George Silver: Somewhat of an Explanation

Greetings,

The manuals written by George Silver are often pushed aside due to their apparent lack of content with regard to the use of the sword. However were a reader to examine the situation of Silver himself and the time in which he wrote his inflammatory manuals more understanding is possible. This article is an attempt to bring George Silver out into the limelight and bring some understanding as to the reasons for his treatises, and also to understand some of the uses of these manuals.

Back in the dim, dark days of my fencing history I took up Silver's "Paradoxes of Defence" and began to read. I was pointed toward this as a manual of the period. I read and found no use to me as a user of a rapier besides being told how useless it was and that I should use more native English weapons. Needless to say it put me off the treatise so I put it aside and went on to read something else.

A little later on I re-read "Paradoxes of Defence" from a clean slate and found it an interesting political statement. Further I read his "Brief Instructions Upon My Paradoxes of Defence" and found it to be a much more useful read with regard to the practical application of the sword against an opponnent, sure I found some political statements but the practical nature of the book was apparent. It is for this reason that I am writing this explanation, to bring Silver back into the light of practicality.

Before we can understand George Silver himself, it is important to put him into his context, as his surroundings affected his feelings and his writings. This means a brief look at some Elizabethan history. In the early Elizabethan period there was religious instability with arguments between Protestants and Catholics. This was affected by the outside influences of the Spanish and to some point the French. In the early part of her reign Elizabeth was not a secure bet for survival as Queen of England. The influences of the Spanish and Italians were felt everywhere from politics to fashion.

The Italian and Spanish fashions were very popular in England during the Elizabethan period. Indeed what we consider to be the classic Elizabethan fashion is actually partially Italian and partially Spanish. To be seen with some Italian influence was to be seen to be cosmopolitan. These Italian influences seemed to invade all parts of life. Traditionally it was seen that the English weapons were the sword and buckler, but as the influence of the Italians was felt more and more this combination was forsaken for the rapier and dagger. It was into this that George Silver grew up.

The best way to describe George Silver was as a xenophobic military man. To this particular point he had two strikes against the rapier before it was even used. Firstly it was foreign, and secondly it was of ...

The rest of this article can be found in Un-Blogged: A Fencer's Ramblings by Henry Walker, which is available in paperback from:

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Among other places...

It is also available in electronic format (pdf) from: https://buy.stripe.com/fZecP419c7CB9VKeUV

... or direct from the author.

"Hot" Drills

Greetings,

The article which follows is about drills, more accurately it is about "Hot" drills and getting the most out of your drills. Most people do not like drills as they feel monotonous and unfulfilling, however they do fulfil and important part of the training process in order that skills are learnt properly in a practical manner. The problem is that most drills which are performed, while they are effective, they are not as effective as they could be.

Most drills are performed at slow speeds, and for beginning drills this is important. The slow drill allows the body to understand the movement in a slow and controlled fashion. The slow drill also allows the teacher to correct any issues in the performance of the action before it causes any issues for the fencer. Once a drill is learnt then the drill is sped up, not much but it is. These drills are done at a comfortable speed often without armour and with out intensity. These will teach the individuals participating in the drills the mechanics of the action but it lacks something in the execution.

"Hot" drills are about taking the essential drills and adding an element of intensity to them in order that the drill can be performed under conditions which are closer to the performance of the action in a combative situation. This is designed to discover what the students performing the drill have actually learnt and what actually rests in their muscle memory.

First point, armour is essential for these drills as there is too high a chance that the face or another part of the body may be struck with weapon moving at a high speed. Second point, these drills should only really be performed with those students who are in a condition where they are ready to face an opponent in full-speed bouting. Third point, the focus of these drills is what the student has actually learnt rather than the perfection of form demonstrated. Fourth point, the drills must be kept simple in order that the participants still have suitable control remaining in order to perform the actions associated. Fifth point, the drills must be performed at combat speed to be true "Hot" drills and to be effective.

The best drill to start with involves simple footwork movements and the retention of distance. One fencer advances while the other retreats. The idea here is that the fencer who is retreating must not allow the fencer who is advancing to catch them, but should be doing their best to maintain good ...

