Here - Schola Saint George

Fiore dei Liberi: sword in one hand1
The utility of a “new” and “heretical” guardia and entering with the redoppiando to
build tactical ability and decision-making skills
Brian R. Price, Ph.D.
Within the Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA) community, the sword in two
hands unquestionably enjoys popularity over the sword in one. What limited play there is
with the sword in one hand is usually focused on the I.33 sword and buckler material or,
more rarely, with Lecküchner’s messer. But the sword in one hand was likely a staple of
personal defense in the medieval period, at least for knights and other members of the
chivalric community, such as squires, men-at-arms, and the like. Moreover, most other
medieval martial arts and sports, such as the SCA or LARPS, use the sword in one hand
quite often, albeit often in conjunction with a shield. Similarly, Filipino, Portuguese, and
other “stick arts” emphasize the use of the baton or long knife in one hand, and there is
much to be learned cross-training with these other arts.
Indeed, it is in the spirit of cross-training that I present today’s “heretical hanging guard,”
which I began using in competition and as a training device many years ago, in the 1980s.
It was an exceptionally effective guard in an SCA context, where power is equally
important, and it was a superb training tool, because combatants could get “up to speed”
very quickly with the accompanying drill. Today we’re going to replicate my journey to
some extent, looking at this guard—which is not found in Fiore, or any other early
surviving treatise—but analyzing it through Fiore’s principles and then comparing it to
other masters who have similar sword positions in the English, Italian and German
traditions. It is thus an exercise in using the principles as explored within the SSG
curriculum to analyze a new posta and to explore it’s strengths and weaknesses. I have
strong opinions about which principles apply and why, but I will be throwing it open to
the class first to see how you respond.
Next, we will look at Fiore’s fundamental tactical approach within the sword in one hand,
and how the use of the redoppiando (redoubling) in particular makes his tactics
particularly devastating, even against a sword and buckler or sword and shield. Here he
makes use of what Viggiani and Filippo Vadi will come to call mezzo-tempo, or “middle
time,” controlling the weapon and striking not quite simultaneously, but subito—
immediately—before the opponent has a chance to respond. With the sword in one hand
this is even more evident than it is with the sword in two!
So this course has two parts: in part one we’ll look at the heretical “hanging” guard, go
through a drill using it that develops fighting reflexes, and look at a fun capture that is
1
These class notes assume the student has at least a passing familiarity with the l’arte d’armizare of Fiore
dei Liberi, recorded in four early fifteenth century fight-books, around which the Schola Saint George
(SSG) has built it’s curricula since 2000. The Italian terms remain in the text because they are core
elements of the SSG’s vocabulary, and they remain untranslated because we feel that key information may
be lost in translation, so we have elected instead to retain the original Italian (or Friulian, a dialect close to
Venetian) both to maintain our connection to the documented art and to allow gradual refinement of our
understanding of fundamental terminology.
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particularly useful when prese (grapples) are inappropriate. Next, we will look at how to
approach the fight from porta di ferro, Fiore’s favorite guard and how the redoppiando
can be used to capture the opponent’s weapon.
The “Heretical” Hanging Guard2
Fiore does not have any form of hanging guard in any
of his texts. The plate that is frequently taken to be
“hanging”, is found of fol. 28r of the Getty
manuscript and carta 20A of the Flos Duellatorum.3 It
is, however, simply trying to capture the moment as
the opponent’s blade is slipped in the colpi di villano.
It is not a hanging guard.
I discovered the hanging guard while competing in
tournaments within the armoured combat of the
Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) using heavy
rattan batons during the early 1980s. SCA fighting,
like Fiore, relies on powerful—full force—strikes
against a potentially armoured foe in foot combat.
The use of rattan allows a more fully developed blow
to be delivered, unlike in LARPs or many light
contact martial arts. Many of the SSG’s choices with respect to the use of force, personal
calibration, and chivalric conduct were borrowed from the SCA context.
