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School of European Swordsmanship

SESH Syllabus 2008

Index:
Level 1
Level 2 (Syllabus form, Drills)
Conditioning
Intermediate conditioning
Intermediate Longsword
Rapier
Sword and Buckler
Smallsword
Teaching qualifications
Beginner's Course syllabus and schedule
Reading list

The ultimate goal of the syllabus is to provide students with expertise in the process of historical swordsmanship, and experience of a range of swordsmanship styles, including auxiliary weapons (buckler, dagger, cloak where appropriate) and the basics of dagger and unarmed combat. This should give the advanced student a comprehensive general knowledge of European historical swordsmanship, with specialised knowledge in one or more systems, and the capability to pick up any European sword ever made and wield it effectively (if not necessarily historically). The research and general training criteria are there to ensure that those wishing to teach can interact meaningfully with the WMA research community, and pursue their own training and research effectively.

Students will notice the opportunity to choose among options at the more advanced levels. This represents the minimum required: students are of course encouraged to cover all the weapons and systems on offer, and those on the instructor track are required to. 

Level 1

To pass the level one assessment the student should know:

Unarmed:

  • guard position
  • accressere/ discressere
  • volta stabile, mezza volta, tutta volta
  • accressere fora di strada, passo alla traversa
  • 4 guards exercise 

Armed:

  • Dagger strikes (mandritto, roverso, fendente, sotto)
  • Basic defenses: hyperextension, crank, deflect and strike, take downs on inside and outside, slow falls. (Relevance of dagger material to longsword zogho stretto.)
  • 5 things against all lines of attack (disarm, strike, break, lock, takedown) 
  • Guards: fenestra, breve, longa, frontale, porta di ferro mezana, dente chinghiale, tutta porta di ferro, donna, bicorno.
  • 7 strikes, including names of cuts.
  • Donna, longa chinghiale/tutta porta di ferro cutting drill.
  • Basic drills 1, 2 (largo forms), 3. 

First drill: Cover from the right.

Largo form:

Step Attacker Defender Source
Set-up Stands in posta di donna destra Waits in tutta porta di ferro. Getty p 23v
1: Attack Attacks mandritto fendente   Getty p 23r
2: Remedy   Parries with frontale, beating attacker’s word wide. Passes off the line, strikes roverso fendente (over arms and thrusts, or to mask) Getty p 25v, 1st and 2nd plays of 2nd master
3: Counter-remedy Yields to pommel strike, passing in with cover   Getty p. 44v, 8thplay of Coda Longa master
4: counter-counter-remedy   Lifts hilt and pommel strikes Getty p. 45r, 9thplay of Coda Longa master

Second drill: beat from the left:

Largo form

Step Attacker Defender Source
Set-up Stands in posta di donna destra Waits in dente di zenghiaro Getty p 23v, 24r, 31r
1: Attack Attacks mandritto fendente   Getty p 23r
2: Remedy   Parries with roverso sottano, accressere fora di strada Getty p 31r
3: Counter-remedy Yields to pommel strike, passing in with cover and wraps, ligadura mezana   Getty p. 28v,
4: counter-counter-remedy   As attacker enters and wraps, counters with ligadura sottana Getty p. 29v.

Third drill: break and exchange 

Exchange:

Step Attacker Defender Source
Set-up Stands in tutta porta di ferro Waits in tutta porta di ferro Getty p 23v, 24r
1: Attack Attacks with thrust   Getty p 23r
2: Remedy   Parries, exchanges thrust with accressere-passare. Passes again and grabs hilt, disarm. Getty p 26v
3: Counter-remedy Yields to pommel strike, passing in with cover   Getty p. 44v, 8thplay of Coda Longa master
4: counter-counter-remedy   Lifts hilt and pommel strikes Getty p. 45r, 9thplay of Coda Longa master

Break:

Step Attacker Defender Source
Set-up Stands in dente di zenghiaro Waits in tutta porta di ferro Getty p 23v, 24r
1: Attack Attacks with thrust   Getty p 23r
2: Remedy   Parries, breaks thrust, cuts throat with roverso mezano, with accressere-passare. Getty p 26v
3: Counter-remedy Throws mezano to neck, takedown   Getty p 30r

  • Basic solo falling. 
  • All to a reasonable standard: power flow, stability, safety.
  • No equipment required. 
  • Expected time to completion: 3-9 months.
  • Level 1 is intended to give beginners an achievable goal.

