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.

The End of Dueling II

Earlier I wrote that the last duel was in France in 1967. It was between Rene Ribiere and the insulted party Gaston Defferre and was to first blood The first hit to Rene Ribiere was rejected by Gaston Defferre. They continued, until Ribiere was hit a second time. I can't find anything about how he was injured, but I'm assuming it was nothing serious.

You can see how they're just circling the guard, looking for an exposed wrist, which does make sense. If your only object is to draw blood, why do anything more?

Practice Notes- Manciolino's Double Swords

So for something entirely different we've been spending the last two practices on double swords from Antonio Manciolino. This is really the first time any of us have taken the time to really review what is actually in the manual, so it was quite interesting overall.

One thing that is very clear, is that describing what your doing when there are a total of 4 swords involved is quite difficult. It's taken us two practices to get through the entire section, and that's while working fairly quickly. As a typical rule, the 'outside' is defined based on the leading leg, and your goal is to gain this outside, and remove the closest weapon from play, while impeding the efficient use of the other weapon. This is done with no preference between false and true edge cuts.

In terms of comparison, it was fairly close to sword and dagger, but with both hands switching between offense and defense. Almost all actions were single tempo, frequently with one sword blocking and the other attacking, and then they would switch in the same play. Interestingly, attacks to the left sword tend to be answered by thrusts from the right sword, while attacks to the right sword are answered with cuts. It's worth noting that the right hand more frequently used for thrusting, and the left for cutting. This is especially true for defensive actions. Bind transfers are quite important in this system, typically one sword would be binding the opponent's swords, while the other acted defensively.

 To defend against both of your opponent's swords, you would use your swords crossed together. This also brings to mind sword and dagger, the main difference being that you are significantly more covered, and the view of an incoming 35" pair of scissors also tends to give your opponents pause. This orientation of the swords still allow you to cut and thrust, depending on what the situation calls for.

Footwork is based on the triangle step, though this might be just indictive of the Bolognese in general. Interestingly, there are several places where the right foot (which is in front) crosses the left foot, while still in front. This is also quite aggressive, with many plays having multiple passing steps, essentially pushing your opponent across the room.

On the manual itself, we figured out that the first play is a series of mirrored actions and double cuts with both sides. The last play  in the section is also a flourish  that mirror the mirrored actions of the first play. While my study group eventually figured out how to apply the first play to a martially effective, we wasted quite a bit of time on it, when it just appears to be an opening approach.

Still, this is a good representation of a fighting style that requires left/right coordination. While this was originally written for cut/thrust style of swords, the swords we used ranged from gymnasium sabers to arming swords (with a distinct lack of cut/thrust swords) in a effort to get matched pairs. These plays worked well with all of them.

Practice Notes- Anonimo Bolognese

We kicked off this practice by having a friendly argument over Bolognese guards. Not nearly as dire as it sounds, everyone had a different opinion, and with 18 guards to choose from, there were a lot of opinions.

Today we were working from the first 5 plays of the single sword section. This is about half of marrozo.com's available translations. The overall takeaway was that this was very much proto-rapier, and that in all it was very bold. There were several plays that simply involved a straight dodge, rather than blade control.

Footwork for the first play.

 

Being Bolognese, the first play is, of course, the longest. The footwork is very interesting, consisting of a double triangle step. Simple enough when you do it, the left traverse and volta followed by a right traverse and volta isn't something I normally work with and it did take some getting used to. We also added a small, half lunge when feinting to the outside.

First, having the sword alone you can set yourself in PdFS, with the right foot forward opposite to your enemy, keeping the left hand close to the thigh. From here you can approach him, making the left foot push the right forwards. Without striking make sure to keep yourself in a wide pace in order to more readily be able to push forwards and to retreat backwards without disorder. You having done this he is forced to make a strike or retreat backwards. But if instead he only wants to oppose you in the same guard with the right in front, with genteel skill you push your opponent’s sword to his left with the false edge of your sword atop his, taking it out of the way. And during this time make a wide pass with your left foot towards his right side throwing a mandritto to his face or sword arm that does not go beyond CPdF and the right foot follows behind the left. And if your opponent responds with any strike you can hurt his sword hand with a mezzo roverso that does not pass CLS. And if he doesn’t respond with any strike do not hold yourself from delivering the above said roverso. And if your opponent has the sword in presence you can make a small feint of pushing a thrust to his right side, but in the instant passing with the right foot towards his left side taking his sword with the true edge of yours, making a half-turn of the hand and pushing a thrust to his body behind his sword with the left foot following behind the right.

This seems to mark the end of the basic play. There are also several variations that depend on what your opponent does and doesn't do. These options work back towards the opponent's left side, which makes it to where you only do 1-2 actions on each side. Options include:

• If your opponent's sword is in presence you can feint to his right, cave and thrust.
• Thrust to his flank if he attempts to resist your thrust.
• If he parries up or wide, follow the thrust with a wide pass, presso with your left hand and roverso fendente to his head.

The second play yields another interesting action at the very start- left foot forward Coda Longa Stretta.

If you are in CLS with the left foot in front facing your opponent and he attacks with a mandritto in order to wound your upper parts, or with a stoccata or an imbroccata, against each of these strikes pass with your right foot deep towards his left side. During this time make a half turn of the hand meeting the opponent’s strike with the true edge of your sword and pushing a thrust with all your strength to his chest behind his sword. And have your body turn well behind your sword so that the sword and the right shoulder are will be directly towards your opponent. The sword goes into GdI and the left foot must faithfully follow the right. Then you will retreat backwards with the right foot setting yourself gracefully into CLS with the left foot in front.

This is something that I don't believe is seen often (or possibly at all) in later Bolognese manuals. Since this is manual is currently the earliest manual in the Dardi school, that begs the question of when and why the left foot forward Coda Longa Stretta was abandoned. It's also fascinating to think that this manual might be early enough that the essential 'Bolognese' elements might not be fully codified. Play five reads as follows:

If your opponent has set himself in CLS with the right foot in front, or in PdFS, and you are placed in CLS with the left foot in front, from here make a feint of pushing a thrust to his chest on his right side, and as he makes any motion you then disengage your sword under his passing in this instant with the right foot deep towards his left side taking the true edge of the sword to his, beating it somewhat towards the ground or pushing it with force a little to his right, so pushing a thrust into his flank making the left foot follow behind the right. The sword will be found in GdI. In doing this strike you want to force his sword this way and to turn your body as much as you can, because these are most genteel aspects to accomplish.

Based on some of the other plays, you may arrive at a left food forward Coda Longa Stretta through opposing your opponent's guards. The third play advises that if your opponent is in Coda Longa Stretta with the right food forward, place yourself in the same guard. However, the fifth play advises for you to be in left footed Coda Longa Stretta if your opponent is in either Coda Longa Stretta with the right foot forward, or in Porto di Ferro Stretta. Another interesting similarity in these plays is puts you into Coda Longa Stretta with the left leg, your next action is typically some combination of a feint to the outside, a cave, then a thrust. This is based on a very small sample size, but it's still something that might be looking into further.