# Marozzo — Full Content > Marozzo is an online learning platform for Historical Fencing, offering structured courses, in-depth articles, a terminology glossary, and access to primary source texts based on the works of Achille Marozzo and other historical masters. > Full-text companion to /llms.txt (a link index). Generated from the public > OKF v0.1 bundle — published, publicly-visible content only. See https://llmstxt.org/. ======================================================================== FILE: index.md ======================================================================== --- okf_version: "0.1" --- # Index ## Concepts - [Source texts](/source-texts) - [Install Marozzo as an App](/install) - [video test](/58520d60-6d4c-47c5-8508-a1001983d208) ## Courses - [Art of the Two-handed Sword](/courses/art-of-the-two-handed-sword) - [Guards and Footwork of Achille Marozzo](/courses/guards-and-footwork-of-achille-marozzo) - [Techniques of Anonimo Bolognese](/courses/techniques-of-anonimo-bolognese) - [Guard Lessons](/courses/guard-lessons) ## Blog - [Pedagogy in Fencing pt II: The Craft of the Fencing Hall](/articles/pedagogy-in-fencing-pt-ii-the-craft-of-the-fencing-hall) ## About Marozzo.com - [About Ilkka](/about/ilkka) - [Contact](/about/contact) - [Privacy Policy](/about/privacy) - [Terms of Service](/about/terms) ======================================================================== FILE: 58520d60-6d4c-47c5-8508-a1001983d208.md ======================================================================== --- type: page title: video test resource: https://marozzo.com/58520d60-6d4c-47c5-8508-a1001983d208 timestamp: "2026-05-09T12:49:24.270Z" access: public status: published nodeId: "42d1d78b-2ce6-4f41-bfa7-44db55bbd6a0" --- ::video[Testing Automatic Transcription for the Marozzo App]{#11ee39cb-5aad-448c-a415-9049a024ee51} ======================================================================== FILE: about/contact.md ======================================================================== --- type: page title: Contact resource: https://marozzo.com/about/contact timestamp: "2020-06-15T12:02:17.000Z" access: public status: published nodeId: bb0ccd18-5a8b-4d56-9707-6b3a7284ccd9 --- The best way to reach us is by email at [info@marozzo.com](mailto:info@marozzo.com). We typically reply within two business days. ::image[]{#m17dhcxr9btj61wrdq3t6c4qd581k8p3} You can also send mail to: > Marozzo.com\ PL 22\ 11101 Riihimäki\ Finland ## About Marozzo.com Marozzo.com is dedicated to the study of historical European martial arts, with a focus on the Bolognese fencing tradition. It is owned and operated by Ilkka Outo and a small team of passionate historical fencers based in Tavastia Proper, Finland. ======================================================================== FILE: about/ilkka.md ======================================================================== --- type: page title: About Ilkka resource: https://marozzo.com/about/ilkka timestamp: "2026-02-21T21:09:32.439Z" access: public status: published nodeId: "1c5aa0b6-664b-4849-bb32-ef3885b4153d" --- My name is Ilkka Outo. I study Historical European Martial Arts with a focus on 16th-century Italian fencing traditions. I have practiced these arts for over 20 years, with a particular focus on the Bolognese tradition as codified by Achille Marozzo and his contemporaries. ::image[]{#m178ddr5jnjsnhgwb8bsqc4yfn81ksmv} In 2010, I co-founded EHMS, which went on to become the most successful competitive HEMA club in Finland. I taught there actively until 2016 and have since focused on independent research. ## Workshops I have held workshops and lectures on Historical European Martial Arts at events around the world. In addition to Finland, I have presented my research in England, Sweden, Austria, France, the Netherlands, the United States, Italy, Singapore, Hungary, and Canada. I am occasionally available for one-off workshops and public speaking. If you are interested, reach me at [ilkka@marozzo.com](mailto:ilkka@marozzo.com). ## Competitions I competed actively between 2010 and 2015. Selected results: - 1st place, Helsinki Bolognese Open (sidesword), Finland 2015 - 3rd place, Taurhemachia (sword and buckler), Italy 2015 - Among best 6 of 40, Taurhemachia (sidesword), Italy 2015 - 1st place, Helsinki Bolognese Open (sidesword and rotella), Finland 2014 - Best technical fighter, Helsinki Bolognese Open (open sidesword), Finland 2014 - 3rd place, International Lowlands HEMA Gathering (open single-handed sword), the Netherlands 2014 - Best technical fighter, PNW HEMA Gathering (invitational sword and buckler), USA 2014 - 4th place, Swordfish (open saber), Sweden 2011 - 4th place, Marozzo Premio (two-handed sword choreography), Italy 2010 ======================================================================== FILE: about/index.md ======================================================================== # About