Level 2:

To pass the level two assessment the student should know: 

  • All of the above, plus:
  • Knee to toe and elbow to finger self-massage techniques.
  • Basic strength training exercises (body weight, small free weights, staff).
  • Variations on dagger defences.
  • Unarmed flow drill
  • Dagger disarm flow drill
  • Falling competence (with one foot on the ground at start of fall).
  • The first 6 plays of abrazare. 
  • Basic breathing exercises.
  • Crane breathing exercise. 
  • Pell work: intelligent and effective solo training skills, reasonable speed and control.
  • Tyre work: reasonable power, ability to train hard and safe with partner.
  • Advanced cutting drills 
  • Longsword  syllabus form, plus applications.

The Syllabus Form

The weight is at each stage either on the front foot (F) or on the rear foot (R). Start with the sword in its scabbard, held in the left hand, feet parallel and shoulder width.

I: Drawing the sword (defence against dagger fendente) 

1. Lift the sword in its scabbard, stepping back with right foot, parry dagger strike, strike to face with scabbard, with a pommel strike/sottano roverso to fenestra. F

2. Strike mandritto fendente with pass forwards (longa, F) 

II: Blow

3. bring sword to donna sinestra (F)

4. Roverso fendente with a mezzo volta to posta longa. (F)

5. Volta stabile to posta di fenestra. R 

III: Exchange of thrust 

(Against a thrust to the face from fenestra destra)

7. Wind sword through frontale (with accressere) to fenestra (with a paso alla traversa) F

8. Volta stabile to posta di donna sinestra. (R) 

IV: Rompere di punta

(Against a thrust to the face from fenestra destra)

9. break the thrust with a roverso fendente,  aacompanied by an acressere and a volta stabile. (F)

10. Follow through to tutta porta di ferro with a passo alla traversa. (F) 

V: Rompere di punta

(Against a thrust to the belly from zenghiaro)

11. Parry with point high and hands low, accressere. (F)

12. Flick blades down to mezana porta di ferro, follow through with passo alla traversa. (step on his blade) (F)

13. False edge sottano roverso to the throat.

14. whip blade through, and roverso fendente to his head, passing to tutta porta di ferro. (F) 

VI: Rebattere

(against a sword blow to the head)

15. Parry with frontale,

16. drop point to longa, cutting over the arm, passing offline

17. Shift to bicorno, thrust, passing forwards (F)

VII: Master of the sword in one hand

(against any blow to the head)

18. Lower sword to the guard of the sword in one hand, let go with pommel hand, look over your should (right handers: right shoulder) (R )

19. rebattere with a true edge roverso sottano, accompanied by an acressere, and extending the pommel hand forward. (F)

20. Pommel strike with a wrap, and pass. (If rebattere does not open attacker’s inside line, push elbow instead of wrap.) (F)

21. Mandritto fendente to posta longa, with another pass, return pommel hand to grip. (F)

22. Follow through with a tutta volta 135 degrees anti-clockwise to dente di cenghiaro. (F) 

VII: rebattere

(against any blow to the head)

23. Parry with false edge roverso sottano accompanied by an acressere. (F)

24. Mandritto fendente to posta longa. (F)

25. Volta stabile to posta di donna sinestra. R 

VIII: Through cut, thrust 

26. Roverso fendente with pass to coda longa

27. Immediately thrust to bicorno, with pass.

28. Look over left shoulder (for right-handers), bring sword to coda longa, volta stabile. (R) 

IX: Punta falsa

(against opponent in any right-side guard) 

