Fighting with the Hidden Blade: Defensive Techniques

Hello, and welcome to the next lesson!  Today we are going to learn defensive techniques!  You should already know the counter and the block that comes with it, so we can get right into things!

First off, any blow can be fended off with a counter(knifehand blocking with either the side of the hand or the bracer).  The moves are any other way other than a counter to defend yourself.

 Defending against a Slice/Hook Punch
1.Trip and Stab
As your opponent comes at you and slices, put your arm over the opponent's chest and put your leg behind his legs.  Your butts should be connecting.  Quickly shove him forward, tripping him over your leg.  Stab him on the ground.

2.Spearing
As your opponent slices toward your unbladed hand, hit the attacking arm with your unbladed hand and the opponent's chest with your bladed hand, blade extended.  They should hit at the same time.  This will throw your opponent's attack off balance, and as a bonus you will have stabbed him/her.

Defending against a Stab/Straight Punch
1.Spinning Stab
As an opponent comes at you and stabs, first move to the side, dodging the strike,  Then, quickly  jump in behind the opponent, spinning so that you face the opponent.  Stab the opponent in the back.

2.Crescent Kick
As an opponent comes at you with a stab, preform a crescent kick(bring your foot up and down in an arc) onto the opponent's blade, like so:





This will knock the weapon out of the way.  Come in and stab your opponent.

Miscellaneous Moves
1.Back Roll
As an opponent attacks you, first drop into a crouch, letting your heels hit the floor.  Curl your body back and begin to roll backwards, going from the shoulder to buttcheek like a judo roll.  Use your beginning momentum to propel yourself, and use your shoulders for extra momentum.  As you come back onto your knees, push back up into a standing position.

2.Disarm
As an opponent comes at you, counter their attack, then, grab their arm and move under it, twisting it into an arm bar:

Pretend like you are dancing

Then, grab the weapon with your free hand an push their shoulder.


That wraps up our defense lesson.  Sorry for the long wait, there are very limited defensive moves in the game, so I had to improvise on my own.  Enjoy, and keep a look out for the next lesson: assassination moves!

Fighting with the Hidden Blade: Advanced Attack Moves(Expert Level)

Hello, and welcome to lesson 3!  We're going to look at some advanced attack moves!

Note:  We're going to use some terminology and techniques from the previous lesson.  If you did not go over Lesson 2, do so now:

Fighting with a Hidden Blade: How to stab with the Hidden Blade and Attack Moves(Beginner - Intermediate)

Anyway, let's go on to the exciting parts!

Expert Move 1: Ducking Slice




The above video shows Arno Dorian executing a ducking slice.

To execute a ducking slice, first extend your blade and duck a swinging blow,  While ducking, turn backwards in the direction of your blad-clad elbow,  For example, if you were going to slice with the left blade, turn towards the left side.  If you were going to slice with your right blade(if you had two blades) then you should turn right.  Spin quickly.  As you turn to face your enemy again, slash your blade across his throat.

This is the ultimate badass hidden blade move, if landed.  However, you must be quick enough to turn around before your opponent strikes you in the back.  Also, if your opponent moves out of range before you land a blow, then you may miss. All in all, this move is a weapon that can be used in combat, but it is very hard to do if you want to actually land it.

Expert Move 2: Wallrun Backflip




Above is Giovanni Auditore executing a wallrun backflip, then incapacitating his opponent.

The wallrun backflip is an elegant move, and done with many weapons other than the hidden blade.  This takes a little parkour skill.  Be careul not to break your neck!

I'll split the move into three parts: the wallrun, the backflip, and the finisher.  To wallrun, first approach a wall with some speed.  Then, at about one stride away from the wall, drive explosively with your left leg and plant the right leg on the wall(or reversed if it feels more comfortable: I've always done it by pushing off with my right leg and planting my left on the wall).  At this point, plant your right foot solidly and drive upwards, swinging your arms up to help gain momentum.  Then comes the backflip.  Push off the wall and do a backflip(turning your body 360 degrees backwards).  When you push, you must use your momentum to land behind your opponent.  You can either stab your opponent directly or disarm and takedown your opponent, like Giovanni Auditore in the video.

This move is more for show than it is for actual use.  Nevertheless, it can be used to some extent.  It looks badass, too.  I'd suggest using this move in a Youtube video, if you wanted to make one.

Move 3: Air Attack


Above is Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad executing an Air Attack.

This move is very similair to an air assassination.  However, there are two main differences: The first is that the opponent is aware that you are attacking him.  In an air assassination, the opponent doesn't know you are attacking him until he's on the floor.  In the example video, you can see that Altaïr's enemy is drawing his sword and looking at Altaïr.  The second difference is that it is done from a running jump from the ground instead of from a hang or jump from a roof/highly elevated surface.