Marozzo.com - [About Ilkka](/about/ilkka) - [Contact](/about/contact) - [Privacy Policy](/about/privacy) - [Terms of Service](/about/terms) ======================================================================== FILE: about/privacy.md ======================================================================== --- type: page title: Privacy Policy resource: https://marozzo.com/about/privacy timestamp: "2026-02-21T17:35:28.030Z" access: public status: published nodeId: "4bf8ef53-3bbb-4a19-a7d5-f360f8f8acd8" --- *Effective date: May 25, 2026* This Privacy Policy explains how Marozzo ("we", "us") collects, uses, and protects your personal data. We operate from Riihimäki, Finland and comply with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). ## 1. Who We Are Marozzo is the data controller for personal data processed through this Service. Contact us at [privacy@marozzo.com](mailto:privacy@marozzo.com) for any privacy-related queries. ## 2. Data We Collect **Account data:** Email address and display name, collected when you register. Your account may also be used to authenticate you on related Falcata services through a single sign-on; in that case the same account identifier is shared with those services. Legal basis: performance of a contract. **Subscription & billing data:** Subscription status and billing history. Payment card details are processed directly by Stripe — we never see or store your card number. Legal basis: performance of a contract; legal obligation (financial records). **Usage data:** Content you mark as completed or favourite, and comments and reactions you post. 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Contact [legal@marozzo.com](mailto:legal@marozzo.com) ======================================================================== FILE: articles/index.md ======================================================================== # Blog - [Pedagogy in Fencing pt II: The Craft of the Fencing Hall](/articles/pedagogy-in-fencing-pt-ii-the-craft-of-the-fencing-hall) ======================================================================== FILE: articles/pedagogy-in-fencing-pt-ii-the-craft-of-the-fencing-hall.md ======================================================================== --- type: page title: "Pedagogy in Fencing pt II: The Craft of the Fencing Hall" resource: https://marozzo.com/articles/pedagogy-in-fencing-pt-ii-the-craft-of-the-fencing-hall timestamp: "2026-03-03T12:49:22.132Z" access: public status: published nodeId: "5feec644-fbb5-4059-a5f9-de633ba42f4b" --- ## Minding the gap Since time immemorial, historical fencers have spoken of "bridging the gap" between drill and free fencing. I think this is a lost cause. The ultimate drill is free fencing — that's the only thing you absolutely need, especially if it is done to impart knowledge or to deliberately improve. But practice shouldn't be only free fencing. A child learns to speak from communicating with other people, but more is needed if they later choose to pursue mastery in their language — or other languages. You also need to practice alone. A little every morning, every night. Practice your cuts when cutting bread; practice your footwork when you navigate a crowd. True understanding — the kind that exists on a meta-level and that you can pass on — requires knowing the basics. Knowing the alphabet in addition to knowing how to communicate. Start from the why. If your goal is to learn or teach _fencing_, define what it is, and work down from there to discover the angle at which any individual should approach it. ## Part of it is show business A class is also a performance, and the best instructors know this without being diminished by it. Energy is contagious — so is its absence. When you bring an element of surprise, let yourself get a little carried away with a drill, or find the humour in a moment, the class doesn't just enjoy it. They become more alert, more willing, more open to what comes next. This isn't entertainment at the expense of learning. It is the learning — because people absorb more when they're alive to what's happening. Think of yourself as an actor who happens to be teaching, not a teacher who occasionally performs. ## Tempo of a class You set the tempo, and the class will follow it whether you intend them to or not. Use this deliberately. A slower pace invites reflection and precision; a faster one builds energy and flow. If a correction starts consuming the room's attention, turn it into a demonstration for everyone — don't let the rhythm die while one student waits. If the energy drops, shift gears, but do it naturally. Punishing the class with a sudden change because you lost the pace is its own kind of loss of control. Think of a speaker who holds a room, or a DJ who reads the floor — the art is in making the transitions invisible. ## Making contact with the audience The class is not a passive audience — they're