Bolognese Introduction - The Order of the Seven Hearts
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1. Bolognese Swordsmanship The Order of the Seven Hearts http www salvatorfabris com Notice on Use and Distribution by Third Parties This document is provided in Adobe Acrobat format and is only available from the Order of the Seven Hearts website for personal use Obtaining this document in any other format or from any other location is a violation of the terms of its use This document may not be redistributed by any third party nor induded as part of any other third party document This document may not be hosted on any website other than that of the Order of the Seven Hearts http www salvatorfabris com Exclusions and modifications of the Terms of Use and Distribution may only be determined by Instructors of the Order of the Seven Hearts April 5 2006 Copyright 2006 Tom Leoni text Steven Reich design and layout Table of Contents The Bolognese School Lesson 0 The Sword Lesson 1 The Guards Lesson 2 The Order of Strikes between the Guards Lesson 3 Steps Measure and the Straight Line Lesson 4 Tempo Lesson 5 Parries and Ripostes General Rules Lesson 6 The False Edge or Falso Parry with Riposte Lesson 7 The True Edge Parries the Mezza Volta and the Guardia di Testa Lesson 8 Voids against attacks to the leg lesson 9 Being the Agent T aking the Initiative Lesson 10 SHEA stk ap is A py Lar s RO Suhl Ja SA UNI IM I lio A pl Copyright 2006 Tom Leoni2. s chest followed by astramazzone to the head Lastly let the right foot follow behind theleft Rule on feints If you want to strike the opponent slower body feint to his upper body and vice versa Manciolino 4v Other rule as we remember from Monte the feinted strike i e the one preceding the earnest one should be realistic in intent but short as should the step accompanying it instead the earnest attack and its accompanying step should be longer 16 Copyright 2006 Tom Leoni text Steven Reich design and layout Advice on feints and high guards Feints are a natural application of the high guards because the opponent knows or should know that these are offensive first then defensive therefore he will be expectingan attack We will now try a few examples of feints from the high guards Feint 1 mandritto from Guardia Alta Agent Guardia Alta with the right foot forward Patient any guard e Agent feints amandritto to the opponent s head with if necessary a short half step of the right foot e Patient lifts his sword to parry ifhe does not the action should NOT continue e Agent ensures that his sword is not touched and drops a riverso to the patient s leg accompanied by aleft foot pass to the patient s right Buckler serves as defense for the head Note ensure that your riverso to the leg occurs in the tempo of the opponent s lifting his sword this is the safest way to execute this dynamic techn
3. Patient switch to Porta di Ferro Larga at which the agent takes the tempo and delivers a stoccata with a pass Patient 1 Execute the falso manco parry while lifting your left foot for the oblique pass to the opponent s right 2 Ht the opponent with a riverso to the head while your left foot lands on the ground 3 Let your right foot follow behind the left cirde wise while setting yourself in Coda Lunga with the left foot forward e Redoubling accompany step 3 with a stramazzone to the head Now let s add alittle momentum in the agent s attack instead of the thrust he will attempt to strike you with amandritto and a riverso Falso parry against amandritto with riposte Agent in Guardia Alta with either foot forward patient performing the technique in Coda Lungae Stretta with the left foot forward Patient switch to Coda Lunga e Larga at which the agent takes the tempo and delivers the mandritto with a pass Patient 1 Execute the falso dritto parry false edge on true edge while lifting your night foot for the oblique pass to the opponent s left 2 Hit the opponent with amandritto to the head while your right foot lands on the ground 3 Let your left foot follow behind the right cirde wise while setting yourself in Porta di Ferro with the right foot forward e Redoubling accompany step 3 with a stramazzone to the head Copyright 2006 Tom Leoni text Steven Reich design and layout Falso parry against a riverso with
4. Trojan Horse Marozzo introduction e Antonio Manciolino who published the first extant Bolognese treatise sometime around the 1520 s 2 and whose second 1531 edition is widely available today e Achille Marozzo pupil of De Luca who published his Opera Nova in 1536 one of the most complete and fascinating among the extant 16 Century Italian treatises Its popularity at the time accounts for numerous subsequent editions that carried Marozzo s teachings into the 17 Century e Arecently discovered Anonymous who wrote an informative draft manuscript copy in the Bolognese style I would date it around 1550 e Angelo Viggiani who published posthumously in 1575 e Giovanni Dall Agocchie whose 1572 Dell Arte di Scrimia excels for its darity and organization e The Cavalcabo dynasty which spread as far as England and France well into the 17 Century e Alessandro Senese who published his treatise in 1660 Our dass will focus on the teachings of Manciolino Marozzo the Anonymous Viggiani and Dall Agocchie The goal of this class is to teach you how to understand and perform all the fundamentals of the style By the end of these three days you will hopefully be able to think in Bolognese to defend against any opponent s attack with style and effectiveness as well as to successfully provoke him to give you a tempo in which you can successfully strike him without being hit We will roughly follow Dall A gocchie s progressi
