Git Gud HEMA

[gitgudhema]

Mmm... 16th Century Bolognese sauce...

Having been fiddling around with Manciolino’s guards for the last few days, I think I have the first five down. They’re all fairly similar to wards in i.33, and have obvious functions. However. I was really struggling with the Porta di Ferro and Coda Lunga guards (that’s Iron gate and long tail, respectively if your renaissance Italian isn’t great), mainly because they don’t (on a surface reading) seem that similar to Fiore’s longsword guards of the same name, and Fiore is the only other Italian source I’m familiar with.

Fiore’s Iron Gates are seemingly open, invitational positions that present your opponent with an undefended line, so named because when your opponent strikes on that line, you can quickly snap them closed into very secure covers (like an iron gate, geddit?). Manciolino’s iron gates remain closed and he gives some opaque advice about which leg should be forward, how the shoulders should point and how the sword stays in front of the leading knee.

^ Fiore’s full Iron Gate

Fiore’s Long Lying Tail has the sword extended behind the fencer keeping the hands well out of harms way, and has a variety of different uses, while Manciolino’s Long Tails are forward facing, defensive positions. Manciolino himself comments on how the names of the guards come from an idiomatic name for an older guard: “not only this guard but also the following have their origins from a guard called “coda lunga alta” in which the feet are arranged in the aforesaid fashion, but the arm is held with the sword extended straight back, which gave it its name through metaphor, as is said in the common proverb, that one must not meddle with great masters because they have the long tail, that is, they can harm you through their numerous followers” 

- Manciolino - Opera Nova, 1531

Yesterday, thanks to some very helpful pointers from Fran from School of The Sword and Ilkka Hartikaiinen’s youtube demos, I had an epiphany. I’ve got it. 

THE SECRET OF THE BOLOGNESE GUARDS IS MINE

Porta di Ferro and Coda Lunga aren’t like longsword guards at all. THEY’RE LIKE SABRE GUARDS.

It’s all in the hips...

Ilkka’s videos are particularly helpful with this, showing how you rotate your hips into the line you’re striking to or covering. I’m still a bit wobbly but I can see exactly how this is supposed to work with the buckler:

A video posted by Jack (@theblackwizards) on Dec 31, 2016 at 9:51am PST

And finally manciolino’s Coda Lunga and Porta di Ferro:

A video posted by Jack (@theblackwizards) on Jan 1, 2017 at 8:19am PST

[gitgudhema]

Manciolino’s guards for sword and buckler: Guardia di Sotto il Braccio

Guardia di Sotto il Braccio - Under the arm guard

“The fifth is called “guardia di sotto il braccio”, because the sword hand must lie under the buckler arm, that is, holding the sword under the armpit, so that the point faces toward the rear, but the buckler arm will be well extended toward the enemy; but of the feet, I say that the right must adopt the manner described above here, that is, forward of the left, either a little or in large pace. But if you will hold it in large pace, it behooves you to arrange your right shoulder toward the enemy in the appointed fashion described in the fourth guard.”

Guardia di Sotto il Braccio - Side view

Guardia di Sotto il Braccio - Front view

Musings

Basically the same as first ward from i.33, this one seems purely defensive. Manciolino gives advice for how to attack someone in this guard, and if you are in this guard, how to deal with being attacked, but no offensive actions (that I’ve yet read of) start from here. 

The fact that Manciolino doesn’t recommend attacking from here seems to undermine what I’ve read about this guard (and its analogue in i.33) from modern interpreters who seem to have latched on to the fact that it’s hard for the opponent to judge the length of your weapon/reach when you’re in it as its chief advantage. Maybe it’s used that way in i.33

[museum-of-artifacts]

The iron hand of Götz von Berlichingen (1480-1562), a knight and mercenary who lost his right arm in a siege

[gitgudhema]

Manciolino’s guards for sword and buckler: Guardia di Sopra il Braccio

(I know it’s a LARP sword. I’m visiting my folks and all my HEMA gear is at home)

Guardia di Sopra il Braccio - Over the arm guard

“The fourth is called “guardia di sopra il braccio” because the hand that grips the sword comes to lie in the manner of a cross in the middle of the left arm, holding the point to the rear, and in consequence the buckler arm is very extended toward the enemy.

Regarding the feet, I say that in this first manner the right must be only so far forward of the left as not to touch it. One could furthermore do this same guard when the right foot makes the pace large, bending itself inward somewhat with the height of grace. And thus arranged in this guard, although the sword hand does not move from the place where it was above, that is, from the middle of the arm (because otherwise it would change the name for the reason said in the first guard) nonetheless the arms would come to elongate themselves somewhat, which previously were tucked in, so that the right shoulder comes to face opposite the enemy in the manner of delivering a blow to him wherever it seems best to you.”

Guardia di Sopra il Braccio - Side view

Guardia di Sopra il Braccio - Front view

Musings

This one looks cool. I initially read this as Manciolino’s analogue to Posta di Donna la Sinestra, but it looks like it’s going to be difficult to use it in precisely the same way. It *is* possible to throw riversi from this guard, by angling your buckler so the edge is pointing forwards, but they’re always going to have to be done on a very tight, almost fendente-like angle.

In a later section of the manuscript Manciolino himself gives you a few counters to this guard which assume both fencers are in Sopra Braccio, all of which except one involve feinting around the buckler with riversi and making a third intention mandritto or tramazzone to actually connect, so it seems he wasn’t thinking of it as analogous to Posta di Donna.

The one that does use a final intention riverso has you stepping right round to the opponent’s left side, so moving your buckler out of the way a bit wouldn’t be an issue.

