{"id":2097,"date":"2020-04-19T22:38:56","date_gmt":"2020-04-19T20:38:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.subcaelo.net\/ensis\/?p=2097"},"modified":"2020-04-19T22:38:56","modified_gmt":"2020-04-19T20:38:56","slug":"marozzos-spada-sola-95-96","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.subcaelo.net\/ensis\/marozzos-spada-sola-95-96\/","title":{"rendered":"Marozzo’s Spada sola – Cap. 95 & 96"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

With many countries under lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic, people are looking for ways to clear the heads and keep training. This gave birth to a very nice initiative: the Online Bolognese Form Tournament<\/a>. The idea was to pick one of the various solo drills (assalti<\/em> or abattimenti<\/em>) described in the Bolognese sources, let people study it for 10 days, film themselves performing it, and pick a winner! With a good pick for the challenge, the competition was a considerable success: 50 contestants submitted their interpretation. I’m writing this post as a sort of training log for me to remember the choices I’ve made and the future work I would have to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have written the rest of this post before seeing judge feedback or competition result. In all likelihood the feedback might change my interpretation, objectives and perception!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The abattimento<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The organizers made an excellent pick for the challenge: the beginning of the part about sword alone in Marozzo’s book 2. This is in chapters 95 and 96 – or 94 and 95 in the reference translation provided, from Jherek Swanger<\/a> (slightly edited to add headings with the same numbers as the original):<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Transcription<\/div>
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Cap.95. Elquale tratta dello abattimento di spada sola, da persona a persona<\/p>\n\n

Hora guarda che io voglio che tu t\u2019assetti in coda longa e stretta, con il pi\u00e8 dritto inanci e \u2018l manco acconciato per di drieto al dritto, e la man manca de drieto alla tua schina e \u2018l braccio della spada disteso forte inanci per lo dritto del tuo nimico; e de l\u00ec tu urtarai de uno falso filo tondo per la faccia al tuo nimico, con un mandritto fendente insieme, el qual fendente caler\u00e0 a porta di ferro larga, crescendo in tal tirare del tuo pi\u00e8 dritto inanci; e se all\u2019hora el tuo nimico te tirasse per testa o per gamba, in tal tempo che lui tirer\u00e0, tu urterai de uno falso de sotto in suso per la man della spada del ditto tuo nimico e s\u00ec li segarai d\u2019uno fendente traversato per la faccia arredopiato, cio\u00e8 tu ne tirerai dui a uno medesimo tempo: la gamba manca caccier\u00e0 la dritta inanci e la tua spada calar\u00e0 a porta di ferro larga.<\/p>\n\n

Essendo in la detta porta di ferro larga e \u2018l tuo nimico te tiresse una stoccata o uno mandritto per testa o uno roverso, a ciascuna de queste botte voglio che tu urti del falso della spada tua in la botta sua che lui tirer\u00e0 e, in tal urtare, tu passerai uno gran passo del tuo pi\u00e8 manco inanci, inverso alle parte dritte del nimico, e in questo tal passare tu gli darai de uno roverso sgualembrato, che pigliar\u00e0 dalla testa infino alla ponta delli piedi;<\/p>\n\n

& per tuo reparo tu butterai il pi\u00e8 manco uno gran passo de drieto del dritto e, in tal buttare, tu li tirerai de uno mandritto traversato per el braccio della spada sua, el quale caler\u00e0 a porta di ferro stretta; e de l\u00ec tu farai una meggia volta di pugno e s\u00ec te assetterai in coda longa e stretta, come di sopra te dissi, pure con il tuo braccio della spada ben disteso per lo dritto del ditto nimico & la gamba manca acconciata come di sopra.<\/p>\n\n

Cap. 96. El qual tratta della seconda parte.<\/p>\n\n

Hora, essendo rimaso in coda longa e stretta e \u2018l tuo nemico fusse ancora lui in questa medesima guardia, overo che lui fusse in coda longa & alta, de l\u00ec voglio che tu cresci con il pi\u00e8 manco inanci e, in questo crescere, tu gli darai de uno falso impuntato, cio\u00e8 tondo in la spada del ditto tuo nimico per de dentro, per modo che tu li segarai de uno roverso tondo per la faccia, crescendo a uno tempo medesimo del pi\u00e8 dritto tuo inanci; ma sappi che per tuo reparo tu butterai il pi\u00e8 dritto de drieto del manco: in tal buttare tu tirerai de uno altro roverso sgualembrato de gamba levata, che caler\u00e0 in coda longa & alta e l\u00ec serai patiente, cio\u00e8 tu aspetterai el ditto nimico che te tire, sicch\u00e8 nota.<\/p> \n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

Translation<\/div>
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Cap.95. About the assault of the sword alone, in single combat<\/p>\n\n

Set yourself in coda lunga e stretta with your right foot forward and your left one drawn near but behind it, your left hand behind you at your back, and your sword arm extended well forward straight at your enemy. From here, throw a false edge tondo to your enemy\u2019s face, followed by a mandritto fendente that will fall into porta di ferro larga, stepping forward with your right foot as you throw that blow. If your enemy then attacks your head or leg, hit him in his sword hand with a rising falso in that tempo, and then slice his face with a fendente traversato, redoubled (which is to say that you\u2019ll throw two of them in the same tempo) and make your left foot drive your right one forward as your sword falls into porta di ferro larga.<\/p>\n\n

Being in porta di ferro larga, if your enemy throws a stoccata or mandritto to your head, or a riverso, in response to any of those blows, hit them with the false edge of your sword, taking a big step forward with your left foot toward your enemy\u2019s right as you hit his blow, and as you step, throw a riverso sgualembrato from his head all the way down to his toes.<\/p>\n\n

Then, for your safety, take a big step backward with your left foot, behind your right one, and as you step back, throw a mandritto traversato to your enemy\u2019s sword arm that will fall into porta di ferro stretta. Then make a half turn of your hand and assume coda lunga e stretta like I told you above, likewise with your sword arm well extended straight toward your enemy, and your left leg arranged as above.<\/p>\n\n

Cap. 96. About the second part of the assault<\/p>\n\n

Being in coda lunga e stretta, if your enemy is in the same guard or in coda lunga e alta, then advance with your left foot, and in that advance throw a falso impuntato, that is, tondo, into his sword, on the inside, so that you can slice him with a riverso tondo to the face, advancing with your right foot in the same tempo. Then for your safety send your right foot back behind your left one, and as you send it back, throw, with a raised foot, another riverso, sgualembrato, which will fall into coda lunga e alta. Then you will be patient, waiting for your enemy to attack.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

This was a very good choice because the weapon set is the most basic, with no companion, the abattimento <\/em>is relatively brief, yet (Marozzo being Marozzo) retains some mystery in terms of vocabulary and more than enough room for interpretation. Therefore it was as the same time stimulating and accessible!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Coda
The guard of coda lunga e stretta<\/em> with the sword alone, illustrated in Marozzo, in the very nice colorization done by Draupnir Press<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Interpretation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

General principles<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I have a sort of order of priority when doing that kind of exercise, which is something personal:<\/p>\n\n\n\n