5. ending with the feet on anewline with the opponent This is one of the most useful steps in the style e Multiple pass trapassare two or more consecutive passes especially of the oblique kind Gathering step un piede spinge l altro this can be done forward or backward e VOCE of the foot levare di piedi pulling back the eg that is being attacked without placing the foot on the ground then replacing it where it was for the riposte e Other notable stepping actions are the cambio di piedi foot swap and the ripresa di piedi the first consists of pulling the front foot back next to the rear and then passing forward with the latter the second of pulling the rear foot forward next to the front and then passing forward with the latter finally the lateral or circular step is asideways step taken with either foot to avoid or seek the straight line e g Dall Agocchie 14r 14v Rule while attacking and defending the feet and the sword should move in synchrony Measure defined by Viggiani 61r it is the distance between me and the opponent from which I can strike him with ahalf step or a pass The straight line dritta via rettalinea in the 17 Century is what we moderns understand as the line of offense Anonymous 24v The more we are able to maintain ourselves in that line while shutting the opponent out of it the more advantage we enjoy Viggiani 6ov This can be done by moving sideways ensuring that the o
6. it for its strength and for the fact that cutting ripostes can often be delivered in the same tempo Therefore as the most Bolognese of all Bolognese parries we will explore it first We will start with parrying a thrust which should be the easiest to parry if you know what you are doing Anonymous nv Rule As we have seen in the chapter on the sword this parry is executed with the debole of the sword To learn the false edge parry to either side of the body along with the riposte we will simply use a cell of the Dall Agocchie solo form and then expand on it Falso parry against astoccata to your left with riposte Ag ent in Coda Lunga with either foot forward Patient performing the technique in Coda Lunga e ee with the left foot forward Patient switch to Coda Lunga e Larga at which the agent takes the tempo and delivers a stoccata with a pass Patient I Execute the falso dritto parry while lifting your right foot for the oblique pass to the opponents left 2 Hit the opponent with amandritto to the head while your right foot lands on the ground 3 Let your left foot follow behind the right cirde wise while setting yourself in Porta di Ferro with the right foot forward e Redoubling accompany step 3 with a stramazzone to the head Falso parry 5 astoccata to your right with riposte Agent in Coda Lunga with either foot forward patient performing the technique in Porta di Ferro Stretta with the right foot forward
7. Ferro Stretta with the right foot forward Agent cuts a falso manco in to the opponent s sword and passing with the left foot to the opponent s right delivers a riverso or a stramazzone to the patient s head Lastly let the right foot follow behind the left Note on steps in lieu of the pass the gathering step may be used In this case the motion of the rear foot accompanies the falso while the motion of the front foot coincides with the riposte Even in this case it is safest to end the action with the rear foot following behind the right Provocation 2 the mezza volta This provocation too consists of the offensive use of the defensive actions we already saw Only instead of beating the opponent s sword witha falso you do so with the half mandritto or half riverso deriving from the mezza volta As we know from the chapter on the mezza volta the best attack following it is the thrust Example from Coda Lunga e Stretta with the left foot forward Agent beats the opponent s sword with amezza volta into Porta di Ferro and passing with the right foot to the opponent s left delivers a punta riversa to the patient s chest followed by a stramazzone to the head Lastly let the left foot follow behind the right Example from Porta di Ferro Stretta with the right foot forward Agent cuts a falso manco in to the opponent s sword and passing with the left foot to the opponent s right delivers a thrust to the patient
8. d point should remain directed at the opponent ideally it should not move at all Anonymous 24v This way the only part of the sword that moves is the defensive part of the sword going left to right or right to left as the occasion requires One of the benefits of the mezza volta used defensively is the fact that it is anatural conduit for a thrust in the same tempo as the parry When executed forcefully a mezza volta takes the form of ahalf mandritto or half riverso In any case the mezza volta only employs ahalf tempo and is therefore ideal to perform one tempo parry ripostes especially with the counter thrust We will learn how to parry to either side using the mezza volta with a simultaneous counter thrust a very Bolognese action that is extremely difficult for the opponent to counter since it occurs in the same tempo as his attack Mezza volta and thrust to the chest against attacks to the left side imbroccata and mandritto Patient starts in Porta di Ferro Stretta with the left foot forward then switches to Coda Lunga as an invitation that will prompt the agents action Agent starts in Guardia Alta and passing forward unleashes an imbroccata to the chest first few times and then a mandritto Patient 1 Against the imbroccata perform the mezza volta to Porta di Ferro passing with the right foot to the opponent s left and pushing at the same time a thrust to his chest End the action by letting your left foot circle behi