The vast majority of combat within the SCA context takes place with the sword in one
hand. The presence of a basket-hilt defense for the hand, and the lack of a defined
striking edge does not appreciably change the dynamics for much of what is presented in
Fiore, and except for the grappling components of Fiore’s l’arte d’armizare, all are
directly transferrable to SCA combat.
I never loved the sword and shield combats which define SCA fighting. Instead, I
preferred to use either sword and buckler or, preferably, two swords. Such “Florentine”
as it was called exercised the left hand, emphasized offense rather than defense, and
demanded the development of tactics to control the opponent’s sword(s). Very often,
using the SCA approach, I would end up fighting with only one of the two swords, as the
other arm had been struck. I found I liked this form very much, and indeed I proved very
2
A “heretical” interpretation is an idea pioneered by Charles Deily of the Boston area SSG branch. Mr.
Deily used the term tongue in cheek to refer to interpretations that differed from the “accepted” core
curriculum; however, I have come to use the term more to refer to something which may be outside the
material presented by Fiore, an extension of principles rather than something he taught. This is, regretfully,
not what Charles intended with his use of the term, but I like the connotation of being something outside
the accepted core that is proposed either as a sanctioned variant or as a candidate to change our core
material.
3
Fiore dei Liberi, Il Fior di Battaglia, c. 1420, codex Ludwig XV 13, J. P. Getty Museum: Los Angeles, c.
1420 (hereafter, Getty); Flos Duellatorum, c. 1409, ed. Francesco Novati, Pisa: Giardini Editori, 1902.
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competitive at it, fighting in several large tournaments with just this form, rather than
adding a second sword, shield, or a longer two-handed weapon.
Most people in that context tended during the 1980s to a
modified fencing saber guard, something like the figure
on plate 98 of Achille Marozzo’s 1531 Opera Nova
treatise.4 While Marozzo was decidedly not referenced
by the SCA combatants, the position made little sense,
since it developed little power in the context of an
armoured opponent. Marozzo developed it, of course,
within the salle d’armi tradition where opponents were
fencing, rather than combating in armour, so his use of it
makes perfect sense—and we can see a direct transition
between medieval swordsmanship expressed by Fiore
dei Liberi and Johannes Lichtenauer and the great rapier
fencing traditions of the late fifteenth, sixteenth and
seventeenth centuries.
What I disliked about this guard was the
reliance on the point—while the point could
be quick, unless delivered to the face with a
strong anchor at the hip, it was
underpowered. Moreover, there was little
ability to use the edge for striking. Other
combatants disliked this, too, and during the
1990s some began to hold it up to their
shoulder in order to secure a kinesthetic
connection point and create a stronger
potential for energy. Such guards were, by
their nature, more offensive since it was
harder to get the blade into the way of an
opponent’s strike. I used this guard, and it is
something like what would be posta di donna, the traditional medieval guardia shown in
many manuscripts anchored at the shoulder—this is the norm for how knights were
depicted from the twelfth century forward, when mail armour was dominant and even
more so as plate began to reinforce and later supplanted mail during the course of the
fourteenth century.
You can use this guardia with the sword in one hand using Fiore’s principles, but really
it’s best for those with a very aggressive style or who manage distance with exceptional
skill. The sword is so far away from the body’s centerline that defense is problematic for
many combatants.
4
Achille Marozzo, ed. Giovanni Rapsardi, Opera Nova dell’Arte delle Armi (1531), Padua: Gladiatoria,
1999, p. 71.
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What I did was the invert the guard, effecting a “hanging” guard position.
This had been adapted, somewhere deep in the undocumented history of the SCA’s
Middle Kingdom (the Midwest—Wisconsin, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, etc.),
from seventeenth and eighteenth century broadsword work.5
The Heresy: Porta di Ferro Soprana?
In the hanging guard, the hilt is held high, the point descending (a Fiorean heresy!), the
potential energy anchored at the right should but driven by the body’s core. Importantly,
the descending blade crosses the body and provides a strong cover. But unlike an
upturned saber guard, it contains strong potential energy and, in the swords of George
Silver, does not “lie spent.” Once the opponent attacks and a cover is made, the resulting
incrosa allows for control of the blade and a mezzo tempo or safe duo tempo responding
attack. All in all, very Fiorean in terms of his “safe fight.”
