Stance Revisited

After a longer period of study, I realize that I had overlooked an important element of stance in my previous post- the torso.

Previously, I focused rather exclusively on foot and hip position, first with the upright fencers of late 1500s and then the open hipped, back weighted fencers of the 1600s. This emphasis is a bias on my part- I'm always trying to improve my footwork.

Over time I've come to realise that figuring out what to do with the top half of your body is  equally important, especially since it will affect both your feet and your arm. There seems to be two main groups of rapier manuals (other than the Spanish). The first is the forward leaning Fabris, and the second is the back postured Giganti. See here for a more extensive review on the topic.

Having tried both for a bit, I've come to appreciate both for their own merits, although I am sure there are more nuances to the stances I haven't discovered yet.

At first, Fabris' forward leaning stance was a bit odd to me. Typically in sword fighting you don't want to lead with your head. However, what the stance does it puts your body behind your head, and your head behind both the rapier and head-sized quillons. This leads to an extremely limited area for your opponent to target, and what little target there is, is behind a sword. The placement of the hips and shoulders seems to lend itself to passing steps and cuts. His system also minimizes blade contact.

After discussing the guards, counter-guards, measures and tempi, I    need to show and explain how to carry your body while delivering a thrust and recovering. While studying this art, you must first learn how to carry your body and deliver lunging thrusts that are as long as the    one you see in this    illustration. The heart of the matter is the ability to deliver quick, long, strong lunging thrusts and immediately    recover out of measure.

To deliver a lunging thrust, set yourself in a solid stance, better if a    bit narrower rather than wide so that you may then extend your front foot forward. While delivering the thrust, extend the sword-arm and
bend the knee as much as possible.

For Giganti, the most difficult part for me was lunging out of a back loaded stance. I'm still not extending as far as I should be, nor am I as fast. It does seem, however, that his lunges weren't as deep as others, since he states 'Still, this is a extremely versatile stance, and it allows for a great variety of distance changing, with comparatively little movement.' On the other hand the quote above advises to bend the knee as much as possible, which is typically what I try for in training. I figure that if you train to go deep, you can certainly make a narrower lunge.

The thing that stands out most while training both stances is the importance of athletic ability. Giganti says specifically that until you can do 100 madrittos and 100 roversos, your arm wasn't strong enough for fencing.

I'm still working on that one.

Giovanni Dall’Agocchie - Solo Form

In the conclusion of his discussion of the guards, Giovanni Dall’Agocchie includes a short solo form to 'step into the guards.' While at first it seems simple enough, there is actually plenty to focus on. While at first, it's tempting to just learn and move on it, upon revisiting I've learned that there is always a new angle. You can focus on your footwork, or on your cut angles, or on your wrist strength, it can even be used as a sort of circuit training.

Fundamentally, however, it is used to show that 'One steps with reason and art, and goes in all the guards to find the adversary.' Dall'Agocchie regards this stepping as one of the most fundamental things that you can learn so that you can be fluid with a sword. Indeed, despite giving rather explicit directions on the cuts and thrusts we are to use, this exercise is still 'stepping into guards,' a fact that he makes plain at the end when he states that stepping is one of the chief things that you must practice.


I'll probably revisit this at some point, but for now here's the solo form:

Gio. One steps with reason and art, and goes in all the guards to find the adversary. This can be done by beginning with either foot, on the diagonal or having one foot drive the other forward, according to the time and the need. Nonetheless, stepping with a pace neither large nor small is of greater utility, because thereby you can both advance forward and retire back without bodily discomfort, always accompanying the hand with the foot.
But you must be advised that the forward leg must be a bit bent at the knee, and its foot must point straight toward the enemy; and the rear leg will be a bit curved and with its foot somewhat on the diagonal, in such a manner that every movement will be full of grace. And so much for the fourth heading.

Lep. I would dearly appreciate it if you were to present to me better the way that one must follow in stepping in the said guards with the sword in hand, which I haven’t heard enough of.