participants who need to feel met. Watch them, listen to them, read the room. Keep them alert with variety and the occasional surprise. Move among them rather than teaching from a fixed point. Address individuals, but let the whole group feel the exchange. The instructor who is genuinely interested in the people in front of them never has to manufacture engagement. It's already there. ## Finding demonstration partners Always know in advance who you'll use as a demonstration partner, and have a reliable default — someone who knows the exercises, can move in sync with you, and amplifies rather than distracts from what you're showing. When you bring someone less familiar into a demonstration, be explicit about what you need from them. And consider this: rather than delivering a clean performance of the technique for the audience, try giving your partner a private lesson instead. Instruct them directly, in the moment, as if the class weren't there. The result is almost always more honest, more alive, and paradoxically more instructive to watch — because the audience is observing you actually teach, not perform. ## Forms Many see forms as embellishment — a ritual remnant that has little to do with practical fencing. But no solo training truly prepares for an adversary, and forms offer something repetitive drilling alone cannot: a compressed, transmissible record of how the art moves as a whole. To watch a fencer perform a form well is to see the techniques animated without an opponent — and if the form is understood, the spectator will see the missing adversary in their mind. Cuts, thrusts, and positions comprise actions; actions comprise plays; long plays become forms. Practice them in parts and in full, solo and with a partner, in sequence and out of it. This variation is itself a kind of over-learning that hardens the fundamentals. Forms are not only part of the tradition. They encase a part of its spirit. ## Measuring success Progress in fencing is real but hard to quantify, and the instinct is to compare — who is better than whom, who has improved the most. Resist building that into your environment. Your students will want to validate what they're learning; give them ways to do that, but keep it individual and introspective. The only meaningful comparison is with themselves: where they were, where they are, and where the art might still take them. ## When you make a mistake Acknowledge it immediately, address any consequences, understand the cause, and move on. Don't perform contrition and don't minimise — just deal with it cleanly and keep going. How you handle your own errors is one of the most instructive things your students will ever observe. It models exactly what you want from them: accountability without shame, correction without collapse. Have self-compassion. You owe it to yourself, and indirectly to everyone in the room. ## Taking risks Don't take risks with your students. Fencing carries inherent danger, but do everything reasonable to prevent serious injuries — eye injuries, concussions, repetitive head trauma, punctures, lacerations. Be especially careful with what you normalise through demonstration. I have taken risks with my own health in the past that I wouldn't recommend, and one lesson stayed with me: demonstrate without a mask once, and you should not be surprised when the class begins to drill without masks. They are following your lead. You can't blame them for it. Lead carefully. ## Create a safe space Your job is to create and maintain an environment that is both physically and psychologically safe for everyone in it. Not just to intend this, but to actively build it. You won't always know how, but do it anyway, and keep trying to do it better. Everything else in this list depends on it. ## Leave them wanting more Toward the end of a class, step outside the plan. Show the students why what they practiced today matters — where it leads, what it connects to, what they will eventually be able to do. Give them a glimpse of something beyond their current reach. A student who leaves with a clear sense of the path ahead, and something they haven't yet mastered still vivid in their mind, will practice between sessions. They'll return. And when they do, they'll already be a little further along — not just from what you taught, but from everything they imagined since. ======================================================================== FILE: courses/art-of-the-two-handed-sword/art-of-the-two-handed-sword-part-1-the-guards.md ======================================================================== --- type: page title: The Guards resource: https://marozzo.com/courses/art-of-the-two-handed-sword/art-of-the-two-handed-sword-part-1-the-guards tags: - guard - guards - marozzo - positions - spadone - sword - two-handed timestamp: "2014-07-27T21:43:44.000Z" access: public status: published nodeId: "7040d033-2170-4113-98cd-5fd6d68f488e" --- In