During the Fechtschulen, the public displays of skill where members of the local fighting guilds vied for prize money and "Kräntzlein", injuries like noses split by swords, teeth knocked out by hits into the mouth, eyes gouged out by staff thrusts, even deaths were not uncommon... and how couldn't they, considering the "scoring" mechanism was the "red sweat" pouring out of a head injury.
Encounters could be drawn-out battles of wits, courage, and skills. Or they could be very short. Like the following:
Fencer Peter Katzengraw, a furrier, is characterized as an "angry" man who nonetheless cuts a dashing figure as he performs the air cuts and moulinets of his Spiegelfechten routine before the match. His opponent is a certain Hans Eisenbeisser, a bold and honest man, "happy, fast, nimble and audacious" who "freely threw the Thuseck all around".
On the signal of the umpire... probably the lifting of his staff... both opponents straighten and put themselves on guard.
Katzengraw instantly attacks "with rage" and full force, holding the Dussack with both hands. Of course, he misses, "as one who fences in the wind".
Eisenbeisser parries, puts aside the attack -- and counters instantly "with hot greed", hitting Katzengraw on the head that the blood runs freely. Eisenbeisser recognizes his victory, and jumps about on the battleground, since he "not only won the fame but the prize money as well."
It appears as valid hits could be scored both by cuts and by thrusts: One of the few Federfechters injured during a Nürnberg Fechtschule that took place on May 10 of the same year received an Ortt or point thrust. The fact that the recording poet found this worth mentioning might indicate that the Ortt was considered a disreputable move (as the typical pre-amble to the beginning of Fechtschul bouting expressly stipulated)... but that the injured man was still regarded as defeated by virtue of the bleeding head injury.