Half-sword

Half-sword, in 14th- to 16th-century fencing with longswords, refers to the technique of gripping the central part of the sword blade with the left hand in order to execute more forceful thrusts against armoured and unarmoured opponents.

The technique was also referred to as mit dem kurzen Schwert, "with the shortened sword" in German.

Half-sword is used for leverage advantage when wrestling with the sword, as well as for delivering a more accurate and powerful thrust.

[1] Most medieval treatises show armoured combat as consisting primarily of fighting at the half-sword; the best options against an armoured man being a strong thrust into less-protected areas such as the armpits or throat or, even better, the same against a man who has already been cast to the ground.

Some longswords had a short ricasso, usually too close to the cross and hilt of the blade for practical use in half-swording except as a point of extra leverage in a thrust.