Wrapping up the first rule for single rapier, and drills for learning it!

So through our last four entries, we looked at some general concepts that Fabris uses in Book Two, and then went through a solid look of his first rule for the sword alone, both text and plates. This entry is pretty much a final wrap for our look at the first rule and some thoughts on it as well as the concepts we're seeing Fabris discuss here, using the first rule as an example of that. Finally, we'll close with some thoughts on how best to drill and practice this rule. This is going to be a bit of a badly-ordered shotgun approach to commentary but here we go!

Do these techniques work?

Yup! They can and do. I've pulled them off, I've seen a couple other people pull them off. That said, they are very hard to do well. You really need to maintain that constant forward movement and if you hesitate, even a moderately skilled opponent will probably grab that tempo away from you. Even if it isn't a useful action, or a flinch or panicked movement, it'll be enough to throw off the entire play.

Things to keep in mind!

Keep. Going. Forward. No, really. Don't parry, but cover ahead or yield and strike and trust your defense. This is probably the hardest thing to really internalize. That said, this does bring up if there are...

Any SCA-related concerns about Book Two?

There are some, yeah. They aren't safety related as such, but are more about the functionality of the technique.

First we have issues with the physical space that you're fencing in. You need to start out of measure, so if the list is too small, this isn't really an option to use. Most of the time though, lists at the smallest are probably just big enough for you to reasonably attempt using Book Two. What comes up more often are the dreaded list ropes.

If you're in a tournament and you want to use Book Two, you need to know what the rules regarding list ropes are. If a combatant hits the ropes and the rule is to call a hold and recenter, someone who doesn't want to deal with your Book Two Weird Stuff never ever needs to. Granted, this could be a common issue with any kind of fencer who just keeps backing off, but I find that it tends to come up more when faced with an opponent who just keeps walking towards you and doesn't ever stop. Backing up seems like a really great option if you're trying to figure out what to do, and if recentering happens, well, yeah. (Essentially, my understanding of dueling culture in Italy was that if you backed up out of the circle, you both lost and looked like a coward - so combatants had a pretty big disincentive against just backing away from you.) So it's just something to keep in mind.

Similarly, opponents who make really noncommittal attacks or defenses can sometimes be hard to work against with these techniques, though as we'll eventually see, some rules function better than others in those instances. That said, as long as they present their blade in a guard, you'll still have something to work with, even if flushing out a reaction is more difficult.

Additionally, there is a tendency in the SCA as well as other modern rapier combat groups to dislike having your blade pass completely through peoples' bodies and up to your hilt, as Fabris advises.

I know. It's really strange, right?

Regardless, it can lead to some positions where you might not be able to get as far past your opponent's point as you'd like, and you might be left in some risk if they push for a double kill or something like that. In cases like this, you probably have a couple options, which can be used together or separately. First, you can continue forward with your body, but collapse your arm. This could well get you into a safer position. Second, you can turn your guard into a position which more securely covers you from your opponent's blade. This might not work as well when you're yielding around their blade, but in instances where you're passing underneath, turning into prima can be extremely helpful.

Finally, there are occasions where someone just... well, panics. Or does something strange or unwise that Fabris didn't consider. What do you do here? Frankly, a lot of the time, the answer may well simply be "continue forward and strike your opponent, and maybe turn your hand into a guard to cover if you have the tempo for it." The reactions that Fabris describes are both the most likely reactions, and the most reasonable reactions in terms of usefulness and the tempo that they give up. If someone does something that's an extreme and outside those possibilities, they're almost certainly also extremely inefficient actions, which means that you'll have a relatively longer time to react. As long as you continue forward and react in a way in keeping with Fabris' system and the rule that you're applying, you will probably make the correct choice and end up okay.

How can I practice and drill this thing?

Let's face it, this is probably what you're really here for, right? Okay, let's get to it.

Initial concepts for our drills!

Fabris tells us to use “ordinary steps” to approach our opponent, so we’ll rely on passing steps for our drills. While he also says to bend your body while raising and extending your sword as you approach your opponent, we’ll dispense with that for the time being so as to reduce the number of details you’ll need to keep in your head.

For measure, there are essentially three stages to approaching our opponent and for consistency we should consider the positions of our feet at each point. First, there is the moment when your point is just beginning to cross your opponent’s blade. At this point, your feet should be in their natural position, with the right foot leading. As you close, your off-side foot will pass ahead. Finally, your sword-foot will pass ahead and you will strike your opponent. If you need slightly more reach, at this time you can take a more extreme step or even a lunge.

