The Teachings of Marozzo

By Giovanni Rapisardi
Edited By William E. Wilson

Editor's Note: This treatise is a translation of some
of the writings of Giovanni Rapisardi of Italy on the
rapier play of Marozzo. The treatise has been edited
by William Wilson to help with Giovanni's
grammar. Mr. Wilson would like to thank the author
for this important work. As a note, in the
descriptions references to Italian saber or foil
positions are given. It is suggested that you refer to
William Gaugler's book The Science of Fencing for
a full description of the hand positions in Italian
Saber. The illustration to the right will help in
understanding some of the following text:


1 - The weapon

Marozzo's "spada da filo" (litterally "edge sword") is a transition weapon that lies
between the one-handed sword (XIV-XV C..) with a large blade which was used
primarily for cutting and the rapier (XVI-XVII C..) with a long and narrow blade
that was used primarily for thrusting.
The weapon described in the Opera Nova is composed of the blade, hilt, handle
and pommel (lama, elsa, manico, pomolo) and its weight is about 1 Kg, with a
balance point on the blade at about four fingers from the hilt. This style of sword
is a very manageable weapon that allows one to easily execute all the sequences
of actions proposed in the "abbattimenti" (bouts).
The blade, straight and double-edged, based on the proportions taken from the
pictures, is long (about half the height of the fencer, from the tip to the tallone
(the tallone it's the line between the tang (codolo) and the blade). At the ricasso
the blade is wide at about 3 cm.
There are not any standard dimensions as the weapons were handcrafted and fit
to each fencer.
The blade has three parts or "gradi": the forte (strong), from the tallone to the
first third, the medio (middle) the central third, and the debole (weak) the last
third until the point and the only part of the blade really sharpened.
The forte is used to parry, the medio to engage and the debole to hit.
The blade has ttwo edges (fili): the dritto (litterally "right", but in english it's used
the term "true") and the falso (false): Giovanni Dall'Agocchie explains this
difference Everytime you'll handle the sword, or in the right or in the left hand,
the edge that will be in corrispondence of the articulations of the fingers will be
the filo dritto and the other will be the filo falso.
The hilt is a steel bar, approximately 15-20 cm long, with a hole in the center and
more than protect the hand. This gives to the sword the form of a cross and
makes of it a mystic symbol, as a remembrance of the armed defence of the
christian's ideals.
The handle is normally wood, sometimes covered in leather or iron wire and is
about 10 cm long.
The pommel is a weight put at the end of the handle and is used to balance the
weapon: it can have several forms, but normally it's spheric and, like the hilt, can
be used to strike in close combat.
2 - The handling and the portamento di ferro (way to
move the sword)

The sword must be held with the full hand, tight under the hilt and for more
control with the index finger over the crossbar: for this matter the hilt will often
have one or two rings that join it to the blade at the edges, to protect the finger.
The spada da filo requires movement, both in giving the blow and assuming the
parry position, that must be as tidy as possible. To keep the movement unseeable
by the enemy: the action with the blade will have to follow precise lines of
movment (going and coming back), starting from a guard position and arriving in
another guard.
The correct way to give a cut is to use a movement of the wrist and sometimes of
the elbow, but not of the shoulder: Di Grassi explanes this concept saying: The
arm has three main articulations: the shoulder, the elbow and the wrist (...). The
cut with the shoulder is the most strong, but also the slowest (...). With the three
articulations one must be well trained and will be able to hit hard with the elbow
and the wrist. Eventually the shoulder will be forgetten and one will only use the
elbow and the wrist to hit, using, at last, above all only the wrist. About the
point it needs pushing it without withdrawing the hand. Di Grassi says also
that for fencing training one must use light swords, because the aim of this art is
not to raise heavy weight, but to move quickly.
In Marozzo's bouts there is also sword handling in atto di spada in armi
(armoured fencing style) that means handling the middle of the blade with the
left hand, using the sword like a stick.
3 - The position and the walking