9. ese style Part Agent in Guardia Alta may attack with amandritto a riverso or an imbroccata as called Patient from various low guards recognizes the attack and executes the appropriate false edge parry along with its correct stepping and riposte from simple to compound as the exercise progresses Part 2 alternating agent and patient As above but patient ends action with abbellimento becoming the agent for the next action Hint try to always parry amandritto with a falso dritto and a riverso with a falso manco Bear this in mind while you prepare the parry i e if you need to parry with a falso dritto from Portadi Ferro prepare the cut by bringing your point momentarily into Coda Lunga e Larga 3 Copyright 2006 Tom Leoni text Steven Reich design and layout Lesson 8 True edge parries the mezza voltaand the Guardia di Testa Performed in several ways the mezza volta is one of the principal and most important actions in our discipline Anonymous 7v Performing a mezza volta means turning the sword hand so that the edge that was formerly facing left now faces right Anonymous 7v The most common mezze volte are i From Porta di Ferro Stretta to Coda Lunga e Stretta 2 From Coda Lunga e Stretta to Porta di Ferro Stretta 3 From Guardia di Faccia to Coda Lunga Alta ahigher version of Coda Lungae Stretta 4 From Coda Lunga e Alta to Guardia di Faccia Rule when executing the mezza volta the swor
10. hment Manciolino and Marozzo describe embellishments to be punctuated i a play Besides their aesthetic purpose these served as alogical separation between the play s units as well as a way to break measure and recover in guard and in measure in a way that was both elegant and martial The one we will learn is from Manciolino s first assalto 20v Starting from any guard o Lift amontante into Guardia Alta unless you are already there ensuring that you are with your right foot forward if you are not pass back with your left foot This step may not be needed depending on position 1 Pass back with your right foot and cut a fendente into the right side of your buckler s rim letting your sword arm continue its path behind you through Coda Lunga e Distesa and back into Guardia Alta Pass back with your left foot striking the inside of your buckler s rim with your pommel Pass forward with your left foot setting yourself in Guardia di Testa Pass forward with your right foot hitting the boss of your buckler with a falso dritto Draw your left foot near the right setting yourself into Guardia Alta Yop ep The falso parry putting it all together In the following exercise we will ensure that we have learned and internalized the falso parries along with their correct steps and riposte s If as I hope you are technically and stylistically confident in this exercise congratulations you are no longer a beginner in the Bologn
11. ique Feint 2 montante from Guardia Alta Agent Guardia Alta with the right foot forward Patient any guard in this example well put him also in Guardia Alta e Agent feints amontante with a pass to the opponent s right e Patient attempts to parry by cutting down e Agent parries patient s counter cut in Guardia di Testa then passes with the right foot to the opponent s left and delivers a mandritto to the opponents head Note feint 2 from Manciolino roy is an excellent one to use from and against the English Broad Ward Feint 3 imbroccata from Alicorno with sfalsata cavazione Agent Alicorno with the right foot forward Patient any guard e Agent feints an imbroccata to the opponent s chest between the opponents sword and buckler with no motion of the feet e Patient attempts a true edge parry e Agent performs a sfalsata and strikes the opponent with a stoccata to the right flank accompanied by aleft foot pass to the opponent s right Feint 4 double feint imbroccata from Alicorno riverso to the leg ascending riverso to the sword arm uan Alicorno with the right foot forward Patient any guard for this example weil place him in Porta di Ferro Stretta e Agent feints an imbroccata to the right side of the opponent s face with no motion of the feet e Patient attempts a true or false edge parry e Agent drops a riverso to the leg accompanied by aleft foot pass e Patient withdraws the leg and attempts a c
12. mmediately afterwards Copyright 2006 Tom Leoni text Steven Reich design and layout Thus we have one tempo parry ripostes and two tempi parry ripostes For the purpose of our class we will concentrate on sword parries which will avail you not only in this discipline but also in any other sword related art you practice and with whatever left handed companion weapon you may be holding Sword parries in the Bolognese school can be performed in the following manners 1 With the false edge i e by cutting a strong falso dritto or falso manco into the opponent s sword 2 Withthetrue edge These in turn can be subdivided into these categories listing only the most common a Half mandrittiorriversi the mezza volta b The riverso ascendente universal parry please attend or observe Greg Mele s Viggiani dass for this important action We will not explore it here to avoid repetition amp Guardia di Testa Guardia di Faccia more rarely Guardia d Intrare for attacks to the head Rule Parries should be executed with the arm extended so that they communicate more strength to the opponent s sword and they keep his sword farther from you Anonymous zov Dall Agocchie 14 v Rule When parrying it is better to go forward rather than backward so that you have a better opportunity to reach the opponent with the riposte and so that in case of cuts you meet the less harmful part of his sword Manciolino 4r Useful ad
