May
4
2012
Fifth session with the Decatur School of Arms
Topics covered:
- Review
- Passing attacks
- Feints
- Hand parries
- Movements of Conclusion
Lesson:
- From the instructor’s engagement in third, disengagement (hand in fourth position) from the guard
- From the instructor’s engagement in third, disengagement with a lunge
- From the student’s engagement in third, simple parry of fourth, riposte by glide without a lunge
- From the instructor’s engagement in third, feint by disengagement and disengagement, ending in the outside high line
- From the instructor’s engagement in third, disengagement. Instructor parries and ripostes by glide to the high line. Student uses their off hand to parry the incoming riposte above and to the outside of their sword arm while freeing their weapon with a disengagement, passing forward and hitting in the body with the hand in second position.
- From the instructor’s engagement in third, disengagement. Instructor parries while closing distance and putting strong pressure against the student’s blade. Student raise their pommel while dropping their tip so that it points to the ground. Grabs the opponent’s wrist, and passes forward while bringing their sword around for a cut, thrust, or pommel strike.
Conventional Exercises
- One fencer attacks with either a straight thrust or a feint direct and disengagement. The second fencer is allowed to make one parry to defend the attack.
May
2
2012
Rapier lesson from the other evening:
- From the instructor’s invitation in 3rd, straight thrust (no lunge)
- From the instructor’s engagement in 3rd, disengagement (no lunge)
- From the student’s engagement in 4th, glide (no lunge)
- From the instructor’s invitation in 3rd, straight thrust (with a lunge)
- From the instructor’s engagement in 3rd, disengagement (with a lunge)
- From the student’s engagement in 4th, glide (with a lunge)
- From the student’s engagement in third, instructor attacks with a disengagement, student parries fourth and ripostes without a lunge
- Same thing, student ripostes with a lunge
- From the student’s engagement in third, instructor attacks with a disengagement, student counterattacks with a time thrust in fourth
- From the instructor’s engagement in third, feint by disengagement and disengagement
- From the instructor’s engagement in third, disengagement. Instructor parries fourth and ripostes by glide, student frees their weapon, and recovers forward with a passing step while parrying with the left had over the sword arm
- From the instructor’s engagement in third, disengagement. Instructor parries fourth and closes distance. Student yields to the opponent’s pressure and performs movement of conclusion
- From the instructor’s invitation in third, three straight thrusts, end of lesson.
Apr
27
2012
Fourth session with the Decatur School of Arms
Topics covered:
- Review
- Advance Lunge
- Tempo
- Defense actions vs Counterattacks
Lesson:
- From the instructor’s engagement in fourth, disengagement (hand in second position) from the guard
- In time, as the instructor attempts to engage in fourth, disengagement from the guard
- In time, as the instructor attempts to engage in fourth, disengagement with a lunge
- From the student’s invitation in third, as the instructor attacks the leg, counterattack with a thrust to the face with a reassemblement, hand in second position.
- In time, as the instructor attempts to engage in fourth, disengagement with a lunge, student recovers back to guard, instructor attacks the leg, student counterattacks to the face with a reassemblement.
- From the student’s engagement in third, simple parry of fourth, riposte by glide
Conventional Exercises
- Fencers alternate attacking with advance lunges, while the opponent uses distance and timing to make the attack fall short
- Fencer makes an attack to the foot, the opponent counterattacks with a reassemblement
- Fencer makes either an attack to the foot, or an attack to the body, opponent either counterattacks with a reassemblement or parries and ripostes.
Apr
24
2012
Third session with the Decatur School of Arms
Topics covered:
- Review
- Recover forward
- Reassemblement
- Disengagements
- Parries
Lesson:
- From the instructor’s engagement in fourth, disengagement (hand in second position) from the guard
- From the instructor’s engagement in fourth, disengagement with a lunge
- From the instructor’s engagement in third, disengagement (hand in fourth position) from the guard
- From the instructor’s engagement in third, disengagement with a lunge
- From the student’s engagement in third, simple parry of fourth, riposte by glide (no lunge)
- From the student’s engagement in fourth,simple parry of third, riposte by glide
Apr
24
2012
I don’t normally post foil lessons here, but oh well 
- From close distance, on command, from the master’s invitation in third, straight thrust (no lunge)
- In time, as the master invites in third, straight thrust
- As the master invites in fourth, straight thrust
- As the master invites in second, straight thrust
- As the master attempts to engage in third, disengagement
- As the master attempts to engage in fourth, disengagement
- As the master attempts to engage in second, disengagement
- As the master places blade in line engage in third and glide
- As the master places blade in line, engage in third, flanconade in third
- As the master places blade in line, engage in third, flanconade in third, master makes a ceding parry of fourth, student parries either second or third and ripostes
- From the student’s engagement in third, simple parry of second, riposte by glide
- From the student’s engagement in third, simple parry of second, half-circular parry of fourth, riposte by glide
- As the master attempts to engage in third, disengagement (to the inside low line)
- As the master attempts to engage in third, disengagement to the inside low line, master parries second and ripostes, student parries fourth and ripostes with opposition from the lunge
- As the master attempts to engage in third, feint by disengagement to the low line and disengagement to the high line
- From the student’s invitation in second, time thrust in fourth
- From the student’s engagement in third, simple parry of second, time thrust in fourth
- As the student attempts to engage in second, master attacks with a disengagement, time thrust in fourth
- From the master’s invitation in third, three straight thrusts, end of lesson.