The position of the feet and movement from
one guard to another is very similar to that of
modern fencing (as shown by the pictures).
The fencer stands as profiled as possible,
according to the use of one or two hands,
with the forward foot pointing toward the
enemy and the backward one oriented 60-
90 to the side (left for a right handed
fencer); the legs are spaced a little apart and
the heels are not on the same line, to give
more steadiness, especially for lateral moves
(see the picture).
The position is the same, no matter if the right foot is forward or the left: in the
first case it is a right guard, in the second a left guard.
Movement forward and backward, isn't defined by Marozzo in one place but is
described each time in relation to the action being executed: we can determine a
series of movements that are repeated several times in the actions.
The simple step (passo) (ex. moving forward in that parry/guard with your left
foot (...) and the right foot will follow the left backward - Ch. 11/second part) is
executed in a forward manner, moving first the forward foot and then the other,
to return to the starting position and backward with the opposite movement: this
is the base of the fencing movement and, as suggest Dall'Agocchie: the walk
with the step is not large and not narrow it is of better utility, for doing so it is
possible to go forward and backward without disarranging the body.
The step of redoubling (raddoppio) (ex. the left leg will send the right forward
- Ch. 94) is executed by putting the back foot near to the forward which will
(forward foot) then immediately will go forward: it's a movement used to take
more measure to the enemy.
The fente step or "gran passo" (big step) (ex. you'll make a big step forward
with the right foot blowing with a mandritto over the arm, then returning with the
right foot near to the left - Ch. 10/second part). This is the attack step and is
executed by throwing the leading foot forward and then returning to the starting
position.
The "passata" is the movement used to change from right guard to left and
viceversa (ex. Being in Porta di ferro alta (a right guard) (...) you'll pass forward
with the left foot Ch. 14/second part) and is executed by putting the rear foot
forward, arriving, thanks to the ankle's movement, in the new position: it is the
base movement to close with the enemy to wrestle.
The passata's fente or "gran passata" is executed to cover the most distance as
possible.
This movement can be executed stepping forward and backward, in right guard
and in left guard.
The lateral movements or "volte" are about the same as the passo and passata, but
they are made laterally: they are used just to dodge (schifata) an attack.
Fencing actions will always be made on the straight line, no matter if eventually
lateral dodges (schifata) or close combat attacks are executed to the left or the
right side of the enemy.

4 - Tempo, Velocit and Misura

Timing, velocity and measure are fencing's constants in its evolution through the
centuries.
From the Flos Duellatorum's "Segno di scherma" with the representation of the
"tiger" (Celeritas - velocity) and of the lynx (Prudentia - timing and measure) to
the less coloured but as much explicative descriptions of the modern treatises, the
fencer's training about these three elements are the base for correct fencing
instruction and without these simple explanations it does not matter what
technicis employed for it is completely useless.
The Tempo (timing) is used to evaluate any situation for the opportunity to
execute a particular fencing action (when to act).
The Velocit (velocity) is the physical ratio between space and time, executing a
fencing action (how to act).
The Misura (measure) is the most useful, necessary and sufficient distance from
the enemy to execute a fencing action (where to act).
The consideration of these three elements is shown in all the Opera Nova, not
explicitly, but during all the actions of the several "abbattimenti": Marozzo cites
in particular the Tempo talking about the "gioco stretto" they that know how to
get in and out in the close measure technics, you have to know that they are
eccellent and perfect fencers, for they know the timing.
The velocity is a logical concept: a direct blow must be as quick as possible, to
surprise the enemy, but a feint must be executed keeping in consideration the
time of reaction of the enemy, so executing it at maximum velocity is not always
useful: in fencing the Velocit is not a constant, but a variable.
The measure is the base of the two concepts of "gioco largo" and "gioco stretto"
and to better uderstand it, there is needed a comparison between the ancient and
the modern classification.
In modern fencing there are three kind of measure: walking measure (misura
camminando) when to execute a blow the fencer must make the fente and,
before, at least one step; the fente measure (misura d'allungo) when only the fente
it's needed to hit; the close measure (stretta misura) when the arm's extention it's
sufficient, without moving the feet.
In ancient fencing there are the "gioco largo" (litt. large game) and the "gioco
stretto" (close game): in the first case, as Marozzo says, the fencers make
skirmishes so it's assimilable to the actions at misura camminando and misura
d'allungo, when the blades of the two fencers are at maximum weak with weak;
in the second, classified also as technics and grappling of half sword, the
actions are that made at misura stretta and
the close combat: so the gioco stretto it's not only the wrestling or the actions
with the pommel or the hilt, but also the blows with the blade from the crossing
of the blades at middle with middle (mezza spada).
A perfect definition is given by Capoferro (Gran simulacro dell'arte e dell'uso
della scherma - 1610) the measure can be large or close: large when I can hit the
enemy only with the fente, close when I can hit him without moving the feet.
5 - The guards

