Monthly Archives: February 2016

Bolognese Swordsmanship, Italian Rapier, Stocatta, Drummoyne

Class Review 3 Feb 2016

Introduction

Second class back for Term 1 in 2016 at Stoccata Drummoyne, and I started introducing some new staples into the lessons. One of the biggest difficiencies I think we've had for the classes so far is lack of consistent practice of the basic foot work for each system. So for each system I've started to introduce a footwork form that we'll be practicing each week to cement this skill. I'm really happy with how the footwork forms were received, and after a couple of walk throughs I could see people becoming cleaner and more confident in their footwork. We'll keep doing these over the next couple of weeks, and hopefully people will learn them and we'll move through them at a much faster rate.

Bolognese Swordsmanship (Sword & Buckler)

We started with the Basic Bolognese Footwork Form, which I posted earlier today in all it's glory.

The rest of the class was then taken up with the introduction of the  Guardia di Faccia Clock Drill.

We worked through the specific attacks and defences for the attack by thrust and attack into the low inside line. We'll work through the rest over the coming weeks.

Italian Rapier (Single Rapier)

We started with the rapier footwork form developed by Guy Windsor's School or European Swordsmanship. The full details can be found on their curriculum wiki, which includes a video of Guy working through the form. We only did the first 3 steps of the form, but a lot of repetitions. We'll be building the rest of this form over the coming weeks.

We then worked through some basic lunging drills, laying the foundation for rapier and dagger work later this term with the introduction of offhand hand checks.

  1. Direct thrust in response to partners invitation, working the high inside and high outside lines.
  2. Thrust by gain and glide in response to partner's point in line, working the high inside and high outside lines.
  3. Thrust with hand check in response to partner's point in line.

The last drill is the new one, and unfortunately we only got to do the drill in the high inside line. The drill is as follows:

  1. Beginning in perfect measure, patient agent presents the point in line to the active agent's high inside line.
  2. The active agent first finds the sword in the back weighted stance, engaging the patient agent's sword by crossing debole over debole. (Point at the parrot on the patient agent's shoulder.)
  3. Once the sword is found, the active agent then translates the torso forward to gain the sword. As they do this the offhand is extended forward near the sword hand turning the off hand into 1st (palm to outside). This places the offhand palm onto the debole of the patient agent's sword, creating the hand check.
  4. The active agent then makes a direct thrust with a lunge, gliding down the flat of the patient agent's sword with their offhand maintaining the handcheck preventing the patient agent's cavazione. The patient agent takes the hit, after which the active agent recovers back to perfect measure.
Bolognese Swordsmanship, Stocatta, Drummoyne, Sword & Buckler Curriculum

Bolognese Clock Drill – Guardia di Faccia

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This is the clock drill for Guardia di Faccia, which will cement the basic defensive options from this guardia.

Basic Clock Drill from Guardia di Faccia

Like all the clock drills we are covering the attacks into all the main quadrants fo the guard, and the basic sequence is as follows:

  1. Opponent attacks with a thrust
  2. Opponent attacks into the low inside line
  3. Opponent attacks into the high inside line
  4. Opponent attacks with a descending vertical attack
  5. Opponent attacks into the high outside line
  6. Opponent attacks into the low outside line

This is the first clock drill to incorporate the thrust as a separate attack to be countered, as the direct thrust becomes a very potent attack when both fencers are in Guardia di Faccia.

Defence Against The Attack With Thrust

  1. From Guardia di Faccia in passo stretto, attacker makes a direct thrust on a step forward
  2. From Guardia di Faccia in passo stretto, defender disengages under the attacker's sword whilst simultaneously making a traverse left with the left foot. As the right foot moves to the left, counterthrust to the face.
    (Right foot either traverses left or passes forward depending on how deep the attacker's step was.)
  3. Attacker takes the hit.
  4. Reset to the beginning.

Source: Manciolino Libro 1, Capitolo 8

Defence Against The Attack To The Low Inside Line

  1. From Guardia di Faccia in passo stretto, the attacker throws falso dritto to the defender's sword (back beat) to take the tip offline. Whilst the tip is offline they immediately step foward throwing either a thrust in the high inside line or a mandritto to the face.
  2. From Guardia di Faccia in passo stretto, when the defender feels the inital contact of the back beat, they turn their sword hand into second (palm down) to remain secure. The riposte can either be a direct thrust to the face, or if they make a retreating step on the hand turn a direct thrust to the sword hand.

Source: Manciolino Libro 1, Capitolo 8

Defence Against The Attack To The High Inside Line

  1. From Guardia di Faccia in passo stretto, the attacker lifts their sword hand into Guardia di Testa, and them throws a strong mandritto to the face on a pass right.
  2. From Guardia di Faccia in passo stretto, when the defender sees the attacker lift their hand to cut mandritto, stifle the blow with a thrust to the sword hand.

Source: Manciolino Libro 1, Capitolo 8

Defence Against The Vertical Descending Attack

  1. From Guardia di Faccia in passo stretto, the attacker turns their sword hand over their buckler arm to throw tramazzone, and as the sword comes forward hits to the top of the head.
  2. From Guardia di Faccia in passo stretto, the defender parries the tramazzone with a falso that turns that well toward the attacker's left side, which will also give him the edge in the face.