Apr
24
2012
Second session with the Decatur School of Arms
Topics covered:
- Review
- Passing steps, forward and back
- Inside, outside, high and low lines
- Invitations and engagements in third and fourth
Lesson:
- From the student’s engagement in fourth, glide (hand in fourth position) from the guard
- From the student’s engagement in fourth, glide with a lunge
- From the student’s engagement in third, glide (hand in second position) from the guard
- From the student’s engagement in third, glide with a lunge
Apr
23
2012
First session with the Decatur School of Arms
Topics covered:
- The Guard
- Advance
- Lunge
- The sword
- Hand positions
- Salute
Lesson:
- From the invitation in fourth, straight thrust (hand in fourth position) from the guard
- From the invitation in fourth, straight thrust with a lunge
- From the invitation in third, straight thrust (hand in second position) from the guard
- From the invitation in third, straight thrust with a lunge
Sep
23
2011
Notes on plate 10 from Capoferro
Summary of the plate:
Action 1:
| D gains in fourth | |
| C turns a cut to the right cheek | |
| D lunges in fourth with their hand high, hitting in the chest and stopping C’s cut |
Action 2:
| D gains in fourth | |
| C pulls back as if to make a cut | |
| D lunges in fourth with their hand high | |
| C parries to the inside and ripostes with either a cut to the face or a thrust to the chest. |
Technical actions of note:
- Cut to the face (in this case the right cheek)
- Thrust in high fourth
- parry of fourth (mezzo mandritto)
- Riposte with a cut to the face (again the right cheek)
- Riposte with a thrust to the chest
Concepts:
- attacking in time
- provoking an attack in time
Drills for building technical skills
- From the opponent’s engagement in fourth, cut cheek
- From the student’s invitation to the inside line, parry fourth riposte with a thrust to the chest
- From the student’s invitation to the inside line, parry fourth riposte with a cut to the cheek
- From the student’s engagement in fourth, opponent cuts cheek, student counterattacks with thrust to the chest with their hand high
Putting it all together in a tactical lesson
- From the instructor’s invitation in fourth, straight thrust
- From the instructor’s attempted engagement in fourth, disengagement
- From the student’s engagement in fourth, glide
- From the student’s engagement in fourth, cut cheek
- From the instructor’s attempted engagement in fourth, circular cut cheek
- Student attempts to engage on the outside, instructor attacks with a disengagement, student parries fourth and ripostes with a thrust to the chest
- Same thing, but the student ripostes with a cut to the cheek
- Again, same thing, but the student choose which riposte to make
- Student attempts to engage in fourth, instructor makes a cut to the cheek, student counterattacks with a thrust to the chest
- Starting from out of distance, student steps forward while engaging in fourth – opponent does nothing. Attack with a glide
- Same thing, but the instructor makes a cut to the cheek – counterattack in fourth
- Same thing, but the instructor attacks with a disengagement to the chest – counterattack in second
- Same thing, but the instructor chooses what to do: nothing, cut cheek, or disengagement to chest. Student responds appropriately
- Same thing, but adding movement and maintaining distance until the student initiates the actions (usually based on some cue from the instructor)
- Starting from out of distance, instructor steps forward with an engagement in fourth – student attacks with a cut to the cheek
- Same thing, but the students starts the movement of the cut, prompting the instructor’s attack and parries in fourth. ripostes with cut to the cheek
- Same thing, but the students chooses whether to riposte with a cut or a thrust
- Same thing, but the instructor decides whether or not to counterattack or not, so the student either has to finish their initial attack or try to parry the opponent’s attack
- Same thing, but with mobility
- From the instructor’s invitation in fourth, three straight thrusts end of lesson
Jun
7
2011
Now that my master’s exam is finished I’ve had a little more time to go back to working on rapier. This is a lesson that we did last night. The goal was to go a little bit more in depth with some of the specific plates and techniques in Capoferro.
- From the invitation in fourth, Straight thrust
- From the engagement in fourth, Glide
- From the engagement in fourth, Disengagement
- From the engagement in fourth Cut to the cheek (plates 8 and 10)
- From the engagement in fourth Cut to the cheek, second cut to the head (plate 8 )
- From the engagement in fourth, counterattack to the outside high line (plate 7)
- From the engagement in fourth, counterattack with a pass to the outside high line (plate 9)
- From the engagement in fourth, counterattack in second under the blade (lunging forward) (plate 14)
- From the engagement in fourth, simple parry of third with a gaining step, riposte with an imbrocotta with a lunge (plate 7)
- From the engagement in fourth, simple parry of third (false edge) with a gaining step, riposte by mandritto to the cheek with a lunge (plate 7)
- Blade seizure in fourth and glide
- Blade seizure in fourth, counterattack to the outside high line (plate 7)
- Against a blade seizure in fourth, feint by disengagement, master counterattacks to the outside high line, parry third and riposte with an imbrocotta (plate 7)
- Against a blade seizure in fourth, feint by disengagement, master counterattacks to the outside high line, parry third (false edge) and riposte with a cut to the cheek (plate 7)
- Blade seizure in fourth, counterattack with a pass to the outside high line (plate 9)
- Against a blade seizure in fourth, feint by disengagement, master counterattacks with a pass, executes an inquartata (plate 9)