his Opera Nova, Achille Marozzo illustrates many of the guards used for the two-handed sword — the *spada da due mani* or the *spadone*. He also gives us plenty of instruction on how to use this magnificent weapon in different contexts. In this series of posts I will give you translations of the material, tools to help you practice this art as well as interpretations of both Marozzo’s and the Anonimo’s (the other Bolognese master to discuss the weapon) work. In this first part I will show you my interpretation of the guards. Some of these are only mentioned by Marozzo, and some that I do not have even a working interpretation of I have left out from the gallery. But I believe this will help you better understand the following posts in this series. Whenever the guards are mentioned, you can refer back to this gallery to see how the positions can be formed. ::gallery{#sx7asf9a6h12z2eag5zffzqjsn8aam5y} ======================================================================== FILE: courses/art-of-the-two-handed-sword/art-of-the-two-handed-sword-part-2-the-teaching.md ======================================================================== --- type: page title: The Teaching resource: https://marozzo.com/courses/art-of-the-two-handed-sword/art-of-the-two-handed-sword-part-2-the-teaching tags: - assalti - assalto - marozzo - spadone - sword in two-hands timestamp: "2014-07-29T01:58:30.000Z" access: public status: published nodeId: c1410ce7-582d-4f0f-a5b1-5e2ca9b36461 --- In the last part we had a look at the guards of the two-handed sword. We did not examine or analyze them any closer, but don't worry: the time for that will come later. Of course, in the meantime, I invite you to study the positions as closely as you like, and compare them to the original illustrations. In this part I will take you through a quick tour of the material available for this noble weapon, material which in total comprises the *teaching* of the two-handed sword. ## The Sources The Bolognese source literature treats the *spada da due mani* through works by Achille Marozzo and the *Anonimo Bolognese*. In addition, the weapon (in slightly differing forms) is treated at least by the following Italian authors: - Camillo Agrippa (1553) - Francesco Altoni (c. 1540) - The *[Anonimo Riccardiano](http://wiktenauer.com/wiki/Anonimo_Riccardiano_(MS_Ricc.2541))* (16th c.) - Giovanni Antonio Lovino (16th c.) - Giacomo di Grassi (1570) - Camillo Palladini (c. 1600) - Francesco Alfieri (1640) Most of these texts give the weapon a rather cursory treatment which is contextually interesting but not necessarily adding much value to the Bolognese material, which is far more detailed. For this reason I will focus primarily on the two Bolognese sources. We will begin with Marozzo and look at the *Anonimo* later. There is a clear reason for doing it this way, embedded in the structure of the teaching. ## The Assalti It may come as a surprise to some that much of what Marozzo writes is packaged into sequences of actions called the *assalti*. These sequences, or forms, are part solo and part pair exercise, likely designed to be performed with an expert student or master. The exact reason why Marozzo chose to use this convention in his books — and indeed the question of how much he used these at his *sala d'arme* — remain unknown to us, but as historical martial artists it is our responsibility and job to decipher these sequences, interpret the purpose of every step within them, and to learn to perform them with utmost elegance. Right after learning the guards, the next step is to focus our efforts on the assalti. Marozzo gives us three assalti for this weapon. The first two are "pure" forms in a sense, and the third one consists of *strette di mezza spada*, or "straits of the half-sword", meaning techniques and their counters executed from a position of crossed swords. The Anonimo gives us no assalti (as with other weapons), but only an extensive set of *strette*. This section is partially missing, but I have hopes for the missing parts to be brought to light eventually. This answers the question why we should begin with Marozzo: the teaching of the Anonimo is a natural extension to the third assalto — the strette — of Achille Marozzo. ## Coming Up In the next part I will give you a translation of the *Primo Assalto di Spada da Due Mani*, or the first assault of the two-handed sword, together with a little bit of analysis and instruction on how to get started with it. I will eventually be making a video of the form as well, but unfortunately you will have to wait until I have the time to produce it. The execution is rather outdated and faulty (the video is from 2010), and should not therefore be used as a reference for learning. As another teaser, and to increase the informative value of this post, I will offer here the translation of the first part of the first assault. I hope this