29. Mandritto mezano to the head with a pass. (F)

30. (When he covers) Turn the sword to the other side of his blade, grab your blade with the pommel hand, pass and thrust. (F)

31. Pass again with a half-sword pommel strike. (F)

32. Volta stabile to vera croce and move the front foot to correct direction. R 

X: Half sword cover (first play of the sword in armour) 

33. Half sword cover with a volta stabile. (F)

34. Half sword thrust with a pass. (F)

35. Look over right shoulder, bring sword to posta di donna sinestra. (R) 

XI: Cut to hands

(against any blow) 

36. Roverso fendente with tornare (pass back) to tutta porta di ferro. (F) 

XII: Colpo di villano

(Against an over-committed mandritto fendente)

37. Cover with frontale, accressere. (F)

38. Allow his sword to blow through (looks like a molinello) while passing,

39. Fendente roverso with another pass, to tutta porta di ferro. (F) 

Finish
  • Draw, cut, exchange, break, sword in one hand, punta falsa, vera croce, through cut, rebattere,  
  • All 5 basic longsword drills, including stretto forms of first and second. 

First drill: Cover from the right.

Stretto form:

Step Attacker Defender Source
Set-up Stands in posta di donna destra Waits in tutta porta di ferro. Getty p 23v
1: Attack Attacks mandritto fendente   Getty p 23r
2: Remedy   Parries with frontale, Getty p 25v, 1stplays of 2nd master
3: Counter-remedy Binds against parry, sword stays close. Enters with left hand, disarms   Getty p. 28r. 1stand 2nd plays zogho stretto
4: counter-counter-remedy   As attacker binds, passes with cover, yields and pommel strikes. Getty p. 28r. 1stand 3rd plays zogho stretto

 

Second drill: beat from the left:

Stretto form:

Step Attacker Defender Source
Set-up Stands in posta di donna destra Waits in dente di zenghiaro Getty p 23v, 24r, 31r
1: Attack Attacks mandritto fendente   Getty p 23r
2: Remedy   Parries with roverso sottano, accressere fora di strada Getty p 31r
3: Counter-remedy Binds against parry, pushing it wide. Cuts with pass offline.    
4: counter-counter-remedy   As attacker binds, passes with cover, wraps PD carta 23 B
5: As defender enters and wraps, counters with ligadura sottana   PD carta 23 B

Fourth drill: Punta falsa

Step Attacker Defender Source
Set-up Stands in coda longa Waits in tutta porta di ferro Getty p 23v, 24v
1: Attack Attacks with mandritto mezano   Getty p 27v
2: Remedy   Parries, exchanges thrust with accressere-passare. Getty p 26v
3: Counter-remedy Turns sword to punta falsa, enters with half-sword.   Getty p. 26v
4: counter-counter-remedy   Turns sword, passes offline, half-sword Getty p. 26v

Fifth drill: feints

Step Attacker Defender Source
Set-up Posta di donna destra, rear weighted Fenestra destra, rear weighted Getty 23v
1.Attack Thrust: volta stabile to bicorno, pass.   Getty 23r, 24v
2. Remedy   Frontale, exchange thrust with accressere-passare Getty 26v
3. Counter-remedy On cover, before swords meet (and before back foot has left the ground), avoid contact by dipping point under his blade, and thrust with pass.   Getty 24r
4. Counter-counter-remedy   As attacker’s point comes up, parry with false edge and strike to face with mandritto fendente.  
 

Variations:

  1. Defender can start in any right side guard for 1, 3, 4,5, and any left side guard for 2.
  2. Attacker can strike with edge or point from either side (except for fourth).
  3. Remedy can strike with point or edge
  4. Counter-remedy can resist the bind; counter-counter-remedy goes to other side.
  5. Go one counter further
  6. Add one degree of freedom.
  • Theory of tempo as applied to longsword.
  • Understanding of theoretical basis of the drills and their variations. (4 masters, remedy, counter-remedy, etc.)
  • Equipment requirements: mask, longsword, jacket, pads, gloves.
  • Ability to lead safe, competent warm-up. Understanding of theory of warm-up.
  • Expected time to completion: 6-12 months from completion of level 1