[cursethevulgar]

[gitgudhema]

Manciolino’s guards for sword and buckler - Guardia di Faccia

(I know it’s a LARP sword, I’m visiting my folks and all my HEMA gear is at home)

Guardia di Faccia - Face Guard

“The third is called “guardia di faccia” which agrees with the previous one in two things, and differs in only one; namely, that is that it agrees not only in that the disposition of the feet can be with the right foot as well as with the left facing, but also in the height of the arms. But in this alone is the difference, that the aforesaid was having the sword on the diagonal, and this one holds it straight with the point toward the enemy’s face, and the hand armed with the buckler above the hand appointed to the sword.”

Guardia di Faccia - Side view

Guardia di Faccia - Front view

Musings

This one reminds me of stuff I’ve seen in i.33 and Paulus Hector Mair:

I can see this being a decent engaging guard provided you can get a nice exploratory bind. Also keeps the opponent *miles* away, so hopefully even a little fellow like me can avoid leg snipers.

[gitgudhema]

Manciolino’s guards for sword and buckler - Guardia di Testa

(I know it’s a LARP sword but I’m visiting my folks and all my HEMA gear at home)

Guardia di Testa - Head Guard

“The second is called “guardia di testa” which is made with equal and even extension of both arms toward the enemy in this fashion: that when you will have extended your fists, they will be found between and at the height of the shoulders, differing only in this, that the sword hand must lie somewhat lower than that of the buckler. But coming to the feet, I say that they can be found in two ways, either with the right or with the left forward in large pace, and nonetheless it will be the same guard, for the aforesaid reason.”

Guardia di Testa - Side view

Guardia di Testa - Front view

Musings

This one seems to be a basic starting guard that you can transition easily to and from and keeps the centre line well covered. The ‘either foot forward’ ruling makes this one nice and flexible. What’s nice is that this doesn’t have the vulnerability of similar longsword guards where you can easily get your hands sniped if you’re careless. Old lessons are hard to unlearn though and I can see myself being a bit cautious with this one.

[gitgudhema]

Manciolino’s guards for sword and buckler - Guardia Alta

To kick off with what I’ve learnt about the guards I’m going to do a series of posts covering the guards one at a time. Each section will open with what Manciolino himself has to say (I’m using Wiktenauer’s translation). Yes, I know it’s a LARP sword. I’m visiting the folks over Christmas and all my HEMA gear is back in London.

Manciolino lists 10 “famous” guards for sword and buckler that he says will be “sufficient for our work”. Of these, seven are high guards (with the sword above the waist) and two are low. I’m going to start with high guards.

Guardia Alta - High Guard

“The first guard will be called “alta”, because meeting in combat we must gracefully hold the sword over the body, and gripped with the arm elevated as much as it can be, in such a fashion that the sword comes to rest to the rear, and the arm with the buckler must extend well forward toward the enemy as much as it can, and the right foot must stretch out about four fingers ahead of the left, with the heel a little raised, and both knees being straight and not bent.”

“One can also do this guard in two other ways, namely either with the right foot making a large pace forward, or with the left, also with the same large pace, holding the sword and the buckler in the way as above, and always the sword is found gripped with the arm extended into the air, the feet being in the way that comfort requires; always it is called “guardia alta” because of the designation, not of the feet, but of the settlement that is taken by the sword.”

Guardia Alta: side view

Guardia Alta: front view

musings

OK, this one is *almost* pretty straightforward. You have the classic “point the buckler at the enemy” chestnut, while the sword itself is elevated to strike with maximum force in minimum time. It’s like the arming sword version of Vom Tag. It’s also not dissimilar from one of the wards in i.33.

The footwork could potentially be quite confusing without Manciolino’s caveat that you can basically do whatever you like with your feet as long as your sword is in the right place. Still not a huge fan of those straight legs though. That doesn’t exactly lend itself to explosiveness.

[gitgudhema]

Manciolino’s guards for sword and buckler: Intro

So first thing’s first: Guards. Manciolino lists 10 “famous” guards for sword and buckler that he says will be “sufficient for our work”. (I’m using Wiktenauer’s translation) Of these, seven are high guards (with the sword above the waist) and two are low. I’ll cover these in a bit more depth in later posts.

Both sword and buckler and Bolognese swordsmanship in general are totally new to me, and having read through the guards, a couple of things immediately stand out. 

1. A lot of these guards share naming conventions with Fiore’s longsword guards. I don’t know if this is due to commonalities between the guards’ uses and appearance all the way through Italian fencing, or if it’s just a language thing (more on this later).

2. UGH, BOLOGNESE FOOTWORK IS WEIRD. I’ve had a look over the illustrations from Marozzo (a contemporary who studied under the same master as Manciolino) and I think the most challenging thing about S&B is that the footwork is going to be radically different from anything I’ve done before. The posture is *waaaay* more upright that either Longsword, sabre or the i.33 sword and buckler I dipped my toes into with my old club. Standing up is going to be a hard habit to learn.

Also, it seems the ‘rules’ for which foot moves when are a lot more dynamic. With other medieval/renaissance systems I’ve tried it’s a pretty cast iron commandment that one foot is forward, and the sword always stays on the side of the back foot, allowing you to pass forward with a strike. A lot of Bolognese guards are (or can be) done with the sword leg forward. Going to have to do some more research here (and a lot of drilling). First port of call is Marozzo, but does anyone recommend any other relevant sources that treat on the use of feet?

[gitgudhema]

What is a “blog” and does it involve swords?

I got a buckler for Christmas, and as online resources for sword and buckler are rather scant by comparison to those for longsword, I’ve decided to make a blog, partially as a learning aid for myself as I work through a treatise, and partially as a self motivational progress archive.

I’ve picked Manciolino’s Opera Nova as my first text to work through, mainly because after a bit of exploratory reading, Marozzo seems a bit scant on detail and i.33 is utterly impenetrable.