will act as a digestible appetiser for future posts. Using the guards and the :link[cuts derived from the single sword]{#70f0254d-6c1e-4abb-80ac-b6a63682d504}, you can see if you are able to understand the instructions. It is a good exercise and gives you an idea of the kind of work that needs to be done to breathe life into the Bolognese tradition. ::video[Art of the Two-handed Sword Part 1: The Teaching]{#7561f3fb-162b-49c4-8266-3f473edb9f99} ## The first assault of sword in two hands Here note that in the name of God we give the principles of the art of sword in two hands, of wide play as well as narrow; and of holds (prese) of the sword we'll do many beautiful things and work also against shafted weapons one against one and in company and in every fashion the said two handed sword happens to be used: so therefore pay attention and note the below-written method; > Firstly you need to come to find your enemy with one of these "entries to play" (andari a gioco) that to you is appropriate, after which you will be near the said [enemy]. Now having arrived close to your enemy, you place yourself in Guardia di Testa to go to find the said enemy; but watch well that if he were in Porta di Ferro Alta it is necessary that you feint with a falso pointed outside his sword (with a falso impuntato) to his right side, passing with your left and right foot forwards, together with this step throwing a mandritto to the head with a tramazzone, in a way that your sword drops to Porta di Ferro Larga; and then if your enemy attacks your head, you throw your right foot towards his right side and parry with the true edge of your sword, driving in this parry the point of the sword into the face of the enemy; and in one action you pass with your left foot toward his right side throwing a roverso fendente atop his head, and your sword will drop into Coda Lunga e Alta with the left foot in front; but if your opponent in this decline [of your sword] attacks your head, draw the left foot close to the right and cross strongly your hands, extending the point of the sword in the face of the enemy and, in this way, you have parried the aforesaid attack; and having parried, you throw the right foot two spans backward and throw a falso dritto from below upwards to the hands of the enemy and, in this strike, the left foot will go strongly behind the right, so that you will be with your sword in Porta di Ferro Alta and the left foot will follow behind the right; and here I want you to await the enemy. ======================================================================== FILE: courses/art-of-the-two-handed-sword/art-of-the-two-handed-sword-part-3-il-seconda-parte-del-primo-assalto.md ======================================================================== --- type: page title: La Seconda Parte Del Primo Assalto resource: https://marozzo.com/courses/art-of-the-two-handed-sword/art-of-the-two-handed-sword-part-3-il-seconda-parte-del-primo-assalto tags: - assalti - assalto - forms - marozzo - spadone - sword timestamp: "2014-07-29T20:17:21.000Z" access: public status: published nodeId: "4ae2ddbc-320d-4bd1-a143-e87d271976b9" --- With the overview of all the other sources dealing with the two-handed sword out of the way and the guards covered, we can now pick up the pace and dive deeper into the teachings of Achille Marozzo. I hope you have already read the first part of the first assault, translated at the end of the previous part? If not, go read it now and only then resume reading this. I don't want to lay the complete assalto out in front of you all at once, but instead present it in bits, just the way Marozzo probably intended. I hope in this way you will take some time to really *think* about Marozzo's words, seeing how clever his instruction actually is. There is a lot of knowledge encoded into the assalti, and some pedagogic conventions as well. As you watch, consider how this second part connects back to the first — there are two things worth finding. But, to quote various Italian warriors and condottieri: enough talk, let's see some action. ::video[Art of the Two-handed Sword Part 2: La Seconda Parte]{#b802fde6-650d-45ae-b584-a7c19e7ab6e8} ## Two Things to Notice > Being with the sword in Porta di Ferro Alta, here it is necessary that always you watch, in the wide play, at the [opponent's] sword from middle onwards and, in the narrow play you watch the left hand in case of holds and feints. > *But first in the wide play he throws a thrust in falso to the outside to unsettle you, in order to give any mandritto or other strike: then beat the said thrust with the false edge of your sword a little to the outside, at the same time stepping strongly forward with your left foot and push a crossed thrust to his face.