Krumphau
Krumphau
Literally: crooked hew
An arcing cut with the longsword at the opponent's hands, one of the five master cuts of the Liechtenauer tradition.
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Krumphau, literally the crooked cut, is one of the five master cuts (Meisterhau) of the German Liechtenauer longsword tradition. It is performed deftly, with the point aimed at the opponent's hands, and can be delivered from either side of the body. It serves to break the opponent's guard, especially against the Alber stance, and to disrupt the opponent's initiative, called in the tradition the weakening of the masters. Unlike Zwerchhau, delivered along a straight path to the head, Krumphau travels in an arc toward the opponent's hands and weapon. It is attested in the Codex Döbringer from around 1389, and it is also mentioned by Talhoffer (1467), Falkner (around 1495), Ringeck (before 1508), Paurnfeyndt (1516) and Mair (1542). Who first introduced the cut, we have not been able to document.