To execute this attack, first run up to the opponent.  When close enough(you must judge the distance through yourself), jump as high as you can at the opponent.  If you have a button activated blade, then you should activate before you jump.  You can jump off a ledge or body if you want.  Remember, even though you want high, you also have to have forward momentum to reach the opponent.  If you have not yet activated your blade, activate mid-air.  Once you get near your opponent, grab him with one arm and stab him with the other.  As he falls with you, land in a crouch, with your legs on either side.

This move is a good move in combat.  If it works, you've one, but if it doesn't, you simply move off and continue fighting.  However, be sure to deflect all attacks in mid-air, as you can't dodge.

Well, that wraps up this lesson!  Be sure to wait for more, as our next lesson will be about defensive techniques!

Fighting with a Hidden Blade: How to stab with the Hidden Blade and Attack Moves(Beginner - Intermediate)

Welcome to the second lesson!  Today, I will be teaching you first the proper way to stab with the hidden blade(so that you don't stub your fingers), then we shall move on to more advanced moves.

Hand Positions when using a Hidden Blade

There are two starting positions for an attack when using a Hidden Blade: the Fist(such as in Open Ready Stance A), and the Splayed Fingers(such as in the Auditore Position).  The Fist can be used in two ways:  You can punch an enemy with the blade extended, or you can turn your fist up so that it is facing upwards, so that the blade can penetrate fully.  If you use Splayed Fingers, you can only attack with your palm facing the enemy and your fingers pointing up.  If you hold your fingers parallel to the blade, then you risk stubbing your fingers against an enemy's body, if you want to do any serious damage.

Attack moves with the Hidden Blade

Now comes the fun part: You will now learn the attack moves when using the Hidden Blade!  These will all be high profile, conspicuous attacks; assassination moves will come in a later lesson.

I will be grouping these moves by difficulty.  The easy ones, I will group as "Beginner".  The medium ones, I will group as "Advanced".  The hard one, I will group as "Expert".  The Expert moves will be in a separate post.  Make sure to master all moves in the "Beginner" stage before advancing into "Intermediate", and the same for Intermediate to Expert.

Also, if I miss an important move, feel free to post a comment.  I'll be happy to add it.

Beginner Moves:

1. Simple Stab

With your blade extended, turn your palm upward and stab at a place like the heart or the head.  This is the most basic move possible, and your probably already know it.  You can use this in conjunction with a punch or kick to knock the opponent off guard or to distract an opponent.

2. Simple Slash
With your blade extended, slash your blade across an enemy.  Again, this is another basic move.  You can use this in conjunction with a punch or kick to knock the opponent off guard or to distract an opponent.

3.Simple Counter
This is a little more complicated than the previous two.  It is a simple kind of counter.  When attacked with a punch, make a knifehand with your hands(shown below):

Step back with your right foot into a back stance(if you do not know what a back stance is, you can look it up or go to the "Stances and Positions" lesson, then scroll down to "Open Ready Stance D").  Block the punch with your closest hand, bringing the bottom of your hand onto the side of the wrist:

Bring the part marked with the "X"s down onto the side of the wrist

After you have blocked the punch, quickly move in and stab with the hidden blade.

Using these moves, you can improvise a counter yourself.  Simply use the counter in the first step, then insert your own moves.

Intermediate Moves:

1.Counter and Throw
Our first intermediate move is an interesting move.  Safety Note: Be careful when practicing the throw on a live thing.  If done incorrectly, you might break their neck when they land on their head.  Go through the motions slowly, and if possible, make sure the person knows how to roll out of a throw.


First, have someone punch you.  This also works with a hook punch or slice.  Counter the move using a knifehand block.  Then grab the wrist with the hand farthest from the opponent.  Kneel or crouch down.  Then, pull the person down over your back, throwing them off balance.  Finish the motion, and they should land on their back.  Stab them with your blade.

Video of Judo Throw:



2.Counter Grab
This is a combination of the throw in the previous move and an escape.

First, have someone hug you from behind, pinning your arms.  Then, use the escape shown in the video below:



Please excuse the fact that I give no written explanation.  The move is too complicated to write out.

After that, grab an arm with the hand farthest from the grabbed arm, then execute the throw from Intermediate Move 1.  Then, stab the enemy with the hidden blade.

Well, that wraps up our first part on Attack Moves.  The next part will be on advanced attack moves.  Keep a lookout for that lesson!

After we wrap up on attack moves, we're going to look at defensive maneuvers, then we'll move on to assassination moves.

Fighting with the Hidden Blade: Stances and Positions

Welcome to your first lesson in the art of the Hidden Blade!  First off, we're going to start with stances and hand positions.

