i keep falling into the trap of going back over things i thought i’d already finished, but damn if the new technique doesn’t look good
commission update! I AM THE QUEEN OF RUST
kill team update! made a mold so i can mass produce this kitbashed human-sized power sword for my crusaders. the result here is far too brittle to use for anything, as details kept crumbling off with the flash, but the mold itself works great. next i’ll try mixing some greenstuff in around the hilt area and maybe putting a strip of something stiff in the blade?
Sword in one hand has four guards(ish), though most people view it as only one. The guards are:
High on the right, depicted here as something like Donna, or it could be something closer to Fenestra as the end point of a roverso sottano (rising backhand cut) or the preparation for an imbroccata (a thrust that descends on the line of mandritto). I would say Donna and Fenestra for simplicity.
A point forward low guard on the right, depicted here with hand withdrawn slightly, for the purpose of throwing a thrust or punta. I would call it Coda Longa Alta, just to stick with later nomenclature for this position.
Coda Longa on the left side, shown here backweighted, also called the deflecting guard. Using later nomenclature, you could also call it a variant of Porta di Ferro Larga, or Guardia Sotto il Bracchio (underarm guard)
From right Donna, cut a dritto fendente down into Coda Longa on a right pass in, cut a roverso sottano up into Fenestra on a left pass in, thrust an overhand thrust that withdraws immediately into Coda Longa Alta, thrust an underhand thrust advancing the right foot and a full step back with a roverso fendente that circles up onto your shoulder in right Donna again.
Donna can beat, cover, break, exchange, and with a cut first to bind on, can turn a villano.
Fenestra can easily cover, break, and exchange, or with the same bind villano.
Coda Longa Alta is can beat, cover, and exchange easily, but doesn’t have the same facility to break. With an attempt to exchange as the way to bind on, you can then villano.
Coda Longa as depicted on the right, can beat, cover, break, and villano easily, but has difficulty exchanging the thrust.
This simple schema of sword on the right and left in 2-4 guard schemas appears in Fiore, Talhoffer, Viggiani & Capoferro & Dall’Agocchie’s simple duel preparation, Pietro Monte, and Marc’Antonio Pagano’s sword in one hand, suggesting that it’s a well known, simple, and effective schema for intense and varied fighting. I’m going to get deeper into Pagano and Monte this next week or two to really play with the concepts. Sword in one hand proved to be an effective and high percentage strategy for closing to Stretto at Boar’s Tooth.
Also worth noting that porta di ferro mezzana is transitioned through in the sword in 1 hand version of the rompere (remember armizare is all about moving from guard to guard) and posta di donna la sinestra & dente di cenghiaro in one hand show up as well, albeit on horseback. Also i would call the withdrawn thrusting position breve rather than coda lunga alta as it fits with fiore’s guard naming conventions better (if this were bolognese i would otherwise agree with you)
Agreed, especially with the point about horseback convention. That’s absolutely Breve. Donna, Breve, and Coda Longa (deflecting guard). Including the sword in one hand on horseback, we would have to add Donna La Sinestra and Dente di Cenghiaro, as you note, and that’s much more rounded.
I’m going to keep playing with this, but making the assumption that Fiore was aware of a distance measure that fits with the circular segno is probably fair (since the Italians claim later that the segno is ancient). From there, it’s a matter of fitting footwork, the Five Elements (beat, cover, break, exchange, villano), and the specific plays that fit from the system as a whole.
Aliquid de Magis 