Here are important kinesthetic points for my porta di ferro soprana
• The hilt is high, near or just above the head, in front of the plane of the body
• The sword’s forteza is connected to the anchor point at the shoulder, and it will
rotate around this point in the colpi
• The blade descends crossing the body with the point either back, towards the
opponent, or anywhere in between. It guards the body, not necessarily by
covering, but by being close enough to achieve cover rapidly
Because the guardia (I won’t call it a posta, because Fiore did not include it in his
surviving treatises) does the same things that porta di ferro does, but is held high, I have
chosen to call it porta di ferro soprana. Recall that porta di ferro, for the sword in one
hand, is held across the body, anchoring at the lower left hip. It derives its power from the
turning motion as it crosses the body’s centerline, much as porta di ferro with the sword
in two hands does (see my Sword in Two Hands for a fuller explanation of this).
But notice: all of Fiore’s porte di ferro are pulsativa—that is, are strongly anchored—and
work by driving with power across the body. My porta di ferro soporano does this also,
as we’ll see. But it can’t be a posta, for the simple reason that Fiore didn’t include it. But
it can be a guardia…and it is one I like because it is very easy to teach, offering students
a much broader margin of error than his sublime but sometimes tricky porta di ferro
(sotano?). I believe that this guardia usefully extends Fiore’s limited vocabulary for the
sword in one hand in a way that emphasizes the same fighting principles he underscores
throughout all of his treatises: the importance of striking with power, control over the
opponent’s weapon through incrose or prese, and the tactical preference for using the
mezza volta time signature for his attacks.
5
William Hope, A New, Short and Easy Method of Fencing: Or, the Art of the Broad and Small Sword,
Rectified and Comprehentiz’d, Edinborough: James Watson, 1707, where he used a “guard of tierce with a
sloping point.”
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Making Cover (defending) with Porta di Ferro Soprana
From this position, it is possible to make cover in two ways. The first is to simply rotate
the body’s core and the arm to put the descending blade between the strike and your
body. Notably, this cover emphasizes covers made from the opponent’s right side; if they
are adept at striking riverso without betraying their intent, or as a fast follow up to a
dritta strike, depending upon where the blade, the weaker right side might be exploited.
Use care!
<Exercise: basic cover v. fendente, and mezani dritta>
The second is to strike out of the cover with the hilt moving sharply downwards, resulting
in something like a chopping motion with the blade. We will cover this after we hone the
kinesthetics of the fendente.
Striking with Colpi from Porta di Ferro Soprana
Just as the strike from porta di ferro is made with a cross-body turning motion that
captures the center of the fight with a powerful strike, so too does my porta di ferro
soprana work by striking across the body. But importantly, the hilt stays close to the
body and is driven sharply downward while the blade rotates (rotare) to strike forcefully
in a fendente.
Important points for the colpo fendente from porta di ferro soprana
• The hilt remains close to the body at all times to maximize power and control
over any incrosa that results
• The hilt is driven down, while the blade whips around like a dragon’s tail; think of
“snapping” the tail
• The sword thus begins “tip down” and ends up “tip up”, but the power comes
from rotating the hips
• Either foot can be forward, and the colpo may be thrown with or without a step
<Exercise: colpe fendente from the porta di ferro soprana>
Developing flow with the porta di ferro soprana
One of the fundamental issues we have—indeed, the entire HEMA community faces—
are static fights resulting from set-piece practice of limited techniques. This does little for
decision-making tactical skills. As we’ll see with the second part of the class, where we
use Fiore’s porta di ferro, the short, mezzo-tempo exchanges are combat effective if they
work—but too little drill is done working from a failed attempt to make a play work—
which will almost certainly happen as the opponent isn’t likely to simply allow the play
to work without making a remedy.