The rest of this article can be found in Un-Blogged: A Fencer's Ramblings by Henry Walker, which is available in paperback from:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Blogged-Ramblings-Henry-Leigh-Walker/dp/098764470X
Booktopia: https://www.booktopia.com.au/un-blogged-henry-leigh-walker/book/9780987644701.html
Among other places...

It is also available in electronic format (pdf) from: https://buy.stripe.com/fZecP419c7CB9VKeUV

... or direct from the author.

Special Note: Use of Information

Greetings,

I have no problem with people using the information which is written in the articles of my blog, for non-profit purposes, for that is what it is intended. I only request that people attribute it properly, and do not change the information which they use. If you wish to use any of the information for commercial purposes, you need to seek permission from the author. For use of any information from published sources, which appear in the bibliographies of the articles, permission should be sought through those sources as this author only holds copyright for original content.

Thank you.

Cheers,

...Henry

Sword and Rotella – A Bluffer’s Guide

Greetings,

I have been doing some investigation into the use of the sword and rotella of late. This is really for my own purposes as I have owned a rotella for about three years and I figured I should really get around to learning how to use it. This is a "bluffer's guide" to the use of the sword and rotella meaning that it is light on the detail in most places and gives you a general idea about how to use this particular combination. The work is, however, based on research from suitable materials as will be demonstrate.

Cheers,

Henry.

Introduction

“It very often happens that one’s own weapons make war to the selfsame ones who do not know their use well. Therefore, I have judged it not to be outside of the purpose to mention some particulars of the rotella, as it is a most perilous weapon to those selfsame ones who have not done any kind of practice.” – Capo Ferro, 1610 (Kirby, 2012:142)

            The sword and rotella is a system which has a relatively long heritage, however, to date, it has only been found in Renaissance manuals. What this means is that there is quite a bit of information to cover for the understanding of the system if each master was to be examined in detail. This is not what this investigation will be aimed at.

            The discussion here is designed to reveal the essentials of the system. These essentials are what make the system what it is and are found in various manuals but it is the common elements which reveal the system for what it is. This investigation has taken four manuals from the Renaissance period and through an examination of each manual distilled and found the essential elements. Thus the system which is presented here has been developed from the examination and common and foundation elements from each of the four manuals.

            This is more of a generalised discussion of the system overall rather than an in-depth discussion of individual techniques. The discussion presented is designed to give the reader an overall understanding of the system. This understanding can form a foundation from which other systems can be examined.

            The order of presentation is to examine the background issues in the investigation and then examine the sword and rotella as a system. Individual elements of the system will be examined in some detail for completeness in order to give understanding as to how the sword and rotella work as a system. This means that while there will be practical elements presented and these can be used it is the understanding of the system which is the goal of this discussion.

Source Material

            The source material which is presented in this discussion uses as close to primary materials as possible. Issues with regard to this particular element of the discussion will be noted below in the bibliographic discussion. Further to this these primary materials will be in a distilled form, extracting the most important parts from each and using this as the framework upon which the investigation is based.

            This examination focusses on four masters works with regard to their use of the sword and rotella. Chronologically they are Marozzo’s Art dell Armi of 1536, Agrippa’s Trattato di Scientia d’Arme of 1553, Di Grassi’s His True Art of Defence of 1594, and finally Capo Ferro’s Gran Simulacro dell’arte e dell’uso della Scherma of 1610. Most of the information found in these manuals is from the point of view of matched weapons i.e. sword and rotella versus sword and rotella, but the information found within can also be applied to other situations with a little modification. What should also be noted in these manuals is that the earlier manuals contain more with regard to the use of the rotella whereas the later manuals contain less. However the information which is contained within these manuals is most useful to this investigation and development.

Bibliographic Issues

            In the study of the sword and rotella there are some bibliographical issues that need to be taken into account before any real study can be achieved. One of the first things is with regard to the weapon, the second with the device in the other hand, and lastly there is a language issue that needs to be taken into account. These need to be addressed in some fashion before a real study can take place.

