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Ok, I'm having some problems remembering all the bits.

1.Attack:Attacker attacks with a fendente mandritto, defender in tutta porta di ferro does noting.
2. Attack-remedy: Attacker attacks as above, defender covers in frontale, beating the attacker's sword to the side, followed by either a roverso cut to the attacker's head or laying the sword over the attacker's forearms, with a step out to his right.
3. Attack-remedy-counter remedy: The attacker attacks as above and as the defender makes the parry, the attacker changes the direction of his sword to bind on the defender's. If the swords end up more or less equally crossed in the middle, the attacker follows up by entering under cover with the hilt high and forward, controls the defender's elbow and pommel strikes.
4. Attack-remedy-counter remedy-counter-counter remedy. As the attacker enters under cover to pommel strike, the defender raises his own sword hilt high and covers and enters effecting his own pommel strike to the attacker's head, while controlling the elbow of his sword arm.

Is that it? It seems that the outcome of the initial bind done in step three has consequences which will affect how the drill continues. Whether it fails, neutralises the defender's parry, leaving the swords more or less equally crossed, or whether the attacker's bind is strong enough to drive the defender's parry out to the side.

For the sake of the drill, what is supposed to happen? Because if we have three possible scenarios as described above, it will affect the steps of the drill. Also since either player can do the same moves from an equal bind, depending on who acts first, a hesitant partner will get clobbered each time by the more active one, regardless of who is supposed to be the attacker or the defender.

I'm looking forward to seeing the videos of this drill!
You're conflating the largo and stretto forms of the drill.
In the largo form, at step 3, the attacker yields and enters with a pommel strike, which is countered at step 4 as you describe (cf 8 and 9 of coda longa on horse).
In the stretto form, at step 3, the attacker binds the sword, and enters on the open side (which depends on the exact nature of the bind). Step 4 pre-empts that- the defender passes with the parry and enters on the side open to him, with another pass.
Does this help?
And why oh why does no-one ever video the seminars?
I'll second what Guy said (with the exception of the chaps from Vaasa who have cameras ready!) about videoing. Videocams are available in almost all new mobile phones and are not expensive anyway... have your local association buy one. It will be of immense value, and increase the value of the seminars greatly. Then have someone video all the demonstrations and you will have something to refer to when things are forgotten. And not just that, but the unfortunate sould who missed the seminar can have a look at the video as well.

- Ilkka
(11-18-2009 08:10 PM)Guy Windsor Wrote: [ -> ]And why oh why does no-one ever video the seminars?
They shot videos of me when I was in Turku. Blush Maybe a bit of encouragement towards documenting the seminars would be in order. It was not a long time ago, when we had most of the provosts scribbling away class notes furiously in the sidelines during every seminar. These days, less so.
That's because you're special, JoeliSmile

Ok, got it now. Thanks for that! I've been checking out digicams on ebay and such. They seem fairly affordable right now. Expect the Turku contingent to start turning up to seminars armed with one in 2010.

Kevin.
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