But porta di ferro soprana, perhaps uniquely, allows combatants to exchange multiple
blows in an ongoing set (or rally, as they call such exchanges in tennis), learning to
integrate moving their feet, body and arms in response to semi-random attacks from their
opponent. This is the essence of random practice, and it is thought by many in the field of
motor control and learning to represent a superior and faster form of learning motion.
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To start, both players begin in porta di ferro soprana. The scolaro will strike, and the
zugadore will defend, at first only with passive (but very easy) point down position. This
results in what we might call an incrosa “inverta”, where the point remains (upside?)
down. The zugadore should strive to keep his hilt as close to his or her body as possible
to preserve potential energy in the strike.
Immediately—subito—the combatant then strikes fendente as described above while the
roles switch and the attacker becomes the defender, and vice versa. This pattern is the
basic building block of the drill, and it can go back and forth many times in a duo-tempo
“full heartbeat” rhythm.
<Exercise: fendente dritta exchanges from porta di ferro soprana>
Next, combatants can begin to alter their footwork, targeting, and try to include more
mezzo-tempo attacks, use of the point, etc., but the core position remains porta di ferro
soprana; combatants should move with measured speed that reflects their protective gear
and experience, but with the correct gear the tempo can sharply increase.
<Exercise: 3-minute open exchange from porta di ferro soprana>
What I have found is that this flow exercise can be usefully expanded and gives novice
and intermediate combatants very fast results with the sword in one hand. If they anchor
on porta di ferro soprana, but make use also of the other guardie, they can hold their
own not only against other swords, batons or single-handed weapons, but the available
power and dual anchor points from shoulder to hip allow them also to stand firmly
against the sword in two hands, against sword and buckler, or sword and shield.
Prese sine Prese (grappling without grappling):
Rotare to teleport around the sword
One especially fun tactic, which again, is consummately Fiore, is to invite the incrosa
inversa. For some reason, with the sword presented this way from porta di ferro
soprana—opponent’s are drawn to attack directly into your blade. I am not sure of the
psychology behind this, but I can assure you that with many thousands of attempts, it is a
response that is very, very useful if hard to explain. The result is, whatever, the cause, of
a very easy to secure incrosa—maybe the easiest, and one you can use to your advantage
as you control the opponent’s weapon with devastating results.
Once you have the incrosa inversa, you use your own hilt to rotate inside his own blade,
maintaining contact through most of the rotation and resulting in a colpo fendente, made
just as you did it before, but now you end up behind is sword, striking him in the head or
whatever looks good. In the process, you pull his blade out slightly, reducing its power
and expending it. Magic—you’ve just teleported around his blade!
The effect of this strike—available only from the incrosa inversa—is to baffle most
opponents. It is especially usefully when grappling is not allowed, as in most LARPs,
SCA events or even many HEMA / reenactment tournaments. You capture the
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opponent’s blade with your blade alone, at least momentarily, and then rotate around it
while maintaining control. It’s classic Fiorean tactics.
<Exercise: brief attempts to rotare from the incrosa inversa>
That’s great, but it’s not in Fiore…
True. But I would argue that it holds to Fiore’s
principles. First, it is a pulsativa guardie which can
usefully augment porta di ferro because it works in
the same way; it strikes with significant power and
provides excellent cover. It commands the center of
the fight just as porta di ferro does, although, it does
favor the duo tempo rather than the mezzo tempo—
but it is a very fast duo tempo and it is easy to
manage—easier than the regular porta di ferro.
Something like the hanging guard is first illustrated
clearly with the I.33 treatise, where the monk holds
his sword in the “crutch,” from which the blade can
be cast in the same manner (hilt down), but is not
favored within I.33’s corpus of wards, and is a
special use case.
But it is not the purpose of this section to discuss tactics specific to the German, Italian or
English traditions; rather, these sources are included merely to demonstrate that the guard
was known, at least as early as 1485, and perhaps much earlier.
