Dussack

A dussack (also dusack, dysack, tesak, tuseckn, thuseckn, disackn, or dusägge) is a type of antiquated German practice weapon that originated around the 16th century. The dussack was intended to represent various short, single-edged weapons in a training environment. Using a dussack one could train for a hiebmesser or grosses messer, which translates to English as "big knife," falchion, or cutlass. As usage of the dussack became more wide-spread, various schools turned the dussack into a sport as opposed to training for a real weapon. A dussack was made of wood, although that is not to say that metal ones were not made. It is important to note that metal dussacks were very uncommon because a metal dussack became a real weapon as opposed to a waster with the intent of training for a real weapon.

Based primarily on the messer than the older falchion, dussacks had a short, thick single-edged blade measuring between 70 and 95 cm. It was gently curved and brought to a point a the tip. The dussack lacked a hilt. Instead, the handgrip was merely a hole cut inside of the blade; without a pommel or upper guard, it looked something like a large hole for gripping scissors. Since dussacks were wooden, only woodcuts and training manuals from the period document their existence. All wooden period dussacks have been lost to time and decomposition and only a single (odd) iron made dussack is known.

As a weapon developed from a farmers tool, it was found mainly in the lower classes in Germany. As time went on and dussack fencing became more popular and it was accepted into certain fencing schools, and there were techniques designed for it. The peak of dussack development came about with Joachim Meyer in the 1570's. Everything after that was merely a variation of Meyer's teachings.