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<blockquote data-quote="shurai" data-source="post: 523326">Wow, you guys all beat me to the punch, as it were.&nbsp; The other posters are very much correct.&nbsp; A greatsword can be wielded in a surprising diversity of ways, such that although the guard positions all have their weaknesses, there is no such thing as being 'inside' in a permanent way.&nbsp; You can swing it in two hands, conan style.&nbsp; You can thrust with it held in front of you like a spear.&nbsp; You can grab the lower part of the blade in your (gauntletted) hand and use it a bit like a quarterstaff.&nbsp; And to top it all off, if some smart-aleck cutpurse tries to get too personal, you can conk him with the pommel, guard, or your fists on the hilt, targetting his guts or head, or thrust at his feet or cut at his groin from a hanging guard that still protects you.&nbsp; You can even use the blade or your hand to bind or grab his thrusting dagger-arm, if you're quick, and then use the pommel on his head or gut.&nbsp; And if he breaks the close-in fighting, you can probably cut at him whilst he disengages.But, though you did not mean it this way, you are partly correct.&nbsp; You can get inside any sword's reach if you can capitalize on the moment between stepping in and when he corrects his guard or steps back in response.&nbsp; Basically if he cuts down at you, sidestep and move forward at the same time, hold his arm or grab the bit of exposed swordhilt between his hands, and hopefully stab him in the guts.&nbsp; Or, if he has poor control and his sword is near the ground, you can pull the same trick and cut his throat while holding his arms or sword down instead of up.Greatswords and two-handed swords in general are a very subtle art, much moreso than most people think.&nbsp; I've barely hinted all the grappling techniques, for instance.&nbsp; I know of a technique that is simple to do, but pretty hard to describe, whereby my opponent's downward cutting attack is blocked and in a moment he finds himself lying face-down on the ground with his sword-arm securely locked and twisted out of joint.&nbsp; To make it work all he has to do is pressure my block as if to drive me down or back, which swordsmen do all the time.-SArmchair swordsman</blockquote>

[QUOTE="shurai, post: 523326"] Wow, you guys all beat me to the punch, as it were. The other posters are very much correct. A greatsword can be wielded in a surprising diversity of ways, such that although the guard positions all have their weaknesses, there is no such thing as being 'inside' in a permanent way. You can swing it in two hands, conan style. You can thrust with it held in front of you like a spear. You can grab the lower part of the blade in your (gauntletted) hand and use it a bit like a quarterstaff. And to top it all off, if some smart-aleck cutpurse tries to get too personal, you can conk him with the pommel, guard, or your fists on the hilt, targetting his guts or head, or thrust at his feet or cut at his groin from a hanging guard that still protects you. You can even use the blade or your hand to bind or grab his thrusting dagger-arm, if you're quick, and then use the pommel on his head or gut. And if he breaks the close-in fighting, you can probably cut at him whilst he disengages. But, though you did not mean it this way, you are partly correct. You can get inside any sword's reach [i]if[/i] you can capitalize on the moment between stepping in and when he corrects his guard or steps back in response. Basically if he cuts down at you, sidestep and move forward at the same time, hold his arm or grab the bit of exposed swordhilt between his hands, and hopefully stab him in the guts. Or, if he has poor control and his sword is near the ground, you can pull the same trick and cut his throat while holding his arms or sword [i]down[/i] instead of up. Greatswords and two-handed swords in general are a very subtle art, much moreso than most people think. I've barely hinted all the grappling techniques, for instance. I know of a technique that is simple to do, but pretty hard to describe, whereby my opponent's downward cutting attack is blocked and in a moment he finds himself lying face-down on the ground with his sword-arm securely locked and twisted out of joint. To make it work all he has to do is pressure my block as if to drive me down or back, which swordsmen do all the time. -S Armchair swordsman [/QUOTE]

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