Conditioning

Students should also be familiar with the conditioning guidelines:

These are intended to give students an idea of the minimum level of physical fitness and strength appropriate for training swordsmanship at the various levels. These tests should be accomplished with relative ease; in other words, doing the test right before a class should not present any endurance problems. The test should be administered by a fellow student, who will keep the time, and make sure the basic form of each exercise is adequate.

level

Basic

plank (seconds)

60

back plank (secs)

90

shrimps

4

push-ups

20

squats

60

wrist rolls rp/kg

25/3

wrist turns rp/kg

50/3

twisting squats

8

pusttj burpees

2

time range: (minutes)

6-7.30

Plank: back and legs in one straight line, weight on elbows/forearms and toes. Hold.

Back plank: back and legs in one straight line, supported between pads, one under shoulderblades, the other under calves. Hold.

shrimps: lie on back; bring knees up, clap hands to knees; extend and roll over; contract knees up while rolling back, clap. Fully extend arms and legs, all limbs off the floor, when on back and on front.

Push-ups: regular, "military style" form (on palms, knuckles or handles). Squats: "hindu" style.

pusttj burpees: push-up-squat-thrust-twist-jump-burpees: push-up, jump feet between hands, jump up, knees to chest, twisting in mid-air 180 degrees around, land, push-up, jump feet between hands, jump up, knees to chest, twisting in mid-air 180 degrees in other direction, land.

The exercises can be done in any order, but must be completed within the time range (including plank exercises).

This completes Basic training. From here, students will be able to take semesters in whichever styles they like, in whatever order. To complete Class leader, Assistant Instructor, and Instructor certification, certain semesters must be passed.

Intermediate Training

Longsword intermediate training

  • Ability to train variations on the longsword drills.
  • Old 1st (nka "sword in one hand" ) and 5th (nka "deflections") drills.
  • Degrees of freedom, leading to safe, competent freeplay with longsword.
  • Dagger defences done at full speed with rubber weapons and masks.
  • Flow drills, variations, including attacker's counter-remedies
  • Punches, kicks etc.
  • Applications to Syllabus Form, at speed.
  • Test cutting with sword: reasonable competence.
  • Spear guards and plays
  • Axe guards and plays
  • Liechtenauer system:
  • Guards
  • Strikes
  • 5 meisterhau
  • Selected contents of Tobler's Fighting with the German Longsword

Rapier (Capo Ferro) basic training:

  • Basic knowledge of Capo Ferro rapier style:
  • Guards 1-4
  • Step back and forward in guard
  • Lunge
  • Pass forwards and back
  • Scansi
  • Lunging drills:
    1. lunge remise lunge etc.
    2. step, lunge, pass lunge (both directions)
    3. in 2, 4, stramazone, mandritto, cross-jump.
  • Stringere
  • 4 responses to the stringering: attack by cavazione, beat attack by cavazione, feint by cavazione, direct attack.
  • Parry riposte in 2 and 4
  • Compound counter riposte drill to step 5
  • Parry-riposte in a single motion in 2 and 4

Distance drills:

Distance drill

Patient

Agent

Terza

Terza

Find opposition, lunge in quarta

Parry riposte

Step back, with opposition

Recover forwards (remise)

Cavazione, lunge in seconda

repeat
  • Plays of plates 7,13,16,17,19
  • Scannatura
  • Scanso della vita
  • Scanso dell' pie dritto

Compound counter-riposte drill.

Setup: patient stands on guard in terza, agent out of measure in terza.

Step 1:

1)      Agent steps into measure, stringering the Patient on the inside in quarta.

2)      Patient disengages, and attacks, lunging in seconda.

Step 2:

1)      Agent steps into measure, stringering the Patient on the inside in quarta.

2)      Patient disengages, and attacks, lunging in seconda.

3)      Agent parries in seconda, and ripostes

Step 3

1)      Agent steps into measure, stringering the Patient on the inside in quarta.