Source: Manciolino Libro 1, Capitolo 8

Defence Against The Attack To The High Outside Line

  1. From Guardia di Faccia in passo stretto, the attacker throws a riverso to the right temple, covering the head with the buckler.
  2. From Guardia di Faccia in passo stretto, the defender extends into Guardia di Testa on a left foot traverse turning towards the incoming blow, riposting with a mandritto that ends in Sopra il Bracchio with the right foot slipping back to the left. Redouble passing left with a rising falso that ends in Guardia di Faccia.

Source: Manciolino Libro 2, 3rd Assault

Defence Against The Attack To The Low Outside Line

  1. From Guardia di Faccia in passo stretto, the attacker throws a rising riverso to the sword hand, covering the head with the buckler.
  2. From Guardia di Faccia in passo stretto, the defender covers the rising riverso by bringing the hands back together into Porta di Ferro Stretta, pointed at the incoming blow.

Source: Manciolino Libro 1, Capitolo 8

Note: This is shown in Manciolino as a counter to the rising riverso feint, which is followed by a mandritto. The actual counter is cover the rising riverso feint and then counterattack the mandritto with a mezzo mandritto to the sword hand.

Bolognese Swordsmanship, Stocatta, Drummoyne, Sword & Buckler Curriculum

Bolognese Footwork Forms

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This is a Bolognese footwork form, which is used to practice all the basic footwork used in sword and buckler, as well as passing through the guardia used by Manciolino. This form is one of the basic warm up exercises used in my classes at Stoccata Drummoyne.

Basic Footwork Form

  1. Start with the feet together and the hands by side. Step forward with the right foot into Porta di Ferro Stretta.
  2. Pass forward with the left foot into Cinghiara Porta di Ferro.
  3. Step back with the right foot into Coda Lunga Alta.
  4. Pass with the right foot into Coda Lunga Stretta.
  5. Gather the left foot forward into Guardia di Faccia.
  6. Step back with the left foot into Guardia di Testa.
  7. Throw a mandritto passing forward with the left foot into Sopra il Braccio.
  8. Volta stabile right, lifting the sword into Guardia d'Alicorno.
  9. Throw a mandritto passing right into Sotto il Braccio.
  10. Throw a rising riverso slipping the right foot back into Guardia Alta.
  11. Throw a mandritto on a pass right into Porta di Ferro Larga.
  12. Elsa e tira with a gather & step forward into Coda Lunga Larga.
  13. Elsa e tira with a gather step forward into Porta di Ferro Stretta.
  14. Slip back into Guardia di Faccia.
  15. Step back several paces and return to arms by the side

Explanation of the Basic Footwork Form

In steps 1-3, we are making the left pass, and showing how we transition between Porta di Ferro Stretta and Cingiaria Porta di Ferro, followed by the transition into Coda Lunga Alta on the corrective step. No actual cutting actions are made on this part of the basic footwork form.

Steps 4-5 are practicing our basic slope pass footwork, using the right passing step. The expansion into Coda Lunga Stretta shows how the difference between it and Coda Lunga Alta is just the placement of the feet. The gathering of the feet into Guardia di Faccia is one of the common preparation spoiling methods in the system, and is especially useful as a counterattack.

Step 6 is the pass back into Guardia di Testa, which is one of the most common head defences in the system, and this is teaching the simultaneous extension forward with the hand and behind with the foot that makes this action so successful as a parry.

Steps 7-9 is a variation of the redouble mandritto, using the volta stabile transition to link the two cuts together. The first mandritto teaches the basic mandritto cut to Sopra il Braccio, reinforcing the half turn of the buckler hand to allow this cut to be easily done. The transition to Guardia d'Alicorno teaches the use of coiling and uncoiling actions that can be initiated with the use of a volta stabile to enable powerful blow generation. We finish in Sotto il Braccio, emonstarting how these two guardie are achieved with the mandritto cut, and the choice of finish is just determined by whether you cut above or below your sword hand.

Steps 10-11 is teaching contract and expand footwork, as well as linking together two common full cuts, the rising riverso and the mandritto. The sequence is also teaching the idea that Guardia Alta is a position to transition through instead of using it as a starting point.

Steps 12 -13 practice the elsa e tira actions, first with the cuts to the right and then the cuts to the left, using the gathering step footwork. This footwork is the preferred method of closing in on an opponent, and coupled with the rising falso cut on the gathering step, followed by the descending cut on the forward step is an excellent inimidation tool. The second set finishes in Porta di Ferro Stretta as a method of teaching blade control, as it's important to be able to arrest the full cuts with the sword in presence.

Steps 14-15 is the most common retreating technique shown in the manual. The extended point in Guardia di Faccia is a deterrent to any opponent closing in on you, and coupled with the retreating steps is teaching the idea of getting out of measure before you relax. We don't want to relax in measure, as this is a sure way to get hit.