Broadly speaking, we’ll be working with the steps between each of those points for these drills - as we move our left foot ahead of our right, and again as we move our right foot ahead. During those steps is when our partner will take the actions we’ll be responding to. When we begin these drills those actions should be quite slow, so as to assure that we can respond while our partner is moving, not after. Fabris’ comment on this is “Carry your sword so close to the opponent’s blade that when the opponent’s sword moves, it will seem to be tied to yours: in other words, one sword’s movement should be quickly followed by the other’s.” We want actions to occur in the same tempo rather than one after the other.

Drill Conventions

For the purposes of explaining these drills, there are a few conventions to keep in mind. They will be written assuming that you, the reader, are the person proceeding with resolution and that your partner will remain stationary. For ease of learning and performance, both you and your partner will be in Fabris’ extended guard. Begin all your approaches from out of measure, but work them out such that when your swords are just crossing that your right foot is leading, as shown in Plate 109 here; explanation of the drills will begin from this point.. Finally, in the beginning take each step separately, but build towards performing them smoothly before worrying about speed. Let’s begin!

Initial Approach

Approaching Your Partner on the Inside

• From your initial approach, find your partner’s sword on the inside.
• Take your first passing step. Begin forming a more distinct terza-quarta bastard guard to consolidate your finding to the inside.
• Take your second passing step, leaving your hand in the terza-quarta bastard guard as you strike your partner. 
• You are running your blade along and on top of your partner’s blade; in this instance you should not need to turn fully into quarta, though doing so is absolutely permissible if that’s what you need to close the line.

Approaching Your Partner on the Outside

• From your initial approach, find your partner’s sword on the outside.
• Take your first passing step. Remain in terza for this; you can successfully control your partner’s blade from that guard.
• Take your second passing step, striking your partner. 
• Note that you will be remaining in terza and as such you will be forcing your partner’s sword down and dominating them from above, rather than pushing them upward as with seconda or quarta.

Variations: As you take your second step, your partner may withdraw their body, leaning back, in an attempt to not be struck; you should step into a lunge to ensure you successfully strike them.

Notes: These are the fundamental actions that every other drill will be based on. In this case, there is only a single minor point of difference as to whether you begin on the inside or outside line. As the drills grow more complicated, the line you begin on will have a greater impact on how the drill progresses.

Reactions in Wide Measure

At this point, the drills will take their first complication, that of your partner performing an initial action while you are approaching from wide measure.

Your Partner Cavaziones

• Approach your partner having found their sword as above.
• As you take your first passing step, your partner performs a cavazione. 
• As they perform their cavazione you should contracavazione. 
• This should place you back on your original line as you finish your step, just as you were in the initial drill above.
• Continue with your second passing step, striking your partner.

Your Partner Pushes

• Approach your partner having found their sword as above.
• As you take your first passing step, your partner pushes against your blade in an attempt to counter-find or simply to push you off-line. 
• As they begin to push, you should cavazione to the other line.
• If you began on the inside line, you will now be on the outside line, and vice-versa.
• Continue with your second passing step, striking your partner.
• Remember that you are on a different line than you began in; adjust your guard accordingly!

Variations: As above, your partner may lean backwards at the conclusion of the drill to prompt a clear lunge.

Notes: These options are the first set of possible reactions from your drill partner. We are spacing our partner’s reactions out based on our measure, and will be building out longer plays from there!

Reactions in Narrow Measure

When we enter narrow measure, our partner really has only one reaction that they can make - they push against your blade. While the reaction to the push on either line involves the same guard, it is utilized differently for each line.


A Push From the Inside Line

• Find your partner’s sword on the inside and approach them as usual. They will not react for your first step, allowing you to close to the edge of narrow measure.
• As you take your second passing step, your partner will push against your blade in an attempt to parry you or simply push you off-line.
• As they begin to push turn your hand into an angled seconda so as to yield around their push. Their blade should well fall into the space you create with the angle of your blade.
• Finish your step and strike your opponent.

A Push From the Outside Line

• Find your partner’s sword on the outside and approach them as usual. They will not react to your first step, allowing you to close to the edge of narrow measure.
• As you take your second passing step, your partner will push against your blade in an attempt to parry you or simply push you off-line.
• As they begin to push turn your hand into seconda while you perform a half-cavazione and drop the point of your sword under their blade, without moving your hand’s placement relative to their blade. 
• Finish your step and strike your opponent.