* > *And having pushed the said thrust, pass with your right foot toward the enemy's left side, and in this passing strike a falso from below upwards to his right hand and the left foot will follow behind the right; without stopping you strike a tramazzone that falls into Cinghiara Porta di Ferro with your left foot in front.* > *Then for your safety draw the left foot close to the right and parry the enemy's blow in Guardia di Croce, and having parried the said blow, throw the right foot two spans behind the left and strike a falso from below upwards, straight to the hands; and in this strike, the left foot will go strongly behind the right, so that in this way you will have arrived with the sword into Porta di Ferro Larga.* If you wish to continue the exercise, pause here and think before reading on — I am about to reveal what the two things are. Firstly, you will notice that the second part begins by explaining the opponent's action1 while the first one begins with "your" action. And not only this, but the opponent's action is the very same that you are executing in the first part. Marozzo is teaching a counter to the sequence of feints in the first part, which — not surprisingly — is to shove the point of your sword into your opponent's face to break his designs. Secondly, the ending is identical, save for the final guard, as in the first part. This highlights the importance of parrying in Guardia di Croce and following with a falso to the hands, all done with relatively elaborate retreating footwork. This sequence will repeat itself throughout the *primo assalto* — serving as an *aide-memoire* and a moment to breathe between the ten parts of the exercise, much like the *abbellimenti*, the embellishments of the sword and buckler forms. In the next part we will continue reading the original instructions of Marozzo, until we reach the end of the primo assalto. After reading and studying the text I will give you further instructions on how to execute both roles of the exercise. But before that, there is plenty of work to do with the text. But if you want to have a go trying to re-create the assalti on your own before the videos and other more detailed instructions, I have no doubt about Achille Marozzo's ability to guide you through it. You only need patience and to listen to him carefully. Please share in the comments if you have any thoughts on the second part of the first assault. 1. In the past, even I have been guilty of spreading the misconception that the assalti would be rather quiet about the other swordsman's role in the exercise, but it simply is not true. Of course, Marozzo liked to save ink and sometimes there are multiple options, but at the same time there is plenty of material to reproduce both roles of the assalto at a believable, reasonable level. ======================================================================== FILE: courses/art-of-the-two-handed-sword/art-of-the-two-handed-sword-part-4-choices.md ======================================================================== --- type: page title: Choices resource: https://marozzo.com/courses/art-of-the-two-handed-sword/art-of-the-two-handed-sword-part-4-choices tags: - assalti - assalto - marozzo - spadone timestamp: "2014-07-30T23:13:06.000Z" access: public status: published nodeId: "967df35f-cf13-4165-8cb9-4f636fe62603" --- Continuing from *Porta di Ferro Larga*, we proceed to the next chapter of the *primo assalto*. The opening provocation here is different from what came before: a beat with the false edge to displace the opponent's sword, followed by a cut to the legs — but the sequence that follows raises some pointed questions worth examining carefully. ::video[Art of the Two-handed Sword Part 3: Choices]{#b508b69d-6090-4afb-9442-06009d175a3f} ## Breaking Down the Sequence > As you know, in the second part you finished in Porta di Ferro Larga. I want you to give beat with the false edge of your sword to that of the enemy, strongly toward your right side, bringing in this strike your left foot close to the right, and having hit the said falso, you will strike him with a mandritto tondo to the legs, passing in this strike the right foot strongly forward, and this mandritto will return to Guardia di Faccia, pulling in that time the right foot close to the left. > And direct the point of your sword to the face of the enemy, in a way that if he strikes to your head, you feint as if you were parrying with your sword but let his strike go past and at the same time let go a roversofendente, while passing with your left foot toward his right side in a way that your sword will fall into Coda Lunga Alta. Without stopping, for your security draw the left foot close to the right and go with your sword into Guardia di Croce, and from there in one action throw the right foot two spans behind the left giving a falso dritto from below upwards to the hand of the enemy; and in throwing the said falso the left foot will go behind the right and in this way you go with the sword into Porta di Ferro Alta, to the right of the aforesaid. This