Horseback – Counter to 5th scholar of the 8th master

Folio 44 v. c

Translation

This is the seventh play, which is the counter to the fifth. It is done by wounding the leg. If the player is armoured, do not trust it to work.

Interpretation

Having beaten your sword aside, your opponent has made the play of the 5th scholar, scooping their arm around your head in an attempt to throw you from your horse.

Grab the pommel of your saddle to anchor yourself, lean back and twist to the right, absorbing and sliding out of your opponents scoop. You want their arm to slide over your left ear rather than catch under your chin. That marks the fine line between success and failure in this play.

As you do this, keep your body on the same axis as your horse. If you lean out to the side while doing this, you will be dangerously overbalanced. Turn your backward movement into a counter attack.

To get you into this position, your opponent has beaten your sword to your left. As you twist back and to the right, use this momentum to make a cut with the false edge. If you were standing upright, the mechanics of it would make it a horozontal cut, although your movement here will tip everything. The cut will go over your own horses head, arc across the rump of your opponents horse and wrap around to strike your opponent in the left leg, as shown.

You will have to quickly focus on regaining your seat, but your opponent will be wounded. Rather obviously, the more leg protection they have, the less likely your counter attack is to succeed.