arts]
in how to use the Highland broadsword in combination with targe. [Jonathan Spouge—Academy of Historical Arts]
in how to use the Highland broadsword in combination with targe.
Obviously, the steel weapon would look something like this.
It's a basket hilted broadsword. This is a broadsword.
There is no such thing as a "Viking broadsword"!
Stop saying it! This is a broadsword.
It's a contemporary with the rapier, and rapiers were really, really thin and this isn't. It's broad.
So we called it "broad" to make sure that people didn't confuse it with the rapier, which was thin.
Okay? Good.
At the front it's got these lugs—these loops here.
It has been conjectured through experimentation that these might be not to act as a sword catcher,
but actually for levering a targe out of the way,
which is a pretty handy place to have that little lever just in front of your fist.
So that's perhaps what they are for.
We're not going to be using this because neither of us is wearing any protective equipment,
so I am just going to use a much safer nylon instead.
We have two designs here of targe.
Yes, they're both the same size and round from the front,
but at the back we have one with the handles smack down the center,
but there's an alternative.
There are some illustrations that show the armor beneath the centerline
and with these you get the dirk sticking much further out the at the bottom,
making this much more of a practical proposition.
But we're not going to be using that particular combination.
We're going to be using the more conventional centerline.
Five rules have been developed. Isn't that right, Jonathan? >> Jonathan: Four and a half, or five. Yes.
>> Rule Number One is … >> "We move our weapons together."
>> This is not just a counterweight. I don't go,
"Haha!"
*spang*
"Haha!"
*spang*, because that's rubbish.
Instead, if he throws the attack … like that,
I can't get him in the arm because he has correctly put his targe forward at the same time.
If he doesn't do that, then he has just given me a target.
It's not "sword shield sword shield," it's sword *and* shield together.
It's not "sword shield sword shield," it's sword *and* shield together. [We were directly under the landing path for Birmingham International Airport.]
They go "Ha!," but possibly … oh, alright … [We were directly under the landing path for Birmingham International Airport.]
… but possibly … I *can* force my way in. I can force the part–
If I go for the legs, slip and maintain distance.
>> We're not going to do lots of low parries with either of these tools.
Instead, if he goes–
assuming we are standing on a reasonably flat plain, if he goes for my lower leg,
I should be able to slip it back out of the way and keep myself safe
without having to do anything like that, which exposes me.
If he does fool me,
and I go down with my targe, for instance,
"Oh, no!, I've exposed a huge area of me there,"
and that's a quick end to me.
So what's Rule Number Three? >> Rule Number Three is—
borrowing from both previous rules— "We don't wish to cross our weapons or our body over."
>> Okay, so I can perhaps force him to *break* Rule Three.
So if he were to cut at me on this side, "Haha!,"
I could then *smack*, cross him and expose a target and stab or cut.
If you can get someone to cross over in either direction,
and tie up both their limbs with one of yours,
it frees your sword arm to do the job.
Right, so what's the Fourth Rule? >> The Fourth Rule is,
"We do not block our face with our targe."
Head yes, face no. >> There's an interesting anecdote.
It is said that you should not let a Highlander lend you his targe in order to make a fair fight.
Because, actually– What he wants is for you— an inexperienced fighter with a targe—to go,
"Oh, he's going for my face." *stab*
As soon as he's got you to do that, he's blinded and you've got him.
As soon as he's got you to do that, he's blinded and you've got him. (or rather, he's got you)
But there's a fifth rule. What's that?
>> Fifth Rule is, "Break the rules."
>> Break the rules? >> Break the rules.
>> Can we have an example of breaking the rules which is useful? >> You certainly can.
Let's go back to that second play where I want to make you cross over. >> Well, I'm completely saved! Look, I parried.
>> I have no leverage here. >> That's *le*verage by the way.
(snortle)
>> If I cross myself now—which I normally shouldn't—I can get the leverage I need.
(ponk) >> "Arrgh! I've been out-levered!"
>> Both of my hands are on the wrong side,
My targe is in front of my right arm where it shouldn't be.
>> He's horribly exposed there, but that doesn't matter because he's got me all over here.
>> I've broken the rule to win.
>> You're using the targe as a hammer on the back of the broadsword to open me up and defeat me.
Thank you very much, Jonathan. >> You're very welcome.
>> It's very useful. For years I've wanted to know, because I've often been a bit confused about the targe
because it seems so small and because it's a cross grip like this, rather than center grip, which is what I'm more used to.
Center grip—you can reach out, you could give so much more, where you can do with center grip, but this seems so limited.
But in combination with this, if you think of them as one weapon that happens to be held in two hands,
pretty nasty. >> Very, very.
♪ (The Mandeville March) ♪
>> LINDYBEIGE!