The guards are positions to prepare for an attack or a defence.
Thay can be high (more useful for attack) or low (better for defence).
Although Marozzo shows through illustrations ( but not very clearly) 15 guards,
from ch. 138 to 143 he mentions others during several descriptions of bouts,
without explaning them.
Thanks to the comparison with the treatises of Manciolino and Dall'Agocchie we
can explain each one well, remembering that this analysis is for a right-hander
fencer and for the the left-hander the positions will be reversed.
5/A - Coda Longa (Long tail)

At Ch. 138 Marozzo explanes: You'll set your
student with the right leg forward with his sword
and buckler well straight versus his enemy and
make that his right hand be outside by his right
knee, with his right wrist toward the ground, as you
see in the picture: and this is called Coda longa &
stretta; but Dall'Agocchie more clearly says:
Coda lunga will be when the sword is held outside
the right side: Coda longa e stretta when the right
foot is forward and Coda longa e alta when the left
foot is forward, always keeping the sword out of the
right side with the arm well staight and the point
versus the enemy. This guard is so called as a
similitude with important persons that are always
surronded by a lot of people and for popular proverb
it's used to say "Beware to they that have the long tail". And the same for this
guard cause it gets the long tail. (...) I told before that the Coda longa is a guard
of three kind: the first it's Coda lunga e stretta with the right foot forward, alta
with the left; the second is when being in Coda longa e stretta withdrawing the
armed hand and putting the point toward the ground and it's named Coda longa e
larga. Third when, being in Coda longa e larga, the point of the sword is put
backward and it's called Coda longa e distesa. Coda longa e larga and Coda longa
e distesa can be made both with the right or the left foot forward.
With this descriptions we assume that the position of the hand in the Coda longa
is in the modern 2nd position, with the back of the hand up and the true edge to
the right side.
Coda longa e stretta (Long and narrow tail) and Coda longa e alta (Long and high
tail) are the same guard, but the first is with the right foot forward and the second
with the left.
Coda longa e larga (Long and large tail) looks like the invito of 2nd of modern
sabre and the Coda longa e distesa (Long and outstretched tail) is the same of that
already described by Fiore de' Liberi.
Note: the term "long" in modern italian is translated as "lungo" (female "lunga")
but in ancient italian was "longo" or "longa". In the picture you'll see a frontal
prospective of the guards: remember that the pictures are made by the translator
(GR) and are not from the treatises for the most part.
5/B - Porta di ferro (Iron door)

As it is explaned by Dall'Agocchie, this guard is
said Porta di ferro like an iron door, very hard to
smash down. At the same, to hit a fencer when he is
in this guard it's needed a lot of art and intelligence.
This guard has two kind: the Porta di ferro and the
Cinghiale (wild boar) porta di ferro; the first is
when the right foot is forward and the armed hand is
on the line of the right knee and the sword's point
looks to the enemy. But Wild boar iron door will be
when the left foot will be forward and the armed
hand inside, in correspondence of the left knee and
the right shoulder will look to the enemy. This
guard is so named in comparison of the wild boar
that attacks not perfectly in line with its fangs. (...) Everytime you'll have the
right foot forward and the armed hand will be on the line with the right knee,
you'll call this guard Porta di ferro stretta (Narrow Iron door); and it was said
"narrow" to be very safe. But moving the arm from the knee to the left side, it
will be Porta di ferro larga (Large Iron door), cause it makes the body more
unprotected; and, being in Porta di ferro larga, if you'll raise up the armed hand,
you'll set in Porta di ferro alta (High Iron door), so called to be higher than the
other two. And what has been said about Iron door at the same can be said also
for the Wild boar Iron door.
We can assume that the hand position of the Iron door is the 3rd of modern
fencing, with the hand"s back to the right and the true edge toward the enemy.
Narrow Iron door resembles the invito of 3rd of the modern sabre and the High
Iron door the line of 3rd.
The Large Iron door has the hand in 4th position (hand's back downward and true
edge to the left) and is executed like the invito of 4th.
About the Cinghiale or, as named by Marozzo, Cinghiara (Wild boar) the hand is
in 3rd position for the Large and for the High and in 4th for the Narrow
(remember that in this case the Narrow is with the armed hand in correspondence
with the left knee and in the Large is displaced to the right side).