            First of all is the language. Of the four manuals which have been used for this investigation only one of these is written in English, that of Di Grassi’s 1594 manual. Even that is actually a translation of the 1570 Italian manual of the same name. All of the others have been translated from Italian to English in the modern period, by some very knowledgeable people admittedly, but there is still the interference of the translation of the language to take into account.

            Further to this language issue, and directly related is the names of the devices being used, the sword and the rotella. Often “spada” in Renaissance manuals is translated as “rapier” where in actual fact it simply means “sword”. This is the reason that this investigation is being referred to as a sword and rotella manual, thus covering both of the weapons concerned.

            As for the rotella itself, it is called this in Italian. It is called a “Shield” generically, a “target” in Old English and a “rodela” in Spanish. All of the terms refer, more or less, to the same item. Due to the more Italian focus the shield will be referred to as a rotella, as it has previously and will in future be.

What is Rotella?

            The rotella is a round shield. Its size varies from approximately 20” to 30” or roughly 50-cm to 76-cm. The grip is most often a loop of leather but may be a solid handle. There is a second loop leather which sits about the elbow; this is sometimes replaced with an adjustable strap. The outside of the rotella is constructed of steel or wood.

            The rotella and its use is the only, to date, documentation of the use of a shield in combat aside from the buckler. However, as will be demonstrated, the rotella differs from the buckler in use. While this style of combat is more readily associated with military-style encounters, there is evidence, as presented in these civilian manuals of its use for civilian combats as well. 

Versus Buckler

            One of the great mistakes made with regard to the rotella is that it is often assumed that it is used the same way as the buckler. This is actually incorrect. There are some significant differences that must be noted between the rotella and buckler in order to completely understand how the rotella is used.

            Simply based on physical size the buckler is small and the rotella is large. This alone will result in differences. The simple thing is that a small defensive object will be more mobile than a larger one. The result of this is that the buckler will be more active that the rotella which will be more stationary.

            The size will affect the nature of the use of the item, but the use will still be based on the same foundation theory of such a defensive device. Thus similarities can be drawn between the use of one and the use of another. Ken Mondschein has noted that the use of the rotella as used by Agrippa is similar to the Bolognese judging from Marozzo’s assaulti; however the rotella is more to the fencer’s side whereas the buckler is placed out in front of the fencer.

What will also be noted through this investigation is that the similarities will be present amongst the masters indeed if there were no similarities it would be difficult to draw a common use of the item, and thus a universal approach to its use. It is the similarities which will be the focus but differences will also be noted.

Wards

            There are several wards available for the use of the rotella. Each of the four masters described at least one if not several wards which can be used at sword and rotella. For the purposes of this examination the ward which will be used is one which is based upon the essential principles which each of these wards is based. This is in essence designed to simplify the system in order that one ward is used.

Marozzo focuses on three wards, coda lunga stretta, coda lunga alta and porta di ferro stretta, however this being said in his description of the actions he also passes through and uses six others. The three named here, though are the three which for the most part he starts from or ends up in. It is the form of the dominant wards which is important.

Agrippa uses four guardia in his manual as his primary. These are described previously in his manual and are given simple alphabetic indications. As the wards are presented as single sword or sword and dagger, it is up to the reader to interpret where the rotella is placed. However after the examination, it will be noted that the same foundations upon which Marozzo bases his wards will also be found in the wards of Agrippa.

Further along in the chronology is Di Grassi and later is Capo Ferro, by this time the amount of wards for the combination have been reduced. Di Grassi mentions the use of three wards, but is essentially focussed on a single ward being his Low Ward. Capo Ferro uses a couple of wards in his use of the rotella but his sesta is his favourite ward. As can be seen the system has been refined to present the essential parts of the system, and in a similar fashion one ward will be indicated here. Of the holding of the rotella Capo Ferro states;

“the rotella must be held embraced with the left arm somewhat curved, in a way that looks somewhat towards your left side, but not so curved that it impedes the eye so that you cannot discern whatever part of the enemy you want to proceed to strike.” – Capo Ferro, 1610 (Kirby, 2012:142)

The essential ward for the use of the sword and rotella is formed as such. The sword foot is placed forward of the off-hand foot with the toe pointed at the opponent. The feet should be comfortably spaced, neither too close or too broad. As with any good ward, the knees should be bent slightly.