Gio. Suppose you have your sword at your left side, in the act of laying hand upon it, and the heel of your right foot near your left one. Both your knees will be straight and not bowed, arranging yourself with as much grace as possible. Having done this, you’ll put your right foot forward toward your right side, and in that tempo you’ll extend your arm and do a falso, and a riverso sgualimbro; or do two riversi, the first tondo and the second likewise sgualimbro; thereby going with your sword into coda lunga stretta. And from here you’ll step forward with your left foot toward your left side, doing a falso and mandritto sgualimbro in that instant, and the sword will fall into cinghiale porta di ferro. And then you’ll go forward one pace with your right foot, and in that tempo you’ll turn a dritto tramazzone, which will end in porta di ferro stretta. Then you’ll advance with your left foot, doing a falso, and a riverso sgualimbro, and the sword will go into coda lunga alta. Then you’ll step forward with your right foot and in the same tempo you’ll throw a riverso ridoppio, stopping the sword in guardia d’alicorno. And being fixed in the said guard you’ll drive an imbroccata without any taking any step, and the sword will stop in porta di ferro stretta.
From here you’ll withdraw your right foot a pace, and all in one tempo you’ll execute a falso and a riverso sgualimbro, and the sword will return to coda lunga alta. Then you’ll draw your left foot back, and next turn a mandritto tramazzone, which will end in porta di ferro stretta. Then you’ll return your right foot back a pace, turning a dritto tramazzone in that tempo, with which you’ll fall [12recto] into cinghiale porta di ferro. And from here, you’ll draw the left foot back, doing a falso and riverso sgualimbro in that instant, and the sword will return to coda lunga stretta, and thus you’ll be returned to the same place with the same guards.

Lep. Why do you want me to step forward, and then return backwards

Gio. Because you get good practice in changing guards as much forward as back, which is necessary in the art, and of very great utility; and so that you understand, this stepping is one of the chief things that you must practice if you want to have grace with weapons in hand.

Practice Notes- Durer's Rondel and Messer

This practice, before kicking of a month of proper sword and dagger, we decided to look at something a bit more unusual. Albrecht Dürer, in attempting to secure patronage from Maximilian I, wrote a manual based on existing documents from the Nuremberg tradition. This one section (really just three plates) seems to unique on the whole.

Many of Dürer's messer-alone plates feature the left hand behind the back, which is probably a good idea if you're planning on keeping your hands for any length of time. All of the messer text is unglossed, and it contain differences when compared to earlier messer manuals such as Hans Leckuchner.

What I find interesting though are three plates that follow closely to these. In these plates are the only depictions (that I've found in any event) of grossemesser and rondel dagger. To me these are especially interesting because this could very well be close to what an 'everyday carry' would look like in 1500s Germany. Afterall, a messer is basically an oversized utility knife, and a rondel or similar dagger was frequently kept at the small of the back.

Additionally, the last two on the page worked well as double time attacks- namely you could block with the sword and then bring the dagger in. This could be a helpful priority when you must draw your weapons quickly.

The topmost play is essentially using the weapons to create a crossed guard. The addition of the dagger to block was noticably stronger than just the messer alone, and this also allowed for a smooth bind transfer to free the messer for follow-up.

The second was an overhanded hook/rip to the outside that put a surprising amount of pressure on the wrist. This is also one where you can block with the sword as you draw the dagger and then hook.

The third is nearly the same hook/rip but the grip is underhanded. Despite appearances, it's actually quite difficult to preform an actual disarm, but it does create a lot of uncomfortable pressure on the thumb- and this is with a blunt.

Anonimo Bolognese- A short note in distance and feinting

MS 345/27R

If your opponent is in coda lunga stretta with his right foot in front, you will place yourself in coda lunga stretta but with the left foot in front opposite to him. From here you will pass with the right a great step towards his left side throwing a mezzo riverso into his sword-hand, that does not go beyond coda lunga stretta, and your left foot must follow behind the right.

 And, from here, immediately feint as if you were to push a thrust to his chest, making a demonstration of a half-turn of the hand on his left side. And as he makes any motion to parry this feint you then disengage your sword under his and make a half-turn of the hand taking the true edge of your sword against his. And in this instant pass with left foot deep towards his right side pushing behind his sword a thrust to his flank, following with the right foot behind the left. 

This strike necessitates that you force his sword somewhat towards his left side in order for you to be able to wound with the said thrust, and that you turn your body as much as you can, so that the right shoulder is towards your opponent’s chest and the sword will be in way of coda lunga alta, but with the point kept towards the opponent as much as possible.

In this play, you feint to your opponent's inside and then strike to the outside.

One important  note on the thrust feint is the movement of your left food. While on the initial read it would seem that you would do the 'standard' Bolognese triangle step, you also have to feint a thrust. With this in mind, it seems to work best if you instead move you leg into a narrow position- almost heel to toe.

This has two advantages. First, moving your feet narrowly together doesn't move you back, which keeps you in range overall. Second, this allows you to look as though you are about to lunge, which makes the feint more believable since it would appear that you are leading with your hand and about to follow with the foot. In practice it's also a decent position to make a left passing step, so the rest of the mechanics of the play don't seem to be negatively effected by narrow feet.