13. nd the right 2 Against the mandritto as above but with the sword in Guardia di Faccia The mezza volta against attacks to the right side imbroccata and riverso This is done as an exact mirror image of the action described just above Patient startsin Coda Lunga e Stretta with the right foot forward then switches to Porta di Ferro as an invitation that will prompt the agents action Agent starts in Guardia Alta and passing forward unleashes an imbroccata first few times and then a riverso Patient 1 Against the imbroccata perform the mezza volta to Coda Lunga passing with the left foot to the opponent s right and pushing at the same time a thrust to his chest face or flank End the action by letting your right foot cirde behind the right 2 Against the riverso as above but with the sword slightly higher correct name of the guard is Guardia d Intrare Note the mezza volta is agood technique to employ against ascending cuts such as the mandritto or riverso ridoppio Copyright 2006 Tom Leoni text Steven Reich design and layout re fendente with the Guardia di Testa One of the most stylistically correct ways to parry a downward attack to the head such as a fendente is to employ the Guardia di Testa e Against amandritto fendente it is better to keep the sword pointlow and towards the left to pass or step to the opponent s left and to riposte with amandritto e Against ariverso fendente it is better to keep the s
14. ng to the placement of the sword hand in relation to the right knee e Guards of Porta di Ferro all the guards featuring the sword hand to the inside of the right knee e Guards of Coda Lunga all the guards featuring the sword hand to the outside of the right knee Thirdly low guards can be classified according to how open or dosed they leave the swordsman s body e Alarga guard features the sword point out of the opponent s presence generally pointing at the ground e Astretta guard features the sword point in the opponent s presence generally aimed at his face or chest Fourthly guards can bear different names depending on the placement of the feet in particular e Whether the right or left foot is forward e g Becca Possa and Becca Cesa e Whether the step is straight or oblique To keep things simple we will use only ahandful of the most useful guards in the style four high and four low Copyright 2006 Tom Leoni text Steven Reich design and layout High guards e Guardia Alta e Guardiadi Testa e Guardia di Faccia Guardia d Alicorno same as Marozzo s Becca Guardia di Testa Guardia d Alicorno Guardia di Faccia Copyright 2006 Tom Leoni text Steven Reich design and layout Low guards e Portadi Ferro Stretta e Portadi Ferro Larga e Coda Lungae Stretta e Coda Lunga e Larga Guardia Portadi Ferro Larga Porta di Ferro Stretta We may form either guard with
15. on which he calls I sei capi roughly translated into the six chief skills These are 1 Knowledge of the sword s edges The du The strikes The steps Knowing howto defend against every strike Knowledge of the half sword which we will not have time for va All majorlogical units in this class are grouped under a Lesson As you take this booklet home with you please review each lesson so as to remember what we did and talked about this weekend Copyright 2006 Tom Leoni text Steven Reich design and layout Lesson The sword Firstly the perfect courtier should be adept in the use of all weapons both on foot and on horseback knowing all their advantages and disadvantages Even more so he should be intimately familiar with the weapons used among gentlemen While on the battlefield a few subtleties are lost it often happens that a dispute between two gentlemen gives rise to combat and that combat takes place with whatever weapons the two happen to have at hand This is why such broad knowledge leads to safety Baldassarre Castiglione 1528 The question of which sword may have been used in the Bolognese style is one of the most debated in the WMA community But as the quotation above suggests the answer is probably much easier than we imagine The style was not designed to be a user s manual for a particular sword type rather it was a universal set of instructions aimed at knowing how to use most s