is straightforward enough as an opening, but what about the sequence that follows? How, and in what time, are we supposed to enter Guardia di Faccia, feint a parry, strike a *riverso*, and so on? And what exactly is *feinting a parry*? If your opponent strikes you during the tempo of your attack, there is no counter nor defence. Unless you use feints or otherwise work a step ahead of your opponent, you can't really prevent him from hitting you. This often happens with the cut to the legs: if the defender draws the leg out of the path of the cut and simultaneously strikes the head or the hand of the attacker, there will be no time or possibility for the attacker to counter. How, then, is it possible to *feint a parry* while the opponent is countering your cut to the leg? The answer — at least in my opinion — is to choose another type of defence for the opponent. The beat takes his sword that much out of the line that it is not possible for him to retract the leg and strike in time. Instead he goes for a parry with the spadone, keeping his hands high and simply circling the blade into the path of the incoming cut. This forces the fight into a two-tempo mode, where the defences no longer are simultaneous with the attacks, but always have a parry followed by a riposte. In this way the initial attacker, when the swords collide at the opponent's parry, has time to retreat half a pace backwards, bringing the sword up into Guardia di Faccia as if to parry, but with the intention of letting the opponent's sword go past and throwing his own sword around into a *riverso* cut. The feinting of a parry serves to — well — parry in case there is no possibility to go around, but also to incite the opponent to steer his cut slightly off. This happens because there is a tendency for people to look for a crossing of blades, when in their perception the border between seeing a defence and seeing an attack blurs. A similar action was already seen, albeit slightly differently, in the first part, and it is found elsewhere too. Dall'Agocchie specifically explains doing this with the single-handed sword. And what are we left with? The opponent likely parries the *riverso* and strikes, and you parry with Guardia di Croce as you have done before. ======================================================================== FILE: courses/art-of-the-two-handed-sword/art-of-the-two-handed-sword-part-5-lets-see-some-action.md ======================================================================== --- type: page title: "Let's See Some Action!" resource: https://marozzo.com/courses/art-of-the-two-handed-sword/art-of-the-two-handed-sword-part-5-lets-see-some-action tags: - assalto - marozzo - tramazoncello - tramazzone timestamp: "2014-10-15T01:32:31.000Z" access: public status: published nodeId: "94d60940-bf94-45cc-82b5-426a8dd91666" --- Of the Primo Assalto, the fourth part is one of my favorites. It is really the fourth part that kicks off the flowing and inspiring nature of Marozzo’s two-handed sword. The same feeling is reflected in the fifth and ninth part, and in a way also in the final tenth part. But before we can get that far let’s hear what Marozzo has to say about the fourth part. ::video[Art of the Two-handed Sword Part 4: Let's See Some Action]{#fc9b2cd8-2468-402d-a67b-e2658428e131} ## Fourth part that discusses the *tramazoncello* > Therefore you being in Porta di Ferro Alta and your enemy in the selfsame guard, I want you to throw a *tramazoncello*, with your left foot passing toward his right side, in a way that your sword falls into *Cinghiara Porta di Ferro Stretta.* > And from the said *Cinghiara* you drive a thrust (punta infalsata) to the outside, that will go to his left temple over his sword: for fear of the said thrust he will expose his lower parts wherein you will give a *mandritto tondo* to the feet that draws and enters into *Guardia d’Entrare in largo passo*. > And then, being in the said Guardia d’Entrare you will pass with your right foot strongly forward and push a thrust, crossing your hands together over the enemy’s sword on the inside, that is to his left side, and the said thrust will go strongly to his face; and then for the fear of this thrust he will displace it with his true edge towards the inside, then you will let go a *mezzo mandritto* to his right leg that will not pass *Porta di Ferro Larga.* > Then if your enemy attacks your head you will draw the right foot close to the left and parry his strike with the true edge of your sword, in *Guardia di Faccia,* and having parried you will gallantly pass your left foot toward his right side and give him a roversofendente that will fall into *Coda Longa Alta.