The rotella is held extended from the body rather than close to it, with the arm slightly bent in order to bring the rotella slightly across the body to cover it, at least the off-hand side. The position of the rotella should not restrict the view of the opponent, if this is the case the rotella should be moved ...

The rest of this article can be found in Un-Blogged: A Fencer's Ramblings by Henry Walker, which is available in paperback from:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Blogged-Ramblings-Henry-Leigh-Walker/dp/098764470X
Booktopia: https://www.booktopia.com.au/un-blogged-henry-leigh-walker/book/9780987644701.html
Among other places...

It is also available in electronic format (pdf) from: https://buy.stripe.com/fZecP419c7CB9VKeUV

... or direct from the author.

Bibliography

Agrippa, C. (2009) Fencing: A Renaissance Treatise, Translated by Ken Mondschein, Italica Press, New York, USA

Di Grassi, G. (1594) His True Art of Defence, Temple Barre at the Signe of the Hand and Starre, translated from the 1570 manual by I. G., London, UK

Kirby, J. (2012) Italian Rapier Combat: Ridolfo Capo Ferro, Frontline Books, Yorkshire, UK

Marozzo, A. (1536) Arte dell’ Armi: Books One & Two, translated by W. E. Wilson

The First Defence: Control

Greetings,

Safety is the concern of all combatants regardless of the nature of their art. This applies to those pursuing both Eastern and Western arts, and regardless of the weapons chosen by the combatants. A lack of consideration for safety aspects will result in injury and the possibility of serious injury or even death. This entry discusses concepts of safety and investigates them to find a foundation from which they are based and one which they should be based.

Safety

Standards of safety in fencing, regardless of what form, are based upon what is an acceptable level of injury for the activity which is taken part in. For some this will be to the limit of bones being broken in extreme instances and for others the idea of severe bruising is abhorrent. It is upon this basis that their ideas of safety are built. Obviously there must be some safety standards set for the activity to be encouraged and continued.

This level of injury acceptance goes directly toward the three primary aspects of the safety standard, armour, weapons and performance. With regard to these aspects one will always be emphasised over the others. For some it is performance, this will restrict what actions are acceptable and legal within the system. For others the focus will be on weapons and as such weapons are stipulated with particular characteristics, and thus restricted, to be used within that system. Others it is the armour which determines the primary aspect of safety and for these the armour will be stipulated depending on the recognised limit of injury.

However in truly intelligent systems it is always an even balance of all of the aspects. Weapons are stipulated but only in comparison to the armour. The performance is then regulated to an acceptable level for the system which will allow the weapons and armour to do their respective jobs. What is important here is that it is the performance, and thus control of the combatants which must be most important. Regardless of the armour or weapon standards, a person who is uncontrolled and who does not understand the performance requirements will still be a danger. Thus it must be control which needs to be emphasised in training and also codes of performance which need to be enforced.

Armour and Weapons

With regard to armour and weapons there is always the question of how much of each. Should the focus be upon the weapons or the armour? This has a lot to do with the perceptions of danger on the parts of the combatants.

Should the weapons be light and reasonably forgiving then the armour can be much lighter. Should the weapons be heavier and less forgiving then the armour as a result needs to be upgraded. This is a sliding scale and the direction to which the pointer slides will determine what sort of armour and weapons are chosen as suitable for the activity. The result will also demonstrate which is the focus of safety, the person doing the striking or the person being struck.

Even with armour which is the safest and weapons which are the safest, relying upon the armour and weapons as primary is an issue. This is a fallible system. First, the material in the construction of the armour or the weapon may fail, this is something which we only have a certain amount of control over. Freak accidents will happen. Secondly, the appropriate weapons have to be used in the appropriate manner and the same with the armour should either not suit the purpose for which it is being used, this will cause issues. Finally there is the simple element that a person may forget to don a particular piece of armour, or inspect their own weapon. This can also lead to issues. Once again to comes down to the individual being in control of the situation.

Finally there is the question of armour versus calibration. If the system is designed that the person being ...