16. opponent to parry or to survive In this class we will use the stramazzone as an easy way to multiply the strikes delivered to the opponent in the course of a single attack Copyright 2006 Tom Leoni text Steven Reich design and layout Lesson 4 The steps measure and the straight line Although the nimble steps of dancing are of great ornament and use to this art they must be adapted to martial spirit What is graceful and feminine must become manly and tough When you enter that dusty and sun beaten field before the eyes of all your peers let them see you come out of the house of a master of war rather than dance Anonymous 2or The Bolognese style features the most diverse and imaginative stepping of any sword art known to me Still the circumstances in which each step is used are very precise and the execution of the steps should be as perfect as in a deadly dance The most common steps are the following using Anonymous classification gv and ff e Passo what we moderns call the pass rear foot moves forward more or less on the straight line e Half step mezzo passo the forward motion of the front foot which is also called accrescimento or the backward motion of the rear foot e Oblique pass passo traverso passing with the left foot towards the opponent s right or with the right foot to the opponent s left this can either be followed by another pass or by a circular action of the foot that remains behind thereby
17. ore cuts and thrusts in the Bolognese school can be so many that it would make it confusing to list them and learn them all in this short time Therefore we will only use a selection of the most useful and frequently employed forms of attack in a way that will hopefully be easy to remember Cuts are classified in several ways the general direction mandritto riverso the specific path fendente tondo etc the edge with which they are delivered and even whether they are executed from the wrist in a wheel like fashion stramazzone and mulinetto For this class we will keep it basic and use the generic term fendente montante mandritto and riverso falso dritto falso manco and stramazzone e Fendente a true edge cut proceeding vertically downwards e Montante an ascending false edge cut proceeding exactly opposite the fendente e Mandritto generally the shorthand name for amandritto squalembrato i e a true edge cut proceeding at a downward slant right to left Copyright 2006 Tom Leoni text Steven Reich design and layout Riverso generally the shorthand name for a riverso squalembrato i e a true edge cut proceeding at adownward slant left to right a riverso ascendente proceeds in the opposite direction Falso dritto an ascending false edge cut starting from the low right and proceeding igh leftina path roughly opposite the riverso Falso manco an ascending false edge cut starting from the lowleft and proceeding high righ
18. ose executed with the true edge employ the forte e g Dall Agocchie 21r Early 16th Century Military Sword Copyright 2006 Tom Leoni text Steven Reich design and layout Among the other weapons used are e Single handedsword spada e Cape cappa e Single handed sharp sword spada da filo e Left handed mailed glove guanto da presa e Spadone spada a due mani e Armor any parts e Dagger pugnale e Halberd alabarda e Small buckler brocchiero piccolo or stretto e Partisan partigiana e Large buckler brocchiero largo e Spiedo e Rotella e Poleaxe azza e Targa e Spear lancia e Imbracciatura e Pike picca Lesson2 The guards For her security our gallant art of arms bears ten defensive guards with twenty different names I have considered it useful to speak of them here for if they are learned forthwith they will turn the rest of my work into a spacious useful and well lit field Let me therefore begin my exposition with the help of God Manciolino 7r Guards in the Bolognese school are as many as 21 Anonymous 6r and ff depending on the Master listing them To make their understanding easier and quicker we will explore the main ways in which they are dassified Firstly guards can be high or low High guards all the guards featuring the sword hand at shoulder height or higher e Low guards all the guards featuring the sword hand below shoulder height Secondly low guards can be dassified accordi
19. ou a tempo in which to perform the parry ripostes we have seen or is sufficiently disordered for you to safely carry home your offensive action Dall Agocchie 24r Also a provocation should be designed to remove the opponent s point from your presence Anonymous 25r A feint is instead a simulated attack designed to make the opponent move as you desire An attack delivered with the intent to strike i e not a provocation or feint Copyright 2006 Tom Leoni text Steven Reich design and layout Depending on whether we are situated in a high guard or low guard the provocations and feints are slightly different as we know the only technically correct attacks from the low guards are the thrust and the falso although the stramazzone is sometimes employed while instead you have more latitude from the high guards their role being first offensive then defensive We will explore a sample of the applications of the rules above using both the low guards and the high guards Provocation 1 the falso This provocation consists essentially of the same defensive cell from Dall Agocchie s solo form only used offensively Example from Coda Lunga e Stretta with the left foot forward Agent cuts a falso dritto into the opponent s sword and passing with the right foot to the opponent s left delivers a mandritto or a stramazzone to the patient s head Lastly let the left foot follow behind the right Example from Porta di
