"Find someone who is known to be skilled in combat with shield or buckler. Practice twice a day, if you can.

But, save for holidays, let not a single day pass without training at least once. For this art needs to be
mastered to be of good service."
-Konungs Skuggsjá A.D. 1250

Sword and Buckler

Why sword and buckler? Throughout history men of violence utilized the buckler for many
things, a shield of last resort, a polite way to break someones face in a bar room dispute, and a
training tool of great value. The earliest references to professional combat instructors or masters of
defense as they were to become known all have one thing in common, they refer to schools of
sword and buckler. In a time when men of all social castes were equally likely to have someone try
to see how many inches of steel they could fit inside you before the talking stopped, a practical,
effective training system was priceless. We will focus on the earliest and most comprehensive of
these training systems, I.33.

What is I.33? I.33 is also known as the Walpurgis manuscript, after a figure named
Walpurgis shown in the last sequence of the manuscript. I.33 is a training system, it is not a secret
manual to ultimate mastery. This is not a series of master techniques that will allow you to win any
fight. It is not about executing play Z againt ward X to achieve victory. I.33 is about training yourself
how to move, flow, and react in any combat situation.

Wards are not guards. The most common misconception about I.33 is that each Ward
illustration in the manual is a guard. These are not places from which you want to seek a fight (the
exception being 2nd Ward). These wards are places where you end up during a fight. Each ward is
a place where you body naturally finds itself at the beginning or ending of a movement to achieve
an objective, whether it is the end of a strike, the start of a bind, or the contact point of a knock, or
even backing away from the big angry german with the unpleasant looking axe.

So whats the point? Training yourself to move through option points, to flow from ward to
ward, and to be able to throw shots from any ward is what I.33 is about. By the time you can
consider yourself "conversant" in I.33 you should be able to throw any shot, to any target zone,
from any Ward. But Cedric you say, some places I just cant throw certain shots from. This is true,
but you have to know how to achieve your goal anyway. If there is only one thing open, and you
are already in a certain position, are you just going to let the opportunity pass you by, or are you
going to do what needs to be done to end the fight and go home alive?

Muscle memory based tactical fluidity. That is the end goal of this training system. When
you’re in the fight you don’t have time to figure out what ward/body movement path you need to
perform to throw shot X from ward Y to target zone Z. Your body, your mind, and your intent have
to be prepared for whatever might present itself, anything else is a failure in training. A failure in
training is a failure to prepare. Be prepared.

Flow, flow, flow. When you train I.33, it is important to focus on flowing from any ward, to
any ward, constantly. The buckler is a tiny defense, when you need it somewhere, your REALLY
need it there, fast. Repetition in drilling is absolutely key. You must be able to go from any way, to
any ward. Take some time to work out the odd pathing between non adjacent wards. It is all too
easy to get caught up on your own buckler, basket, or armor because your body doesn't have the
muscle memory of these transitions. Your goal is always to transition to an optimal chamber point
to deliver fast, clean, powerful blows.
Fine, it’s a training system, but everything went to hell and now I actually have to fight with
this pie plate instead of a proper weapon, what do I do?

END THE FIGHT Buckler is a lot like a knife fight, if you sit around and play, snipe at each
other, let shot after shot after shot get thrown, you're going to get cut. Gettig cut sucks. Don’t get
cut. You'll notice a lot of wards present opportunities for binding and controlling the opponents
weapon/hand/shield. That's because that's how you END THE FIGHT. Control your opponents
weapon, remove it from the fight, and then remove him from the fight. Engage. Control. Eliminate.

Present the defence. Your buckler is not a static or passive defensive tool. You're holding
a pie plate and hoping to stop a three foot long piece of razor sharp steel from removing your
innards, passivity is not an option. Your blocks must come out and meet the opponent, as far from
your own body as possible. The ideal buckler block is edge on, into the cross of your enemies
blade as it meets hilt/basket. Striking the enemies hand with the edge of your buckler allows you to
control and manipulate the blade. A gliding or disengaging block protects you from one shot. A hard
edge block allows you to control the blade, and END THE FIGHT.

I see blocks as happening in three places or zones. If you miss 1, block with 2, miss 2,
block with 3.