The rest of this article can be found in Un-Blogged: A Fencer's Ramblings by Henry Walker, which is available in paperback from:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Blogged-Ramblings-Henry-Leigh-Walker/dp/098764470X
Booktopia: https://www.booktopia.com.au/un-blogged-henry-leigh-walker/book/9780987644701.html
Among other places...

It is also available in electronic format (pdf) from: https://buy.stripe.com/fZecP419c7CB9VKeUV

... or direct from the author.

True and False Arts: A Discussion of Tempo in the Use of the Feint

Greetings,

Feints are a subject which come up in discussions with regard to the tactics of fencing quite often, and quite frankly I am surprised I have not written an entry in this blog about them yet. So, in order to fill this particular hole in my explanations of fencing I present the following entry on the subject of the True and False Arts. I can tell you that this is only examining on element of the feint, but it is one that needs to be considered as it is vital to how feints work, or don't work.

Cheers,

Henry.

“I am constrayned to divide this Art into two Arts of Sciences, callinge the one the True, the other, the False art: But withall giving everie man to understand, that falsehood hath no advauntage against true Art, but rather is most hurtfull and deadlie to him that useth it.” (Di Grassi, 1594)

            The first question is what is this all about, True and False arts? Discussion of Tempo? Put simply, tempo is something, which is integral and one of the founding elements of fencing, essentially to understand this discussion the reader must understand that all actions in fencing take time. As for the True and False Arts, this is a discussion which has raged since the Renaissance, and will continue to rage amongst those who use the rapier, indeed any sword. In essence the True Art is the use of the blade using direct attacks against the opponent, and the False Art is the use of the blade using feints and misdirection. If the two concepts are combined then it will be understood as to what this discussion is about.

The feint can be used to quite good effect to deceive the opponent into opening themselves up for an attack. This is using the False Art. There were Renaissance masters who thought that the False ...

The rest of this article can be found in Un-Blogged: A Fencer's Ramblings by Henry Walker, which is available in paperback from:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Blogged-Ramblings-Henry-Leigh-Walker/dp/098764470X
Booktopia: https://www.booktopia.com.au/un-blogged-henry-leigh-walker/book/9780987644701.html
Among other places...

It is also available in electronic format (pdf) from: https://buy.stripe.com/fZecP419c7CB9VKeUV

... or direct from the author.

Art of Combat

Greetings,

Art, and what it is has been a question which has plagued theorists for many years and no doubt will continue to plague them as art changes and changes again. This blog addresses the idea about the art being found in a different place namely in the combat manuals of the medieval and Renaissance periods.

In the search for the art of the medieval and Renaissance period most people go to the typical sources, examining known artists of the period. Names such as Da Vinci, Michelangelo Giotto and Durer others are very well known for their various pieces of art, some of which have become famous and stayed as such even into our own period. What needs to be realised is that art can also be found in other sources. The manuscripts of the period are one good example, another is the combat manuals of the period, a source which is often overlooked in the search for art.

Examples of the art of which I speak can be found as early as the fifteenth century and indeed earlier an example of this can be found here http://www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/artObjectDetails?artobj=143459&handle=li. This is a page out of a manual from 1410 written by Fiore dei Liberi. Now many Western Martial Artists will know of this manual and will know of the art which can be found within it. However for them it is the application of the techniques which are present rather than the artwork which is more significant for them. The artwork which is present and the skill it took to present such art cannot be denied.

What is even more interesting is that well-known artists of the period even dabbled in the martial arts as well. It is well known that Benvenuto Cellini an Italian artist of some note was involved in at one significant duel in his history in which he killed a man. What is less known is that the renowned artist ...

The rest of this article can be found in Un-Blogged: A Fencer's Ramblings by Henry Walker, which is available in paperback from:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Blogged-Ramblings-Henry-Leigh-Walker/dp/098764470X
Booktopia: https://www.booktopia.com.au/un-blogged-henry-leigh-walker/book/9780987644701.html
Among other places...

It is also available in electronic format (pdf) from: https://buy.stripe.com/fZecP419c7CB9VKeUV

... or direct from the author.