20. pponent s sword is out of our presence while ours is in his Viggiani 61r Copyright 2006 Tom Leoni text Steven Reich design and layout Putting it all together the Dall A gocchie solo form one of the most important things to practice in order to learn how to operate correctly sword in hand 12r Starting with sword sheathed the feet together i Falsomanco riverso right foot step forward end in Coda SE Falso dritto mandritto left foot pass forward end in Porta di Ferro Stramazzone right foot pass forward end in Porta di Ferro Falso manco riverso left foot pass forward end in Coda Lunga Riverso ascendente right foot pass forward end in Alicorno Imbroccata no steps end in Porta di Ferro Falso manco riverso right foot pass back end in Coda Lunga Stramazzone left foot pass back end in Porta di Ferro Stramazzone right foot pass back end in Porta di Ferro 10 Falso manco riverso left foot pass back end in Coda Lunga Re sheathe the sword SWAY AY p vo D Lesson 5 Tempo In this art just as in skilled singing the principal ability is knowing how to take tempi Anonymous zor Knowing howto recognize and take tempi as well as breaking the opponent s is an essential skill in Italian swordsmanship To keep things simple we will call tempo the right moment in which to strike the opponent leaving aside all the philosophical considerations I m sure you have heard countless times but
21. rd stand with your left foot forward and make a very visible feint to the opponent head in the same tempo lower your weapon and unleash a thrust while entering close to the opponent with your right foot Done in one tempo this action is difficult to parry However proceed cautiously as I have advised you when speaking of executing two strikes in one tempo with the spear The first should be short the second extended Similarly with the sword you should perform two thrusts one short to the upper parts the other long to the lower body Monte Book 2 Chapter 49 Important rule when two or more strikes follow one another of which the first is a feint the first must be shorter then the following one This is also true of the steps accompanying such motions if there are any Lesson 3 The order of strikes between the guards Can you see how every strike or motion lies between two guards or instances of stillness and how every guard lies between two strikes We could even say that every action lies between two potentials and that every potential lies between two actions eA strike while still enshrined in a guard is not action but potential when it is finally released it becomes action V iggiani 76r and ff s This wonderfully eloquent statement suggests how in the Bolognese style strikes are nothing but forceful transitions between guards with ideally as little departure from them as possible As with guards theref
22. riposte Agent in Guardia Alta with either foot forward patient performing the technique in Porta di Ferro Stretta with the right foot forward Patient switch to Porta di Ferro Larga at which the agent takes the tempo and delivers the riverso with a pass Patient I Execute the falso manco parry false edge on true edge while lifting your left foot for the oblique pass to the opponent s right 2 Hit the opponent with a riverso to the head while your left foot lands on the ground 3 Let your right foot follow behind the left cirde wise while setting yourself in Coda Lunga with the left foot forward e Additional redoubling accompany step 3 with a stramazzone to the head So far we have explored the parry executed in ideal situations i e from the Larga version of the guard thereby not requiring a preparation for the falso and with the feet positioned for an oblique pass to the opposite side of the attack Now we will make things more realistic and learn the same parries from the Stretta version of the guards and see howto use the half step or accrescimento in lieu of the pass when called for We will also add some zest to our compound riposte Falso parry from Coda Lungae Stretta with the right foot forward against amandritto and compound riposte Agent in Guardia Alta with either foot forward patient in Porta di Ferro Stretta with the right foot forward Patient execute a mezza volta to Coda Lunga e Stretta at which the agent takes
23. t ina path roughly opposite the mandritto Stramazzone a fendente like cut delivered with a wheel like motion of the wrist wrist breaks to the left Of the thrusts we will use the imbroccata stoccata and punta riversa Imbroccata also punta sopramano an overhand thrust delivered mostly with a powerful extension of the arm Stoccata also punta sottomano punta trivellata or punta in falso an underhand thrust delivered either with a powerful extension of the arm or through the motion of the foot in this case bearing the name of punta ferma Punta riversa a thrust executed with the hilt turned to the inside in a manner similar to the porta di ferro The technically correct delivery of the cut is accompanied by a turning of the body from the heels and hips volgimento di persona as with a tennis shot or a golf swing Although this alone would take three days of practice bear this in mind as you take this lesson with you Viggiani 66r There are full strikes and half strikes Full strikes go from ahigh to alarga guard or vice versa half strikes end in astretta guard regardless of where they begin Naturally this affects tempo as we will see In this style there are simple strikes or redoubled strikes Simple strikes are attacks featuring a single blow whereas redoubled strikes are compound attacks Redoubled strikes were praised as being more worthy of a good swordsman besides being harder for the
