Mair's Sickle, Plate Three

Plate Three is entitled, "A cut against a way of pulling by the opponent." Wiktenaur's image for it is here. (Though I admit to preferring the image in the translation here, I think it's interesting to see the slight differences in how the combatant on the right is stepping. Huh. That seems like it might be important here.)

The action starts with the fighter on the left initiating, continuing the trend. Fighter A then, stands with the right foot forward, and the right hand stretched out high in front (the hand seems to be in front of the face, and the sickle extends from there), and the left hand placed back on the left hip. Fighter B stands similarly to A.

First Variation

• Fighter A steps forward with their left foot and strikes B in the head. Done!

Second Variation

• Fighter A steps forward with their left foot and strikes at B's head.
• Fighter B parries the sickle towards their right side, and then hooks A's right arm and pulls them in. (I admit, this is an action I'm not sure about, and this is something that's going to get a lot of error testing with Doroga. It feels like cutting directly to the arm might well work here, but I'm not sure. I want to say that intercepting the sickle first is more technically correct, but moving from sickle to arm without controlling the weapon hand might not be right.)

Third Variation

• Fighter A steps forward with their left foot and strikes at B's head.
• Fighter B parries the sickle towards their right side, and then hooks A's right arm.
• Fighter A grabs B's weapon hand, pulls them to the right, strikes the left side of B's head, and pulls backward. (This is another part of why the parry and then hook seems correct, albeit untested - if it was a real strike to the arm out of the gate, it would already be messier?)

Fourth Variation

• Fighter A steps forward with their left foot and strikes at B's head.
• Fighter B parries the sickle towards their right side, and then hooks A's right arm.
• Fighter A grabs B's weapon hand, pulls them to the right, and strikes at the left side of B's head.
• Fighter B pulls back to avoid the cut.
• Fighter A follows B, passing the right foot forward, and strikes at B's right hand.

That's it! This is going to get some serious error testing the next time Doroga and I are in the same place, which will be great. Then I'll post thoughts, reactions, and very likely corrections!

Between now and then, I'm hoping to do a bit on Fabris, because we never forget him around here.