We often see flying leaps in HEMA longsword tournaments. Here is an example of one in slow motion:

I want to point out a few key frames. First, the full extension of the cut.

Ringeck warns us against this when he writes,

If you cut with an Oberhau from the right side, follow after the cut with your right foot. If you do not do this then the cut is poor and insincere, because your right side lingers behind.

The next frame is even more damning.

To paraphrase Fiore, the elephant is unbalanced and the castle will soon fall. He has no control over his body or sword at this point and won’t regain it until his right foot hits the ground again at the earliest.

In the next shot we see his momentum has carried him forward into a compromising position.

With no creditable threat being presented, the fencer on the right could easily step out to the left with a zwerch.

Countering the Leap in a Tournament

(Fast forward to 36 seconds.)

We’ll refer to the fencer on the left as the agent and the one on the right as the patient.

The action begins with the agent inching into measure without presenting a creditable threat. So right from the beginning I object to the style of engagement. By the time you get that close you really should have the point threatening your opponent’s face as you launch into your device.

He then takes another step forward just prior to raising his sword into vom Tag. (Why not just thrust the patient in the face or chest? That’s what alber is good at. But I digress.)

The agent makes a small leap forward, not so uncontrolled as the last video, but bad enough.

The patient fencer simple steps back allowing the cut to swing wide and expose the upper body. Had the agent attacked with control, rather than just pure speed, then he would have ended in longpoint ready for the thrust.

Being in alber, the agent needs to do something to regain cover. I would recommend either stepping back with a thrust or zwerch. Or if he wants to stay in range, pull the hilt high into either ochs or hangort. All of these options offer the point which should keep the patient at bay.

Instead he chooses to return to vom Tag, at which point the patient demonstrates how to break vom Tag with a zwerch followed by another.

The Drill

The key to defeating the leaping oberhau is footwork. Using steps to the back and the side we can control the range and allow the initial blow to miss. So here is a drill to that effect:

* Agent leaps with a oberhau that ends in alber

* Patient voids back or to the side

* Agent recovers into right vom Tag

* Patient zwerches twice

Reference:

The second strike is the crosswise strike. This breaks the Roof guard.

— Ringeck

If he then Stands against you and holds his sword with outstretched arms high over his head and threatens to hew in from above at you, then come before him with your hew and spring with the right foot well on your right side against him, and in the spring Wind your sword with the hilt before your head so that your thumb comes under, and strike him with the short edge against his left side to the head.

— Pseudo-Peter von Danzig