5/C Guardia di testa (Head's guard)

Here the description by Dall'Agocchie of this guard:
Head's guard is when the armed arm is well straight to
the right of the enemy's face and the sword is set
obliquely, with the point to the left side; it's so called
cause it protects the upside body's parts.
No difference with the invito or parry of 5th of
modern sabre.

5/D - Guardia di faccia (Face guard)

It is said that the Guardia di faccia is positioned with
the arm straight and the right side (read "the palm") of the
hand is upward and the true edge looking to the left side and
the point, together with the right flank, must point at the
enemy's face: this guard is so called because it looks very
well to the face.
There couldn't be a better description than this one, by
Dall'Agocchie, about this guard, perfectly identical to the
line of 4th and since the XVIII cent. the only guard in the
fencing treatises (cfr. Rosaroll & Grisetti - La scienza della
scherma - 1803, but also Masaniello Parise - Trattato di
scherma - 1883).

5/E - Guardia d'intrare (Entering
guard)
From the previous description
Dall'Agocchie continues: it will be Guardia d'intrare
when, at the contrary of the precedent (Guardia di
faccia), the arm well straight toward the enemy's face
will have the right of the hand downward and the true
edge will look to the right side: this guard is so called
cause it's very useful to enter (in the enemy's
guards).
Nothing to add, but only that as the previous is in
the line of 4th, this is in the line of 2nd, as used by
modern sabreurs.

5/F - Becca
cesa and
Becca possa

The etymology of these two guards is
not clear: the "becca" was a kind of baldric
used by the medieval knights; the adjective "cesa" could derive from the latin
"caesa" (past participe of "caedere") that would mean "killed", "defeated", and
"possa" as derivation of "possum", "to be able", "to be powerful"; then, seeing
that in this guard the blade crosses the figure obliquely, there can be a "baldric"
(becca) "strong" (possa) or "weak" (cesa), with the left foot forward in the first
case and with the right in the second. NOTE: further research by Giovanni has
uncovered that the word becca was used to signify horned. (This may coincide
then with the the name dall'Agocchie uses for this guard, guardia d'alicorno,
guard of the Unicorn - WEW)
Dall'Agocchie describes these guards, giving them a different name, in this
way: Guardia di Alicornio (Unicorn) is when the handle of the sword is
downward, the arm straight and the point low, looking to the face or the chest of
the enemy, like the Unicorn that sets his horn in this way when it has to fight.
Becca cesa and Becca possa are compatible with this description, as
Dall'Agocchie, about the Head, Face, Entering and Unicorn guards adds:These
four guards can be executed with the left or the right foot forward; moreover
Becca cesa and Becca possa are the same the guards of Salvatore Fabris (De lo
schermo - 1606) guard of 1st, and the hand position for both is the 1st.

5/G - Guardia alta (High guard)

Manciolino describes so this guard: ... will be called
Alta
(High), because to set in that we'll keep the sword above
the figure, with
the armed arm as high as possible (...) and the buckler
hand as straight as
possible toward the enemy (...) this guard can be executed
both with the
left or the right foot forward and Dall'Agocchie adds:
it's so called to
be the higher guard it's possible to execute.
Then, the High guard can be executed both with the
right or the
left foot forward, it's extremely an "invito" guard, cause
discovers a lot
of target and is the analogue of the Guardia di Falcone
described by
Filippo Vadi (De arte gladiatoria dimicandi) for the two-handed sword.

5/H - Guardia di sopra il braccio (Overarm guard) and
di sotto il braccio (Underarm guard)

Manciolino explains: the Guardia di
sopra il braccio is so called because the armed
hand is placed, as a cross, in the middle of the
left hand, keeping the sword's point backward
and the buckler's arm straight toward the
enemy. (...). The Guardia di sopra il bracciois
so called because the armed hand must stay
under the buckler's arm, under the left armpit,
keeping the sword's point backward.
A good description of these two guards,
often cited by Marozzo in the sword & buckler
bouts (ex. you'll hit with a mandritto tondo
that will go in Overarm guard ch. 10-4th part;
you'll hit with a mandritto tondo to the legs
that will go in Underarm guard ch.10-3rd
part) which are good to execute just in this particular fencing style.

