by Michael » Mon Apr 13, 2009 12:10 pm
First, you need to play to the strengths of your combo. Since movement is life for buckler fighters even more than everyone else, you need not to work in the middle of the line. There are too many threats and too few ways to use footwork to escape. If you are using buckler in a line fight you need to work on the ends and use speed to get further outside.
A concept that I like to think about with shields is the cone of coverage. If you look at an opponent with a buckler, it is obvious that when he moves the shield closer to your eyes more of his body is covered by it. This principle applies to blocking. It’s why Kerb’s point about moving into every block is so key. By getting closer to your opponent’s sword you block more of your body with the same size shield. This of course assumes you don’t let your opponent get a pivot point, i.e. his wrist, past your shield.
For one on one, your best bet is to seize control of the battle and dictate a style and tempo that favors fast paced and movement heavy fighting. In as much as this is defense, using range and side to side defense, is a great substitute for the passive block of a larger shield. However, the true value of a buckler, in my mind is the vast array of fakes it makes available. With a regular sized strap shield you can only ‘show’ a couple of places that might tempt an opponent to swing. With a buckler you have many more options. Fighters are trained to observe movement and react. Often a slight move that exposes some key area briefly can tempt an opponent to swing in a predicable way. This give you plenty of time to use even the smallest buckler to clear his sword and get you inside long enough to take a good clean shot. (a shot which as Arrakis rightly points out, can often be a stab).
I <3 my quicktube.