1- The optimal block: Far extentsion, hard edge block, control of the enemies
weapon, END THE FIGHT.
2- The gliding block: Mid extension, you've missed your opportunity to control the
enemies weapon, but you can still disengage or re-engage with no real
downside.
3- The reactionary block: Close to the body, rolling the hips to interpose the
buckler, you've blocked the shot, but are at a severe disadvantage to your
opponent.
Primary Wards
1st Ward- Sword is laid flat against the lower part of the quadricep. Hand should be pointed down,
and protecting from side strikes to an inch above the knee to protect nerve cluster.

Optimal Shots: Rising offside to the head/armpit. Offside leg snap. Thumbleader gut
thrust (Mittelpoint)

2nd Ward- Standard A-Frame guard. Primary fighting position, only real "Guard" in the system.

Optimal Shots: Everything. Kill something.

3rd Ward- “Telephone” block. Right hand sweeps close to the face, and ends near the left ear.
Blade is flat against the head and chambered for a powerful returning offside strike.

Optimal Shots: Offside snap to the head or arm. Offside leg. Face thrust.

4th Ward-“Bellatrix” stance. Sword is fully back for powerful blows. Laid across the right trapezius.
Hips are bladed and buckler presented forward to create space/trap. Works best with sword foot
back. This ward is all about POWER.

Optimal Shots: Powerful slower shots. Onside leg/head. Wraps.

Optimal Shots: Leg wrap, mittelpoint gut thrust, rising thumbleader wrap to the head

6th Ward- Hand is at belt level, with a slight gap and rolled out wrist. Tip is pointed at the
opponent’s eyes. This ward is all about PRESSURE.

Optimal Shots: Thrusts, Moulinet to onside head, leg wrap, C-shots

7th Ward- “Longpoint”- Sword is at full extension from a thrust or a strike. The is where your body
ends up after you miss a shot and do not pursue an active recovery.

Optimal Shots: Stepping thrust (stay in ward, simply step forward), moulinet, dropshot to
the chest.

The Primary Wards are the places in which it is most common to find yourself in a fight, they are
your most commonly used tools. Learn them well before moving on to the Auxillary Wards. The
Auxillary wards are more situationally specific, and less common, they are however no less useful
in a fight.
Auxillary Wards

High Backpoint- Sword tip is pointed backwards and away from the opponent, horizontally with
the floor. Hand is aligned with knuckles pointed upwards, placed along the offside trapezius
muscle.

Optimal Shots: Dropping offside shots to arm, head, and chest

Archers Ward- Sword tip is pointed at the eyes of the opponent. Sword hand is behind the onside
ear, palm up. Flat of the blade should be near your own face. Buckler is pointed forward
aggressively. Action mimics the drawing of a bow, as both hands press away from one another.

Optimal Shots: Thrust to the chest, moulinet to the head.

Low Backpoint- Sword tip is pointed backwards away from the opponent, horizontally with the
floor. Hand is placed under the opposite arm’s armpit. Buckler covers elbow and right shoulder.
Chamber point to Mittelhau strike.

Optimal Shots: Brutally powerful shots to the leg and hips. A great followup to Hapschildt

Mittlepoint- Sword tip is extended forward at opponent’s sternum. Hand is held lower, with the
thumb up. Buckler covers sword hand. Essentially 7th Ward to the chest.

Optimal Shots: Thumbleader thrusts, leg wraps, step thrust

Optimal Shots: Wraps and snaps to the onside leg, body thrusts

Hapschildt- Sword is placed under the buckler, palm down, blade back. The pair are presented
forward in a binding strike to the enemies hands. Usually followed up with Low Backpoint.

Optimal Shots: Offside shots to the hips, legs, and chest. Moulinets to the onside head.

Hightower- Buckler is presented forward, blade is laid across the buckler oriented down, with hand
held high above. Used to create a modular plane of defense. Very potent defense, limited offense.

Optimal Shots: Moulinet to the head. Body thrusts. Transition into 4th ward.

Lowpoint- Hand is low, sword tip is extended forward at opponent’s groin or knees. Buckler covers
sword hand. Essentially 7th Ward to the leg.

Optimal Shots: Step thrusts, leg wraps