24. text Steven Reich design and layout Copyright 2006 Tom Leoni text Steven Reich design and layout Lesson o The Bolognese School Bologna the capital city of the Emilia Romagna region of Italy has been a center of cultural fervor innovation and learning since the early Middle Ages Bolognastarted its life as an Etruscan city around 650 BC Felsina and was re named Bononia by the Gauls when they conquered the city in the 2 Century BC After being a Roman province it changed hands first to the Byzantines then to the Lombards who perhaps sparked the city s martial spirit During the Middle Ages Bologna became an important Commune City State The jewel in the city s crown has always been the university which has attracted and produced world class International scholars since the year 1088 Among the arts developed in the cultural center of Bologna fencing was to become one of the city s longest traditions Thanks to the primary sources as well as Gelli and Novati we have a sense of a genealogy of Masters which direct or indirect proves how many important figures Bologna produced in this field e Nerio active in Bologna as early as the 1300 s e Lippo Dardi operating in the early to mid 1400 s Besides a fencing master he was a mathematician astronomer and University professor e Guido Antonio De Luca active around the beginning of the 1500 s from whose school came more warriors than from the belly of the
25. the right foot or left foot forward depending on the drill and the situation with the exception of Porta di Ferro Inal guards save for Alicorno in some situations the right arm is straight but not locked The placement of the buckler is the same for all guards pointed straight at the opponent with the left arm extended The main role of the buckler is that of creating a visual and physical blind spot for the opponent as Di Grassi says the closer to the opponent this defensive weapon is kept the less of youhe will see and the easier parrying will be 62 Italian edition Copyright 2006 Tom Leoni text Steven Reich design and layout Weight is on the foot that does not move It is not bad form to lift the heel of the foot which is next to move which is generally the rear foot The size of the step is wide in gioco largo and narrow in the gioco stretto Anonymous 17v et al Rule high guards are used offensively first then defensively low guards defensively first then offensively In the situation where low guards are used offensively the only proper forms of attack are thrusts or falsi Marozzo Ch 139 Manciolino 41 Occasionally the stramazzone also appears as an offensive action from the low guards e g Manciolino 15r Eye candy Frequently asked question is the sword in the sheath aguard A bit of European Iaido from Pietro Monte along with important advice on consecutive strikes eAs you unsheathe the swo
26. the tempo and delivers amandritto with a pass Patient I Quickly lower your point in preparation for the falso without moving your feet 2 Execute the falso dritto parry false edge on true edge while lifting your right foot for the half step to the opponent s left 3 Hit the opponent with amandritto while your right foot lands on the ground 4 Let yourleft foot follow behind the right circle wise while doing the following 1 Deliver astoccata to the opponent s flank 2 Deliver astramazzone to the opponent s head Falso parry from Porta di Ferro Stretta with the left foot forward against a riverso and compound riposte Agent in Guardia Alta with either foot forward patient in Coda Lunga e Stretta with the right left foot forward Patient execute amezza volta to Porta di Ferro Stretta at which the agent takes the tempo and delivers a riverso with a pass Patient I Quickly lower your point in preparation for the falso without moving your feet 2 Execute the falso manco parry false edge on true edge while lifting your left foot for the half step to the opponent s right 3 Hit the opponent with a riverso while your right foot lands on the ground 4 Let yourleft foot follow behind the right circle wise while doing the following e Deliver astoccatato the opponent s flank e Deliver astramazzone to the opponent s head 12 Copyright 2006 Tom Leoni text Steven Reich design and layout Eye candy the abbellimento embellis
27. ut to the agent s head Agent passes back with the left foot and cuts an ascending riverso to the opponent s arm 17 Copyright 2006 Tom Leoni text Steven Reich design and layout Recapitulation and Post Scriptum By now you should know the following concepts and actions o The main guards e The strikes from and to the main guards The essential steps especially the oblique pass e The parries o With the false edge and their ripostes o With the true edge mezza volta Guardia di Testa with their ripostes o The universal parry from Greg Mele s class on Viggiani e Voiding with the front foot especially against attacks to the leg e The correct ways in which to take the initiative o The provocation o The feint If you practice diligently all these actions and drills you will be able to learn this style and eventually progress in it Please do not add actions until you are thoroughly familiar with these these will in fact carry you very far if you internalize them correctly Thope you have enjoyed this class Thank you for your time and your enthusiasm VALETE 18 Copyright 2006 Tom Leoni text Steven Reich design and layout Roverfo fendente Ar NN Copyright 2006 Tom Leoni text Steven Reich design and layout High Guards Guardia di Faccia Copyright 2006 Tom Leoni text Steven Reich design and layout Low Guards Coda Lungae Stretta iii
