Archive for May 2010

Giganti 4 – Interlude: How to Play Single Sword against Single Sword, with Full Intent Thrusts   Leave a comment

Having established a better conception of tempo, Gavvin and I digressed from page 2 all the way to page 24.  Why? There are many who attack the opponent with full intent and deliver thrusts without any respect to tempo… but always throwing blows with fury and vehemence. Sound like anybody you know?  Say, anybody who […]

Posted May 27, 2010 by wistric in Giganti, Italian Rapier

Giganti Part 3: Tempo and Measure   1 comment

You can’t truly say you understand defense and offense if you only know how to stand in guard or in counter-guard… you can only make that claim if you have a command of tempo and measure. Tempo and Measure, again and again.  The same principles of combat from DiGrassi, and the Bolognese school, and I.33, […]

Posted May 27, 2010 by wistric in Giganti, Italian Rapier

Giganti Part 2: The Guards and Counter-Guards   Leave a comment

The Guards and Counter-Guards Giganti launches straight in with the properties of a good guard.  He does not, in the entirety of the work, bother to define a set of guards which are to be used (he gives some examples of guards that offer various openings to opponents, but never the “Prima, Seconda, Tierca, Quarta” […]

Posted May 25, 2010 by wistric in Giganti, Italian Rapier

Giganti Part 1: Introduction   Leave a comment

Consider, if you will, Gavvin.  He’s been going to a moderately large practice, fighting decent fencers (provosts, free scholars, senior scholars) for about six months.  He’s been taught the generic strip-derived technique, and improves at a decent pace.  Then his teacher made a mistake: his teacher purchased Tom Leoni’s translation of Giganti’s “The School”, a […]

Posted May 25, 2010 by wistric in Giganti, Italian Rapier

Fencing Journal, 5/17   Leave a comment

I swear, this self-improvement jag is gonna end my white ass.  It wraps in another week, though. Monday, or The Day of the Gymnast Of late, Griffin, Letia, and I have been working with a newbie, Adam.  He has an air conditioned gym, so “working with” translates to “taking the opportunity to fight in awesome […]

Posted May 20, 2010 by wistric in Journal

Fencing Journal… er… whatever date it is   4 comments

It’s been a little while since I’ve been chock-full of introspection and self-assessment, but why not get back in the saddle. The big news is that I left my job.  I’ve got a month til I start the next one.  There was a point when Valinn was between jobs that Alejandro asked him what he […]

Posted May 10, 2010 by wistric in Journal