Neither Fiore dei Liberi nor Filippo Vadi, the closest Italian martial relative to Fiore’s
work, show a “hanging” guard. Nor is it in the work of the German writers following in
the tradition of Johannes Liechtenauer and his largely unknown contemporaries; we see
no evidence in the Codex Wallerstein (clearly a late fourteenth or very early fifteenth
century derivative work based on the armour and clothing),6 the several works of
Sigmund Ringeck,7 Paulus Kal,8 Hans Talhoffer,9 or other writers. That is, until we see
the messer of Johannes Lecküchner, discussed below.
In Lecküchner, we see a position much like this in fol. 23r, 23v, 25v, 28r, 32r, 32v, 34r,
36r, 42v (which shows “slipping” a downward strike), 44r, and 44v. Of particular interest
would be fol. 34v, which terms the leger stier:
6
Grzegroz Żabiński and Bartomei Walczak. Codex Wallerstein: A Medieval Fighting Book from the
Fifteenth Century on the Longsword, Falchion, Dagger and Wrestling. Boulder, CO: Paladin Press, 2002.
7
David Lindholm, Peter Svärd, Sigmund Ringeck’s Knightly Arts of Combat: Sword-and-Buckler Fighting,
Wrestling, and Fighitng in Armour. Boulder, CO: Paladin Press, 2006.
8
Paulus Kal, trans. Christian Henry Tobler, In Service of the Duke: The Fifteenth Century Fighting
Treatise of Paulus Kal, Highland Village, TX: Chivalry Bookshelf, 2006.
9
Hans Talhoffer, ed. Gustav Hergsell and Olivier Gaurin, collected facsimile edition in French, Le Combat
Médiéval à travers le duel judiciaire (1443-1467), Noisy-sur-École: Budo editions, 2006.
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Die vierdt hut heysset der Stir Schick dich In den alzo stee mit deynem
lincken fuß fur und halt deyn messer zu der lincken [should be: rechten]
seytten mit dem gehultz fur das haubt das dy kurtz schneyd gegen dir stee
und der ortt zu dem gesicht etc. Item In den Stiren auff der andren seytten
Schick dich wie unden gemalt stet etc.
The fourth guard is called the Stier. Assume it this way: stand with your
left foot forwards and hold your Messer on the right side with the hilt in
front of your head, so that the short edge is against you and the point
against the face.10
While there is debate on what range of positions the
stir hut (guard) is, the range of illustrations are all
similar to the figure above. This aspects of the guard
in L. bear more research, certainly; but the
manuscript’s date, circa 1485, is the earliest consistent
reference.
In the Italian tradition, Achille Marozzo is the first to
illustrate a similar guards. Within his Opera Nova, c.
1531, he offers two variants of the Guardia di Becha,
possa and cesa, referring to which foot is forward.11
Interestingly, Marozzo discusses how to account for this guardia as well as how to use it:
“Avendo esaminato el ditto scholare de guardia in guardia, e considerate
che sia in ditta Guardia di Becha possa, conforterai il tuo scolaro che lui
debba andare in questia guardia quando el suo nimico andasse a Porta di
ferro largo e stretta o alta, seguendolo di passo in passo, el sopraditto, & di
guardia in guardia: cioè se lui andasse in Coda longa e distesa, tu el farai
andarai in Becha cesa, & se lui andasse in Coda longa e larga, tu el farai
andare in Coda longa e stretta, & se lui andasse in Becha cesa, tu il farai
andare in Cinghiara porta di ferro alta, & lui andasse in Guardia intrare, tu
‘l farai andare in Guardia alta; tenendo quest’ordine lo farai alfine con la
gamba dritta inante & con la ponta de la spade rivolta verso la faccia del
nemico & il polso de la mano volto a l’insuso & il braccio ben disteso & li
dirai che lui è andato in Guardia di faccia.”12
10
Grzegroz Żabiński, Russell A. Mitchell and Falko Fritz, A Falchion / Langes Messer Fencing Treatise
by Johannes Lecküchner (1482), Siemianowice Śląskie & Irving, TX: Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg,
2012. Web published, p. 145.
11
Achille Marozzo, ed. Giovanni Rapsardi. Opera Nuova dell’Arte delle Armi, Padua, Gladiatoria, 1999, p.