28. vice on defensive stepping Use your body and your rear foot to turn your body towards the side of the parry Dall Agocchie 14r For instance if you are in Porta di Ferro with your right foot forward and your right side is attacked after passing forward with the left foot accompany your parry by cirding your right foot towards yourleft side so that you help void the opponent s attack while also i your body along anewstraight line In other words e Ifthe attack comes to your right side pass or step to your left then cirde back with your rear foot also towards your left until your feet end up in line with the opponent s body o If the attack comes to your left side pass or step to your right then circle back with your rear foot also towards your right until your feet end up in line with the opponent s body We will start by becoming comfortable with the false edge parry as the most idiosyncratic to the style then move on to the other forms of defense Io Copyright 2006 Tom Leoni text Steven Reich design and layout Lesson 7 The false edge or falso parry with riposte Instruct your students to employ the false edge parry more than any other since it is the most useful form of defense Marozzo Ch 139 Counting Marozzo and the telling statement above the false edge parry is the preferred mode of parry of three over five of the extant Bolognese Masters also Manciolino 5r and the Anonymous 21r who praise
29. which still apply Dall Agocchie s classification of five perfect instances to recognize atempo in which to strike the opponent are what we will use in this class please note the difference between after and while i After parrying the opponent s attack After the opponent s attack has fallen harmlessly out of your presence While he lifts his hand to strike you with a cut While he changes guards before he stops in the next While he lifts his foot especially if it is to step forward var An action in one tempo is one where the parry and riposte are simultaneous or virtually simultaneous an action in two tempi is one where the parry and riposte occur in two consecutive and well distinct tempi In practice a full strike is said to take a full tempo while a half strike takes a half tempo Lesson 6 Parries and ripostes In gallant conversation we rightfully prize a witty answer above the question that provoked it since answering well requires considerable quickness of intellect Anonymous 20v All Bolognese Masters consider it the hallmark of the true swordsman to be able to parry and counter any strike from any guard To parry parare riparare schifare etc simply means to defend against or to avert an attack this can be done with the sword a companion weapon or even with a void Riposting rispondere means quite literally to answer to the opponent s attack with one of your own either in the same tempo or i
30. word point high towards the left to pass or step to the opponent s right and to riposte with a riverso Lesson 9 Voids against attacks to the leg Attacks to the front leg are best foiled by pulling the leg back while simultaneously delivering a riposte in the form of a stramazzone or thrust to the head or a counter cut to the sword arm An additional riposte can then be delivered by passing forward with the same foot or with the other The technically correct ways to pull the leg back are several the main ones being e Passing back e Crossing the leg over the other without letting the foot touch the ground e Pulling the front foot near the back one e Jumping back Lesson 10 Being the agent taking the initiative If you were to attack earnestly and without precautions while your opponent is motionless in his guard you would put yourself at a great disadvantage since he could counter your actions in many ways Dall Agocchie 24r The passage above summarizes the Bolognese attitude towards taking the initiative Rule Do not deliver an earnest attack out of tempo rather be sure you make the opponent move before delivering an earnest attack The two most common ways to make the opponent move so that the earnest attack can be safely executed are I The provocation 2 The feint A provocation is just what the name suggests an action designed to break the opponent s guard so that he either attacks thereby giving y
31. words or indeed most edged weapons Marozzo Chapter 25 137 in fact tells us that a great number of actions and prinaples apply to agamut of weapons and weapon combinations going from the single dagger to the sword with or without companion weapons and even to the 1530 s Civilian Sword 41 blade wide at ricasso Spadone Since it is amply documented that the style was used in both military and civilian situations it follows that both military and civilian swords would have been used Thus any non specialized sword used in the 16 Century would be a good fit to learn the Bolognese style Manciolino 3v also mentions that different blade lengths may be used saying that practicing with shorter swords is agood way to learn parrying Hilt types illustrated by Marozzo and Viggiani range froma simple cross to rapier like structures like A VB Norman s type 74 aptly dated around the 1560 s Viggiani 54r mentions the additional protection to the hand added to hilts in recent years which matches what we know about the evolution of the sword in the 16 Century Given the style s high speed mentioned by Masters Viggiani 54v Anonymous 17V I recommend that the sword be not too heavy with 2 lbs being dose to the upper limit Structurally Bolognese masters recognize and name the sword s true and false edges as well as the forte and debole Parries executed with the false edge employ the sword s debole while th
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