or, The off-hand that’s NOT just like dagger In contrast to all the other off-hands, Giganti treats the cloak as not just like a dagger. The obvious reason being it’s not rigid. He advises not to use a cloak made of silk or other lightweight material. These are useless, and in his words “I […]
Archive for July 2014
Second Giganti X: Cloak 6 comments
Team Division and Rationale Leave a comment
A few years ago, when I was lamenting the repeatedly unbalanced state of the melees I was attending, I decided to develop a method for dividing sides so that they would be equal in practical terms, and not merely on paper. Merely alternating White Scarves can sometimes work out OK, but that can also create […]
Second Giganti IX: Offhands that are Just Like Dagger 5 comments
Giganti introduces his defensive secondaries (buckler, targa, and rotella) by saying there’s no difference between them and dagger. “Anything you have learned with the sword and dagger can be accomplished with the sword and rotella/targa/buckler.” Which means if you’re using them differently, you’re doing something wrong. Probably, you’re thinking you can offend with the dagger […]
Through the tears in my eyes 8 comments
You are all wrong when you say there is no crying in fencing! It’s tough. There is crying and hard work and disappointment and heartache and frustration and confusion and anger and a myriad of other emotions that come with learning something challenging, competitive, and without a single “right” path. (I say this with a […]
Minimalism and Specialization 1 comment
Unsurprisingly, it turns out that Bruce Lee might have been on to something here, so today we’re going to take a look at the idea of training a minimalist style with the goal of being highly specialized in one or two areas. This methodology is one geared toward people who are still starting out and […]
King’s Assessment, 2014 35 comments
Ibrahim, Gaiwn, and myself squeezed into Gawin’s hatchback and drove out to rural Virginia. At one point we stalled out on a gravel mountain road and had to push. It was that kind of day. The Site Chantilly Festival Farm only opened a little over a year ago, and the place is beautiful – 90 […]
Giganti VIII: Coming to Grips Leave a comment
Giganti’s standard policy is to win the fight outside of measure or as you come to measure. Everything after that is just pushing your sword through your opponent. Coming to grips, then, shouldn’t happen unless somebody did something wrong. I think I’ll repeat that: Coming to grips shouldn’t happen unless somebody did something wrong. Giganti […]
A New Book of Four Things Leave a comment
Sir Corby, veteran of the armored field, holds that two opposed melee lines can do essentially four things to one another. In order of difficulty, they are: 1. Charge 2. Run right 3. Run left 4. Engage lightly/Die slow So, the line can move forward, right, left, or nowhere. (I think he’s missing one direction. […]