101-102.
12
Ibid.
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“Having thus examined thy scholar in every guard, I
am of the opinion that on his assuming the becca
possa, thou shouldst advise him to oppose it to his
adversary whenever the latter assumes that of porta di
ferro larga, or stretta, or alta, and to follow him step
by step, and from guard to guard. That is, if the
adversary goes in coda lunga e distesa he must go into
becca cesa; against coda lunga e larga, make him
oppose coda lunga e stretta; against becca cesa,
cinghiara porta di ferro alta; against guardia di intrare,
guardia alta. Let him now advance the right leg
forward and turn his point towards his adversary’s
face, thumb upwards, arm fully extended, and then
tell him, he thus finds himself on...”13
In the English tradition, Terry Brown has shown a variety of “hanging guards” drawn
from the enigmatic English sources. The most famous of these, George Silver, writes,
“All single weapons have foure wards…The single sword hath two with
the point up, and two with the point downe…The Sword and Buckler, and
the Sword and Dagger are double weapons, and have eight wardes, two
with the point up, and two with the point downe, and two for the legges
with the pointe downe…”14
While Silver’s Paradoxes of Defence dates from 1599, his antipathy towards the new
Italianate style of rapier combat is well documented, and his prescription for those who
wish to avoid the double-death of simultaneous lunges should follow his “traditional”
advice, thought to be much more medieval than Renaissance in form and influence.
13
Achille Marozzo, trans. William E. Wilson, Arte dell’ Armi, Books One & Two,” published on the web,
date unknown.
14
For interpretations see Terry Brown, English Martial Arts, Norfolk, UK: Anglo Saxon Books, 1997 and
Paul Wagner, Master of Defence: The Works of George Silver, Boulder, CO: Paladin Press, 2003. Silver’s
original work was published in 1599 under the title Paradoxes of Defence, and has the benefit of being
written in vernacular English. Sadly, Silver’s works are not illustrated, so we cannot be certain where
exactly his “two” guards were with any degree of precision.
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Conclusion for Part I and the Porta di Ferro Soprana
In his text Fiore writes that he does not include everything that he knows in his book, as
that would take too many pages and would be impossible in any event, but I think the
posta di ferro soprana extends Fiore’s teaching in a useful way, one that creates
competence with the sword in one hand in a remarkably short time.
Part II
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Fiore dei Liberi’s Redoppiando from Porta di Ferro con la Spada a Una Mano
Leveraging the flow and flexibility of the improvised porta di ferro soprana above,
intermediate students are ready to approach one of Fiore’s key plays within the sword in
one hand section. This material is found in the Getty, fols. 22r – 23v, and I have
described the whole sequence elsewhere.
Fiore’s sword in one hand emphasizes controlling the opponent’s sword, then extending
that control with a prese—probably because the distance is now close, and in that “danger
zone,” where the available time is reduced while the target areas and the opponent’s
potential weapons proliferate, extended control is important. At the very start, he
emphasizes but one poste, the porta di ferro, writing:
Voy seti cativi e di quest’arte savete pocho. Fate gli che parole non ano
loco. Vegna a uno a uno chi sa fare e po’ che se voi fossi cento tutti vi
guasterò per questa guardia ch’è chossi bona e forte. Io acresco lo pè ch’è
denanci un pocho for a de strada e cum lo stanch io passio ala traversa. E
in quello passare incroso rebattendo le spade ve trovo discoverti e de ferire
vi faro certi. E si lanza o spada me ven alanzada, tutte le rebatto chome t’ò
ditto passando fuora di strada, segondo che vedreti li miei zochi qui dreto,
de guadagli che v’in prego. E pur cum spada a una mano faro mia arte
como n’è dereto in questa carte.15
You are base and of the Art you know nothing, doing things which cannot
be described in words. Come one by one, if you know how; even if you
were a hundred I will win over you, for this guard I have chosen is both
good and strong. I first advance the front foot a little out of the way, and
with the left I pass alla traversa. And in this pass I cross, I rebattendo16
(rebate) the swords and find you uncovered, wounding you for certain.