2)      Patient disengages, and feints, extending in seconda.

3)      Agent parries in seconda,

4)      Patient disengages to quarta and lunges, striking the agent.

Step 4

1)      Agent steps into measure, stringering the Patient on the inside in quarta.

2)      Patient disengages, and feints, extending in seconda.

3)      Agent parries in seconda,

4)      Patient disengages to quarta and lunges

5)      Agent parries in quarta and ripostes.

Step 5

1)      Agent steps into measure, stringering the Patient on the inside in quarta.

2)      Patient disengages, and feints, extending in seconda.

3)      Agent parries in seconda,

4)      Patient disengages to quarta and lunges

5)      Agent parries in quarta and ripostes.

6)      Patient recovers and parries in quarta, and ripostes

Step 6

1)      Agent steps into measure, stringering the Patient on the inside in quarta.

2)      Patient disengages, and feints, extending in seconda.

3)      Agent parries in seconda,

4)      Patient disengages to quarta and lunges

5)      Agent parries in quarta and ripostes.

6)      Patient recovers and parries in quarta, and ripostes

Step 7

1)      Agent steps into measure, stringering the Patient on the inside in quarta.

2)      Patient disengages, and feints, extending in seconda.

3)      Agent parries in seconda,

4)      Patient disengages to quarta and lunges

5)      Agent parries in quarta and feints.

6)      Patient recovers and parries in quarta,

7)      Agent disengages and strikes

Step 8

1)      Agent steps into measure, stringering the Patient on the inside in quarta.

2)      Patient disengages, and feints, extending in seconda.

3)      Agent parries in seconda,

4)      Patient disengages to quarta and lunges

5)      Agent parries in quarta and feints.

6)      Patient recovers and parries in quarta,

7)      Agent disengages and strikes

8)      Patient parries in seconda and ripostes

Step 9

1)      Agent steps into measure, stringering the Patient on the inside in quarta.

2)      Patient disengages, and feints, extending in seconda.

3)      Agent parries in seconda,

4)      Patient disengages to quarta and lunges

5)      Agent parries in quarta and feints.

6)      Patient recovers and parries in quarta,

7)      Agent disengages and strikes in seconda

8)      Patient parries in seconda and ripostes

9)      Agent recovers, parries in seconda, and ripostes

Step 10

1)      Agent steps into measure, stringering the Patient on the inside in quarta.

2)      Patient disengages, and feints, extending in seconda.

3)      Agent parries in seconda,

4)      Patient disengages to quarta and lunges

5)      Agent parries in quarta and feints.

6)      Patient recovers and parries in quarta,

7)      Agent disengages and strikes in seconda

8)      Patient parries in seconda and feints

9)      Agent recovers, parries in seconda,

10)  Patient disengages and strikes in quarta (the compound counter riposte).
  • CCR drill to step 10
  • Fabris: counter-guards
  • Toccata
  • Adding degrees of freedom to the previous drills
  • Sword alone freeplay
  • Rapier and dagger drills:
  • 4 dagger parries
  • Stringer-parry-strike
  • Feint, parry, strike
  • Sword and dagger X parry drill.
  • All drills done as distance drills (see above for basic pattern)
  • Sword and dagger freeplay

Sword and Buckler (1.33) basic training:

  • 7 guards cutting drill
  • Rolling drill
  • Besetments: halpshilt, krucke, langort,
  • Covers: shutzen

Plays of 1st ward and halfshield:

Shiltslach

Warder

Besetter

1st

Halfshield

Falls under

Binds and shiltslach

Durchtrit

Warder

Besetter

1st

Halfshield

Falls under

Binds and shiltslach

Durchtrit

Mutatio

Warder

Besetter

1st

Halfshield

Falls under

Binds and shiltslach

Mutacio gladium

Wrap

Warder

Besetter

1st

Halfshield

Falls under

Binds and shiltslach

Wraps

Stichslach

Warder

Besetter

1st

Halfshield

Falls under

Omits bind, strikes head

stichslach
  • Variations: alternatives to falling under:
    1. stich
    2. cut arm
    3. beat and cut
    4. go to other side.

