#bidenhander

[we-are-knight]

Prince Erhardt Franz by MonsterLover12

[matdoeshemaforfun]

Monante Rule #5 from Barabaran or Anonymous 1530.

“The fifth​, thrust standing still, entering a mandrete and thrust standing still, entering with a reves, as many times as you like”

[bidenhander]

Apparently, @feralsrock decided to hype up my Widow game to someone cuz I asked them to switch. I was paranoid I was gonna flop big time. This is the result. 

[matdoeshemaforfun]

Montante Rule #2 from Viedma:

“2 He will also direct him to return to take the montante and make the same movement of increase, and passes it above his head, turning his face, that always has to look at the point of the montante, and to give a simple tajo until the montante ends on the left shoulder, giving a step forward, and from there, to give a reves, giving another step with the left foot. He will give four or five steps like this throwing tajos and reveses. He returns in the same manner to undo them, until returning to where he left, and from there changes the montante, throwing thrusts to one side and the other. After he does it, direct him to do this same double, which will be tajo and tajo, reves and reves, each set of two tajos or reveses fitting in one step, until he returns to where he left and makes the thrusts.”

Retrieved from here at SpanishSword.org

This is a huge rule, with a large difficulty gap between Viedma’s first rule and his second rule.

With my interpretation, I break it down into 6 parts:

The opening, with the one-handed thrust as mentioned in his first rule.

Tajos and Reveses, four or five times foward, then the same number backward.

You now return to where you began, and deliver one thrust per step four of five times, then the same number backward. (in this video, I accidentally do six, close enough)

(a) You are again where you began, and deliver a Tajo, and you turn your body in order to give a Tajo behind you in one movement.  This is much like Viedma’s first rule, except the two Tajos are performed in one step. (b) Then, in one step, you perform two Reveses in one step, as you did the Tajos. (c) Do this four or five times, then do so backward.

5. You are again where you began.  You deliver a thrust with a step, then turn the montante and your body behind yourself to thrust behind.  Do this four or five times, then do so backward.

Fin.

After practicing this rule a ton over the months, I definitely feel that this rule is meant to:

Ingrain certain movements into muscle memory

Train how to cover oneself with Tajos, Reveses, and thrusts while moving in whichever direction you want

Teach how to cut and thrust in multiple directions without taking additional steps

Train stamina, jeez, this rule is tiring.

While thrusting in two directions, you can see that whenever I step, I make sure to thrust to the direction I step towards.  If we’re imagining that there are people on either side, it seems much safer than stepping backwards without having the sword moving backwards as well.

While cutting in front and behind, it feels like there’s (at least) two options.  I did both in the video.  The first, which I do initially, is deliver a Reves or Tajo while twisting to move forwards again, then deliver the second Reves or Tajo behind me.  The second, which I do while returning to where I started, is to deliver the Reves or Tajo while facing the same direction that I ended the previous Tajo or Reves.  This is how I initially did it while practicing this rule, but I’m not a fan of it, as I would be leaving one side undefended, while delivering a Tajo and Reves to the same side without pause.

Anywho, that’s my interpretation of that rule.

[matdoeshemaforfun]

Montante Rule #1 from Viedma

“Firstly, the montante will be placed in the disciple’s right hand, standing in the middle of a hall, who makes a forward movement ahead with the montante, then passes the montante and his hand above his head, turning his face over his right shoulder in a manner that he comes to see the point of the montante with the right eye. Cutting with it, he runs a tajo, giving a step with the right foot in front, having placed the left hand on the pommel of the montante. Without moving the left foot, he makes tajos, which have to leave from his right shoulder. He also changes the montante to the left shoulder and makes reveses, taking the right foot back with steps toward the rear, and this has to be without moving the left foot. He will do this for eight days.”

Retrieved from SpanishSword.org (pdf, page 142/148, or 65v)

So, starting off with the montante, much of the advice within the Facebook “Montante Swordsmanship” group did not advise starting with Figuereydo (I’ll spell his name right someday), instead looking at the more straightforward sources.

Lo and behold, Viedma’s first rule is specifically designed for the beginner montantero, which he says to do “for eight days”.  So, I practiced this rule for one hour each on eight separate days, and nothing else, when starting with the montante.

And, I like it.  It teaches you a way to get the montante moving, and how to maintain a cut, how to change the direction of a cut, and at the most basic level how to hold a piece of ground while using a montante.

I love this rule, it’s simple and instructive, but you can add variances into it as well.  You can change the directions that you send the Tajos and Reveses and the number you do before changing to really use it dynamically.

Also, I feel like I’m one of the few doing the opening this way.  There may be others, but I don’t know them.  Below is my reasoning for giving a one-handed thrust and swinging it above my head to deliver the first Tajo:

He says to use a singular hand when making the forward movement.

He says that only after passing your hand and the montante shall you place your other hand on the montante.

Even in the untranslated version, he clearly says “mano” (singular, hand) in those two places where elsewhere he uses “manos”.

In his third rule, (or second?), he says that the montante should come to rest on the shoulder at the end of rules, so I extend that to the beginning as well.

The “kickstart” from Figuereydo is not mentioned at all in Viedma’s three rules, but in the video I try it, and mechanically it seems to work just fine.

[we-are-knight]

From Drawing Armoury

[we-are-knight]

From Drawing Armoury

[matdoeshemaforfun]

Practicing the montante. My favorite part of de Viedma's rule #2 for the montante is the thrusting part. Two thrusts to each side with every step. He may have been referring to "left and right" and not "front and back" side, but this seems more fluid and workable. #montante #zweihander #bidenhander #spadone #greatsword #hema #historicalfencing #historicaleuropeanmartialarts #fencing #centerforbladearts #deviedma (at Saint Paul, Minnesota)