And if the lanza (spear) or sword are thrown against me, against all I
rebattendo as I have said, passing out of the way, following which come
to my plays which follow, [de guadagli che v’in prego]. For with the
sword in one hand I make my Art as I will demonstrate in the following
pages.
15
16
Getty, op. cit. fol. 22r.
Rebattendo, the same meaning as rebattamento in Sword in Two Hands, discussed extensively in chapter nine, pp. xx – yy.
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He is even more clear in the Flos:
“Per lançare de spada e trare tayo e punta
Per la guardia che io ho niente me monta.
Vegna a uno a uno chi contra uole far,
Chè cum tuti io uoilo contrastar.
E chi uole uedere couerte e ferire,
Tor de spada e ligadure senza falire,
Guardi ghi miei scolari como san fare;
Se elli non trouan contrario non àno pare.”
“Against casting the sword, [or] striking with it’s
edge or tip
[In] my guard nothing troubles me,
Let any who want to come against me one by
one,
I want to go against them all!
And he who wants to make cover and to wound,
Tearing the sword and making ligadure without fail,
Let him see what my scolari can do,
He won’t find any counters; they have none.”17
As I write in proposed Chapter 18 of Masters of the Crossed Swords, Thus, the essence of
Fiore’s play of the sword in one hand is simple: there is only one special posta, and the
tactic is to take all manner of attacks using a rebattendo accompanied with a passing step,
followed by a series of interesting follow-on attacks which he illustrates on the following
pages.
Guardia
The guard for the sword in one hand is taken with the body powerfully wound on the left
side, the sword positioned low, anchored between the hips. The Getty magistro rests his
left hand upon his thigh, and is weight distinctly favors his back leg, as the front is
extended before him, ready to position the front foot before setting the advance and
rebattendo.
Rebattendo
The core technique in Fiore’s system is a rebattendo, much akin to the same action with
the sword in two hands, which Fiore introduces in his tutta porta di ferro of the sword
in two hands.18 In fact, the action described here is very similar to the one described in
his discussion of that posta:
“...La prima si è tutta porta di ferro che sta in grande fortezza...e...Ella passa cum
coverta e va ale strette. Ela scambia le punte e le soy ella mette. Anchora rebatte le
punte a terra e sempre va cum passo e de ogni colpo ella fa coverta. E chi in quella gli
dà briga grande deffese fa senza fadiga”19
17
Flos Duellatorum, Op. Cit., carta 13a.
Getty fol. 23v, upper left.
19
The Morgan text is essentially the same.
18
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“…The first is tutta porta di ferro, which lies with great strength…and… It passes
with a cover and comes to the close. It exchanges the thrust and places her own. Also,
it rebates the point to the ground, going always with a passo and [from] every colpo
she covers. And in which she brings great defense without fatigue.” [Getty 23v, upper
left]
“Tuta porta di fero so la piana terena
Che tagli e punta sempre si refrena.”
“Tutta porta di ferro finds the ground
His cuts and thrusts are always resisted.” [PD 18r, upper left]
The rebattendo for the sword in one hand only takes place on one side, since there is only
a single guardia, on the left. Because the weapon is on the left, the resulting action
against a right-handed opponent is generally more akin to a rebattendo-behind or what I
call a redoppiando (Play #4 in Sword in Two Hands). If the opponent strikes riverso, then
the result would be more like a rebattendo in front (Plays #2 and #3 in Sword in Two
Hands).
To make the play, the combatant takes his guardia and either waits for the attack or
drives in for an attack of his own. In either case, he may first set his position with a small
acresare with the front foot—his right—in order to set himself in an advantageous
position vis à vis his opponent. Smoothly blended into a single action he then passes with
the left foot a la traversa, in the process intersecting the opponent’s sword with an
incrosare. This works against a punta, a colpo, or even a thrown sword!