Variations: As before, your partner can lean back at the conclusion of the drill in an attempt to avoid your blade, prompting a lunge.

Notes: Fabris really only considers pushing your blade aside as a reasonable reaction at this point; he doesn’t even consider performing a cavazione at that measure as remotely reasonable.

Putting It All Together

At this point, drilling this rule takes on a bit of an IKEA assembly feel. We have our choice of options at each measure:

• Wide Measure
• Do nothing
• Cavazione
• Push
• Narrow Measure
• Do nothing
• Push

Additionally, all of these options can occur on the inside or outside line, adding more options to what we can put together.

What we want to do at this point is assemble an entire flow from beginning to end, using the options above. For instance, we could assemble the following process:

• Start finding your partner on the inside line.
• At wide measure, they cavazione. The proper response is to contracavazione.
• This leaves us on the inside line.
• At narrow measure, they push. The proper response is to yield in seconda.
• Strike your partner.

Or we could choose different options!

• Start finding your partner on the outside line.
• At wide measure, they do nothing.
• At narrow measure, they push. The proper response is to turn underneath their blade in seconda.
• Strike your partner.

Work with your partner and create a script in advance and work through it. The goal here isn’t to get used to making decisions in the heat of the moment, but to get used to two things. First, you’ll learn how the decisions would look and feel as you flow through an entire approach. Second, you’ll learn how to move from reaction to reaction as you go. Again, run through them step by step, and work on making the actions smoother, not faster.

Additionally, you can discuss with your partner what could cue them to take one action over another. Why might they push against your blade rather than cavazione? Is there anything you could do that might cause them to take no action at all as you approach?

Advanced Options

Once you are comfortable running through fully scripted flows, you can begin to introduce choice. Do this more gradually than you think you need to - it’s extremely easy to introduce too much cognitive load too quickly, which will just lead to frustration. Also, be prepared to slow the drill back down, simply because you will likely be actively thinking about and considering your options, rather than reacting reflexively. Being thoughtful is good at this point, but it isn’t fast. Finally, remember that the choices you add will cascade further down the flow - for instance, if you introduce the possibility of changing lines during the wide measure, at narrow measure you will need to be prepared for the inside or outside option.

Consider this as an initial drill idea:

• Approach your partner as usual. When you cross wide measure, your partner may cavazione or do nothing.
• If they cavazione, you will contracavazione during their movement.
• If they do nothing you will begin running your blade along theirs.
• When you reach narrow measure, your partner will do nothing. You will continue running your blade along theirs and strike them.

This is extremely straightforward! Note that whichever option your partner chooses, you will end up on the same line that you began in, which further reduces the cognitive load that you are introducing.

If you want to complicate it further, add a single choice further in:

• Approach your partner as usual. When you cross wide measure, your partner may cavazione or do nothing.
• If they cavazione, you will contracavazione during their movement.
• If they do nothing you will begin running your blade along theirs.
• When you reach narrow measure, your partner will push against your blade or do nothing.
• If they push against your blade you will turn into seconda according to whether you are on the inside or outside line.
• If you are on the inside line, turn into an angled seconda, yielding around their blade, and strike them.
• If you are on the outside line, turn your hand into seconda and perform a half-cavazione with your point, striking them underneath their guard.
• If they do nothing, continue to run your blade along theirs and strike them.

Here, you can readily predict which line you will be on for the choice in narrow measure - it will be whichever line you begin on. There will still be an additional choice, but it will be more gradual than needing to consider which line you are in while you are mid-flow.

Final Drilling Thoughts

As we've seen in previous posts, there are some additional interesting edge cases within rule one. These include such things as your opponent being in a very low guard with a withdrawn body or your opponent performing a cavazione over your blade. Even with these varied circumstances, the broad concept of the rule will apply, so I encourage you to read the manual and try constructing basic drills around them for yourself.

Once you begin to internalize the flowchart that this rule essentially is, you can begin to extrapolate further for other cases. What if your partner retreats? What if they step forward? The base concepts will still apply, so experiment with these changes and see what they do to the play.

Next Up!

I'm hoping to give us a similar look at the second rule for the sword alone, which begins with one of Fabris' really oddball postures. (Yes, really oddball for Fabris. I know, right?) It may not happen before the holidays land on us, but stranger things have happened!