5/I - Guardia di fianco (Flank guard)

This guard is mentioned just one time by Marozzo when
using a rapier and then in the case of swords bout (I want
you to open to your enemy your left leg and if he'll attack
there with a mandritto you'll parry with the false edge of your
left sword, raising up your hand in Flank guard ch. 78):
following the description the parry is executed with the false
edge of the left sword with the hand upward and the point
downward, to cover the low left target.
Comparing the picture about the Flank guard in the two-
handed sword style it's evident that this guard protects the
low left target, so this guard, executed with the single rapier by a righthander will
be like the parry of mezzocerchio (halfcircle) of modern epee.

Conclusion on Guards
In conclusion remember that the concept of the guard must not be confused
with that of the parry: the first is a position, the second an action. So, there can be
guards that are just guards, guards that are also parries and parries that are only
parries.


6 - The blows

The blows made with the sword are the
cuts and the thrusts.
The cuts are executed above all with the
true edge, but also with the false and they are
of two great cathegories, the mandritti
(singular "mandritto"), so called because
thay start from the right (dritto) side of the
fencer to hit the left side of the enemy and the
manroversi or simply roversi (singular
"roverso") executed in the opposite way (from
the left).
Able to be executed with the true edge,
there are the fendente (plur. "fendenti") which
cut in vertical line from up to down, the
sgualembro (pl. "sgualembri") which cuts
diagonally from a shoulder to the opposite
flank, the tondo or traverso (pl. "tondi" or "traversi") which cuts in a horizontal
line, and the ridoppio (pl. ridoppi) that cut diagonally from a flank to the opposite
shoulder.
With the false edge it will be possible to execute the tondi; the ridoppi will
became falso dritto (left flank > right shoulder) and falso
manco (right flank > left shoulder), and the cut in vertical line from the bottom
upwards is the montante (pl. "montanti").
There is also the mezzo (half) mandritto, described by Dall'Agocchie: the
mandritto sgualembro starts from the left shoulder and
arrives until the right knee and for that it was named a finished cut. The half
mandritto is of the same kind, but is not a finished cut and it needs less time to be
executed and so it's called "half"; a cut very similar to that used for the "arresto
di sciabolata al braccio" a particular cut used in sabre fencing in time on the
enemy's attack; Marozzo in the ch. 57 talks also about the half roverso.
The cut executed with wrist articulation in a molinello (a full circle
executed by the blade to give more strenght to the cut)
(Dall'Agocchie), is called the tramazzone..
The thrusts are of four kind: the punta dritta (pl. "punte dritte") or just punta,
executed with the hand in the Entering Guard's position; the punta roversa (pl.
"punte roverse"), with the hand in the Face Guard's position; the imbroccata,(pl.
"imbroccate") or overhand thrust, normally executed in Becca Cesa or Possa's
position; and the stoccata (pl. "stoccate") or underhand thrust, normally executed
with the hand in High Iron Door's position.

7 - The parries
Until the XVIII century there is no classification of the parries and for this
reason they are often confused with the guards: remember always that the parry
is an action and the guard a position.
About the parries, the only information are about the sword's edges and
about this question Dall'Agocchie says:in only two ways can you parry with the
sword, or with the true edge or with the false: and the false is of two kind, falso
dritto and falso manco.
So the falso dritto and the falso manco are not only two cuts, but also the
main parries, that are able to protect almost all the body.
The parries in Face, Head and Entering guard are useful to parry with the
true edge the fendenti and the sgualembri.
Virtually other steady parries, which mean executed with a position, not
with a blow against the blow (like falso dritto and manco),
are Long and Narrow and Long and High tail (high right target), the Large Iron
door and the Wild boar Narrow Iron door (high left target); Long and Large tail
is good to protect the low right target and the Flank guard the left, although
Marozzo prefers the dodge than the parry against the cuts to the legs.
Becca cesa and Becca possa are good to protect head and shoulders, above
all against the sgualembri.