Although the sword may be met using any of the three colpi, the illustrations seem to
suggest a preference for using a sotano in order to meet the opponent’s sword. The use of
a sotano would enable plays #1-4, 6 and 7. A mezani or fendente could be used—and I
think this is valid—but the resulting rebattendo would be more likely to drive the
incoming blow to the ground. This would be particularly useful to break the thrust (PD
play #8).
Depending upon how the swords rest in or after the incrosare, the combatant may enter
into a number of follow-on attacks to complete his action against the opponent.
•
•
20
21
Option #1—Rebattendo to the center, finish with a thrust:20 The rebattendo
finishes with the point forward, in which case the combatant finishes with a
punta. Interestingly, the PD and the Getty both show the scolaro’s sword on
different sides of the opponent’s blade. This is a good choice, presented first,
largely because it may be executed in mezzo tempo, so long as forward
momentum is maintained throughout.
Option #2—Rebattendo and volta with a colpo:21 Once the rebattendo sets the
opponent’s sword aside, the combatant recoils near the right shoulder then returns
Getty fol. 22v upper left, PD 13a lower right, Morgan xx.
Getty fol. 22v upper right, Morgan xx, PD 13b upper right 14a upper left.
©2014 Brian R. Price
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SSG Symposium
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•
•
•
with a volta stabile to strike on the same side. Presumably an opponent who
covers this could be attacked with a mezza volta of the sword on the other side.
Option #3—Rebattendo to control the weapon & enter into zogho stretto:22
The combatant can increase his control through the use of a prese as he continues
to step forward. At “middle” distance this can be done against the sword, or with
another step, against the body. From here various disarms, ligadure, and throws
are possible.
Option #4—Foreshorten before the Rebattendo:23 After or instead of meeting
the weapon with a full rebattendo, instead the weapon can be foreshortened in an
effort to catch the opponent expended. This option is particularly useful in
armour.
Option #5—Break or Exchange the Thrust:24 If the opponent thrusts, it can be
broken as shown. Presumably it could also be exchanged.
We can see that the menu is largely the same as for the sword in two hands: depending
upon how the incrosare is made, there are various options. A thrust in mezzo tempo will
be fastest, if available. If the point passes past a good line for thrusting, a volta stabile (or
potentially a mezza volta) can be quickly made. Alternatively, the sword may be
foreshortened to something akin to breve serpentina (a guard of the spada in arme,
lanza and azza), fooling the opponent into expending himself, an especially good tactic in
armour. As with the zogho largo of the sword in two hands, a thrust can be met with a
break (or potentially, an exchange).
Owing to the shorter engagement distance, however, many of Fiore’s favored solutions
involve increasing control with a prese against the sword or against the opponent. In a
sort of “middle” distance,25 his extends his control by making a prese against the sword,26
or the wrist.27 But generally to enter into the zogho stretto the combatant must continue
forward with another step, where he can find ligadure to the arms28 an elbow push,29 a
throw,30 or probably any variant of the dagger, sword or zogho stretto of the sword in two
hands.
22
Getty fol. 22v lower left and right, fol. 23r, 24v; PD 13b lower left and right, 14a all but upper left, 14b.
Getty 23v lower left, PD 13b upper right.
24
PD 14b lower right, possibly Getty fol. 23v upper right.
25
I am indebted to SSG instructor Scott Thomas, whose preliminary work on the use of the sword in one
hand was well developed, and who graciously shared with me his young curriculum he has been
developing. The idea of a disarm being Fiore’s preferred tactic at this distance comes from Scott’s work.
26
As in Getty plays 23r upper left, PD 14a upper right.
27
As in Getty play 22v lower left, PD 13b lower left.
28
As in Getty plays 22v lower right, 13b lower right and 14a lower left.
29
As in Getty play 23r upper and lower right (plus the lower left, which is a continuation of the upper right
play), PD 14a lower right (continued on 14b upper left), 14b upper right.
30
As in Getty play 23v upper left, PD 14b lower left.
23
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SSG Symposium
Page 14
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