Plays of First ward and krucke

Wrap

Warder

Besetter

1st

Krucke

Binds over

Enters with counterbind and wrap

Counterthrust

Warder

Besetter

1st

Krucke

Binds directly

Enters with thrust

Beset by longpoint

Binds over

Warder

Besetter

1st

longpoint

Binds

Binds under

Warder

Besetter

1st

Krucke

Binds

Plays of 2nd ward, beset by shutzen

Durchtrit

Warder

Besetter

2nd

Schutzen

Binds in same position

Presses down, durchtrit

Yield

Warder

Besetter

2nd

Schutzen

Binds and enters

Goes to other side.

Sword and Buckler (1.33) intermediate training:

  • Apply counters to the bind to all set drills (adding one more step)
  • Set plays of 3rd,4th, 5th, 6th wards
  • Priest's special longpoint
  • Priest's special ward
  • Fiddlebow
  • Walpurgis' ward
  • Freeplay

Backsword basic training

  • Guard positions: inside, outside, hanging
  • Parries 1-8
  • Steps
  • Passes
  • Lunging
  • Traverses
  • 6 cuts drill (123456)
  • 6 cuts drill (214365)
  • 6 cuts drill with lunges and parries
  • 6 cuts drill with partner.
  • Engagement
  • Actions on the blade
    • disengage
    • beat
    • cutover
    • bind
  • Feints
  • Successive parries
  • Counterattacks to arm

Backsword intermediate training

  • Freeplay
  • Silver material
  • Grounds and Governors
  • Fights (Open, guardant, variable)

Smallsword basic training

  • Guards
  • Thrusts
    • prime
    • second
    • tierce
    • carte over the arm
    • carte to the inside
    • quint
  • Engagement
  • Disengage
  • Lunge
  • Step
  • Pass
  • Parries
  • Distance drills

Conditioning

  • Massage including back and neck.
  • Health qigong form (first half: intermediate, complete: advanced)

General conditioning

level

Intermediate

Advanced

plank (seconds)

90

120

back plank (secs)

120

180

shrimps

8

12

push-ups

30

40

squats

100

140

wrist rolls rp/kg

50/3

20/5

wrist turns rp/kg

100/3

40/5

twisting squats

10

16

pusttj burpees

4

6

Teaching qualifications

Class leader

Class leaders are Free Scholars with sufficient experience to lead basic level classes effectively and safely.

Requirements:

  • Free Scholarship
  • Basic level training completed, and basic level material kept current.
  • Intermediate level longsword material completed.
  • Basic level training in one other system completed.
  • Intermediate level conditioning

Assistant Instructor

An assistant instructor is able to teach useful classes in a range of weapons and styles. Assistant instructors can grade basic training, and up to intermediate level in the styles for which they have completed the advanced training.

Requirements:

  • Class leadership for at least 2 years (active)
  • Advanced training completed in at least 1 system
  • Intermediate training completed in at least 2 other systems
  • Ability to teach competently a full weekend seminar, including class plans. Also to give individual instruction to freeplay level in at least three systems.
  • 3 papers, in English or Finnish (at least one of which in English), of 2000, 5000, and 8000 words on some aspect of historical swordsmanship, to include at least one comparative study of two or more sources, and at least one technical analysis of a historical system.

Instructor

This qualification is a licence to teach professionally using the School's name. Instructors can grade advanced levels in the styles in which they have completed their advanced training, appoint Free Scholars on their own authority, and form part of an examining board.

Requirements

  • Advanced training completed in at least 2 systems
  • Intermediate training completed in at least 1 other system
  • At least 5 years of regularly teaching classes (class leader level or above), including at least 10 full weekend workshops
  • One book-length thesis on historical swordsmanship (approx 30,000+ words)
  • Board exam, made up of three instructors (at least one of whom must be external), which will test:
  1.  
    1. teaching a class
    2. giving individual instruction
    3. monitoring freeplay
    4. theoretical knowledge

Beginners' Course syllabus and schedule

This is a preliminary guide to structuring the beginners' course. Ideally all beginners across the branches will have about the same technical repertoire by the time they finish. No course plan survives first contact with the students, so this is a guide only.

