Illustration of a Grappling Hold From a German Fechtbuch
source: Wikimedia Commons
author: Hans Talhoffer (1420–1490 AD)
A black and white illustration in a book depicts two men grappling. One man has his right shoulder against the other’s chest, grabbing the man’s right leg with his left hand. The other man reaches around the waist of his opponent with his right arm. Text written in German sits in the upper portion of the page.
This illustration is featured in a 1443 AD fecthbuch (German treatise on fighting) by fencing and combat expert Hans Talhoffer (1420–1490). The illustration depicts a hold or takedown used in ringen, a medieval form of German grappling.
Welle, R. (1993). “–und wisse das alle höbischeit kompt von deme ringen”: Der Ringkampf als adelige Kunst im 15. und 16. Jahrhundert. Pfaffenweiler: Centaurus-Verlagsgesellschaft.