Stances when using the hidden blade are not specifically set.  In fact, when assassinating a target, it is better to have no combat stance at all, to ensure stealth.  These stances should only be used when in OPEN combat.

STANCE 1:  ‎Open Ready Stance A/Altaïr's Stance

The first stance we will go over is Open Ready Stance A, a favorite of Altaïr.  This was originally meant to have the Hidden Blade go through the fist, exiting through a removed ring-finger, but c. 1400, the removal of a finger was no longer needed.  Instead, it was wielded with a clenched fist.  Of course, an open hand or palm would do just fine too.

The defining features of this stance is as follows:  The hidden blade is extended in the left hand.  The feet are spread apart, one forward and one backwards.  The chest is thrust out.  The right hands is at rest or extending a second blade.  If this explanation is not enough, study the picture above.

This stance can be used in the beginning of open combat, as to intimidate the opponent.  However, once actually fighting, it is not recommended to use this stance, as many parts, such as the chest and the head, are open.  Instead, when the punches are being thrown and the blades are swinging, use Open Ready Stance D, which we will get to later.  Of course, this stance can be used if you are fast enough to block somethin near your head when your hands are down.

STANCE 2: Open Ready Stance B/Auditore Position

This is the second stance we will go over.  This is another intimidation stance, and it is not recommended that it should be used one the punches are thrown. In truth, the Auditore Position has fallen out of favor among the Assassins, as it as been replaced by its modified version, the Auditore Stance, or Open Ready Stance C.

The defining features of this stance are as follows: the feet are spread apart, one in the front and one in the back.  The feet should be in line with each other: If you were to draw a line from your middle toe on the left foot to the midle toe on your right foot, the line should be perfectly straight.  Of course, there is some flexibility in this.  It doesn't HAVE to be perfect, but try to make it near perfect.

Back to the defining features:  The arms should be spread apart, with blades extended.  In the picture, Ezio is extending both hidden blades.  If you have only one blade, or only choose to extend one blade, the other arm can be at rest.

This stance is an intimidation stance, as said before.  It can be used to much effectiveness if you are fast enough to block incoming strikes to the head when your hands are down.

STANCE 3: Open Ready Stance C/Auditore Stance

The third stance we should go over is the favored intimidation stance among the modern Assassins, and it has been since at least the 16th century, maybe before.  it combines the Auditore Position with Altaïr's Stance, making a more comfortable and relaxed version of the Auditore.  It is ideal for maneauverability in an intimidation stance, and can be used in actual combat the most effectively of the three intimidation stances.  Again, one must be fast enough to block incoming strikes, but the position of the feet and hands allow for quicker movement and attack.

Defining features: Feet spread apart about your foot plus half your foot.  Hands are at the sides, raised slightly.  The hands are turned slightly towards the body, and the blades are extended.

As said before, this is the easiest to use in combat of the three intimidation stances.  In untrained hands, it is not as good as Open Ready Stance D while in combat, but in trained hands in can be used just as effectively.

STANCE 4: Open Ready Stance D/Guardian Stance

The fourth stance we will be going over is a true combat stance: the Guardian Stance.  It's not as good as an intimidation tool, but in combat it can be used effectively, as the hands can block easily an movement is easily accessible.

Defining features:  The hands are in a fighting stance: one is positioned near the face, while the other is positioned out, ready to strike.  The other hand is held at at least neck height.  Blades can be either extended or retracted, and hands can be open or closed.  The legs are spread apart, with one foot facing forward toward where you are facing, and the other facing to the side.  In many martial arts, the footing of this stance is called a back stance.

This is the most effective stance in actual combat.  The hand are placed optimally for both striking and blocking, and the feet are ready to move and strike.

This wraps up our stances and positions.  Practice these, and make sure you have them down.  Next, we will be going over attack moves!

Fighting With a Hidden Blade: An Introduction

Hello, fellow Assassin.  I see you are reading my blog.

Well, I'll just cut to the chase:  I'm sure you have better things to do.

This blog is dedicated to the art of fighting with a hidden blade.  As a martial artist, with black belts in multiple martial arts, I've been fascinated with the way Assassins fought with their signature weapons.  It seemed like unarmed combat, but it included a blade.

I will teach you how to use the hidden blade, drawing upon my own experience in Taekwondo, Hapkido, Judo, and Kumdo, as well as my experience with multiple different weapons such as knives, meteor hamers, monk spades, staves, and even improvised weapons like walking canes.  I will also copy from in-game techniques and lore, as to keep it the art of the hidden blade and not the art of Taekwondo with a hidden blade.

I hope you like my blog.  Good luck in your journeys with the Assassin's Weapon!