Capoferro: Week Three (Missed One)

I should have posted this last week (I haven't actually read any further), but c'est la vie. Despite the added week, most of this section of text isn't covered with notes. Partly because it covers topics that have been covered in greater depth elsewhere (it's oddly redundant) and partly because I went over this more quickly. Worry not, I intend to go back over all of this in more depth next week.

Until then:

Explanation of Some Practical Fencing Terms

• This title seems useful, but is about 50% lie.

The Sword

• A decent start for a terminology chapter.
• Strong, weak, true edge, false edge. Other people make other divisions, but that can be added to the "Capoferro disapproves" bucket.

The Guards

• Focus on the hilt for guard definition.
• People agree on some points, but not other points. Minor amounts of sass.
• Actually new and interesting: "terza and quarta are the counter-guards ... outside or inside respectively ... all guards can be counter-guards"
• That raised questions:
• Why aren't the others counter-guards? They "can" be, but he implies they aren't by nature. 
• Is terza really the outside counter-guard? I would have guessed seconda. But rereading his description of the guards, terza and quarta have more in common than quarta and seconda, with 3 and 4 being based on inside/outside the knee, and 1 and 2 being more based on height. Does that mean my terza should be less straight on than it currently is? And my quarta should be moreso?

Tempo

• This doesn't seem to have anything new, which may mean I'm missing something.

Measure

• This doesn't seem to have anything new, which may mean I'm missing something.

Offensive Tempi

• "The following are the tempi in which the opponent may be attacked" I'm not consciously looking for these, and I should be.

Stance and Stepping

• This doesn't seem to have anything new, which may mean I'm missing something.

Parries

• "When you need to employ two tempi, gather your left foot next to the right while you parry and then step forward with your right foot for the riposte."

Feints and Covering the Sword

• "Covering the sword is a sort of feint consisting in covering the opponent's sword-point with your debole, when the opponent is in low quarta." There are steps missing here. I should think this through.

Changing Guards

• "when you change from one guard to another while in measure, it is best to retreat with the left foot accompanied by the right"

What to Do Against Those Who Circle

• We have strayed pretty far from "practical fencing terms."
• Walk through these two descriptions as drills.

What to Do Against a Left-Foot-Forward Guard

• My past self helpfully highlighted this entire section with the note "This is all very dense and should be walked through." Thanks, past self.

Gaining the Sword

• Oh good, we're back to terminology and not miscellaneous specific actions.
• "gain the opponent's debole with a palmo of yours [...] as the opponent performs a cavazione, begin gaining his forte with or without a controcavazione" Keeping more of a conscious eye on crossings would be good, and I like that he's assuming the gaining happens during a cavazione.
• Emphasis on straight lines. 

Important Advice About Controlling The Opponent's Sword

• And away from terminology again.
• Discussion of beats, which I avoid but should probably acknowledge as a strategy. "with your debole to find a tempo or the measure"
• Thrusts are good, cuts are bad.

The Cavazione and the Controcavazione

• controcavazione - "following the motion of the opponent's sword until yours is where it started"
• cavazione (below) - "arm extended and with a little advance of your right foot"
• cavazione (above) - "slightly withdraw your body and keep your arm and sword at a backward-sloping angle"

Strikes

• A variety of names for cuts that I will one day remember, but that day is not this day.
• Some advice for parries and cuts, but he doesn't seem very enthusiastic about it.
• "Remember that false-edge parries are performed with the debole" I don't see the link here to the earlier cut-parry statements, and I don't remember that because I'm not sure it's been mentioned. False-edge parries with the debole? I'll think about that a bit.
• I should honestly spend more time on these cuts to better understand this section.

The Cut

• "saw-like motion" 

The Thrust

• The different terms for thrusts I also rarely remember, but should make more effort to do so. In the mean time I'll just refer back to here when he mentions them later. 
• Useful terminology!

For the next week, instead of moving on to "How to Unsheathe the Sword," I'm going to go back to the various sections I've highlighted in these posts as needing to be walked through/visualized/thought about. I'm also going to try to put the specific pieces and notes I've pulled out (like the above advice on cavaziones) and see if I can organize those into something easier to keep in mind while I'm drilling. 

I don't know what notes I'll have from that, but we'll find out!

Weekly status:

 - Only drilled sporadically. No additional exercise.

 - Practice note: Not turning hand enough when gaining the blade.

Weekly goals:

 - Still baseline drills and stretching.

 - Going over notes in actual depth.

 - Fixing my poor beleaguered fencing mask.

 - Restart running.