It is broken it down into 8 2-hour class blocks; it can be restructured as necessary.

1. Brief intro to historical swordsmanship, Fiore, and the school.(5 min max)

  • safety
  • warm-up; light
  • basic falling
  • guard position
  • volta stabile, meza volta (pass)
  • 4 unarmed poste
  • accressere-discressere
  • accressere fora di strada, passo alla traversa

2.

  • revise 1
  • guard testing exercise; use of light pressure
  • glove game, stick avoidance
  • test volta stabile/meza volta combination.
  • dagger (no weapon yet):
  • first master, wrap
  • third master, crank

3.

  • warm-ups to include stabiliser exercises, and ramped up a bit
  • revise 1+2
  • first master, takedown (to balance if falling not good yet)
  • third master, takedown
  • use of masks
  • add dagger to previous material
  • dagger strikes
  • disarms against all 3 lines
  • take up swords: basic etiquette, the salute.

 4.

  • revise 1-3
  • longsword guards: donna, longa, zenghiaro; donna, longa, tpdf: cuts created 'by accident'
  • longsword handling drill (up, down, around around).

 5.

  • revise 1-4
  • begin dagger disarm flowdrill (introduce P-D 3rd master disarm)
  • add fenestra and frontale longsword guards.
  • longsword blows: from donna, all three cuts, + thrust, on both sides.
  • deflection (rebattere) from zenghiaro and tpdf against fendente.

Note that there is now far more material than can fit in any one session. Emphasise: guard positions, accressere-passare combo, 1st master takedown and 3rd master crank, dagger disarm flowdrill, the wrap, longsword cutting.

6.

  • introduce fitness test material into longer warm-up
  • revise 1-5
  • Add longsword guards
  • Add pommel strike as counter to deflections from zenghiaro and tpdf.

7.

  • revise 1-6
  • introduce counter to wrap in dagger material (3rd and 4th plays of 1st master; ligadura mezana countered by ligadura sottana)
  • 1st drill. Emphasise stepping the drill (1: attack. 2. attack, remedy. 3. attack, remedy, counter-remedy. 4. attack, remedy, counter-remedy, counter-counter-remedy. back to 1...)

8.

  • warm-up should by now include light conditioning (think Ilkka or Daavid's ideas of a warm-up)
  • revise 1-7 (include 3rd drill mandritto side)
  • 2nd drill.

If the class readily absorbs all this in a shorter time, add 3rd drill.

Reading list:

Longsword

Fior Battaglia, The Swordsman's Companion (Windsor). Suggested: Fighting with the German Longsword (Tobler), Ringeck, Knightly Art (trans Lindholm), Codex Wallerstein (trans Zabinski). De Arte Gladiatoria (Vadi, trans Porzio, Mele).

Rapier

Gran Simulacro (translations: Kirby Italian rapier Combat or Swanger), The Duellist's Companion (Windsor). Suggested: Art of Dueling (Fabris, Leoni trans.)

Sword and Buckler

1.33 (translation: Forgeng The Medieval Art of Swordsmanship)

Backsword: English Swordsmanship (Stephen Hand), Paradoxes of Defence and Brief Instructions (Silver); Art of Defence on Foot (Roworth)

Spada da filo

Lo Schermo (Viggiani trans. Swanger), one of Marozzo, Manciolino, Dall'Aggochie, Anonimo. Suggested: Agrippa (trans. Swanger)

Smallsword

The School of Fencing (Angelo, ed. Kirby), and one of Hope (New Method, Vade Mecum, or Scots Fencing Master), McBane, Girard, De Liancoeur.

Spear

Fiore, Vadi.

Pollax

Fiore, Vadi, Jeu de la Hache.