* > Then for you safety draw the left foot close to the right and go with your sword into *Guardia di Croce* and then throw the right foot two spans behind the left and throw a falso dritto to his hands from below upwards; and in throwing the said falso the left foot will go strongly behind the right, in a way that your sword will go into *Porta di Ferro Alta*, and here settle yourself neatly and gallantly. I realize how long this is and (for those not well accustomed to reading Bolognese fencing terminology) words do not fully do justice to the nature of this play. While I don't yet have a proper video to demonstrate this sequence, I can explain and analyze it a little. As the title suggests, this video introduces the *tramazoncello*. A tramazoncello is a *little tramazzone*, but what is that, then? A tramazzone is a type of cut explained to be done as a wheeling wrist cut when used with a one-handed sword, that is typically done by letting the sword-point drop to the inside and delivering the cut as a righ-to-left diagonal descending action (which would be called a *mandritto*). Entering into the realms of interpretation I have come to the conclusion that with the two-handed sword the tramazzone is typically done by dropping the point to the outside, mainly because of how the left hand acting as a lever enables different mechanics. The tramazoncello therefore, I believe, is simply a smaller version of this. Almost like a round disengaging action that keeps the point oriented forwards rather than wheeling it around. After this action, that gets you on top of the opponent’s sword you launch a thrust and for the duration of multiple actions you never cease to keep the offensive, going from one target to another until your opponent avoids your cut to the leg and responds with an attack. Even at this moment you will only let him keep the initiative for but a little instant, until you parry and strike again. In the end you finish with the retreat out of measure that is already familiar to us from parts one, two and three: parrying with hands crossed in guardia di croce, following with a falso to the hands. This part of the assalto is my favorite exactly because of the sequence of 1. Initiating with a thrust that is parried high 1. Following with a cut to the feet from the right, leading into a high left position with point threatening the face of the opponent 1. Switching to a thrust from the other side by crossing the hands, with a descending thrust that is again parried, giving way for the next strike: 1. another mandritto the feet like before — almost as if you didn’t manage it first you make sure you get it this time! In the next part we will see how Marozzo uses not the small tramazoncello, but a normal tramazzone to begin the engagement. ======================================================================== FILE: courses/art-of-the-two-handed-sword/art-of-the-two-handed-sword-part-5.md ======================================================================== --- type: page title: An Assalto Within Assalto resource: https://marozzo.com/courses/art-of-the-two-handed-sword/art-of-the-two-handed-sword-part-5 tags: - assalto - form - glossary - interpretation - marozzo - translation timestamp: "2014-10-20T02:26:25.000Z" access: public status: published nodeId: "0152f070-402f-4384-82c2-d14000662b5b" --- The Primo Assalto (first *assault*, or *form*) of the two-handed sword has ten parts. Now let's look at the fifth part. It is one of my favorites, because it is so complete that it is almost an assalto of its own! Now having a lot of material in it does not necessarily mean it is overly long or difficult to learn. It does need repetition though: pick an interpretation, commit to it, and refine as you go. Let's begin with my interpretation as a video together with Marozzo's words rendered in English: ::video[Art of the Two-handed Sword Part 5: An Assalto Within Assalto]{#e4cee9bc-bdd7-4831-9da0-6fb8dc551080} ## Here continues the fifth part of the agent > Now being in *Porta di Ferro Alta* and your enemy in *Porta di Ferro Stretta* or *Alta*, from here you find him by passing with your left foot towards his right side and striking a *tramazon* that will beat strongly his sword. > Without stopping the abovesaid tramazon, you push a thrust *in falso* to the face of the opponent, over his sword, outside to his right. > For the fear of the said thrust, he will parry it knocking it outwards or upwards, during which you will give him a *roversoridoppio* from below upwards to his arms, passing with your left foot strongly forward. > And know that because of this redoppio you will make a hold with your left hand. And you don't want to make a hold, you pass your right foot to his left side and give a mandritto to the head in any way you like, together with a tramazon that will fall in Porta di Ferro Larga. > Then, you being in the said Porta di Ferro Larga and your enemy responds with any strike, you parry with the false edge of your sword from below upwards, striking a *roversosgualembrato* to his right temple while passing with the left foot strongly towards his right side, your sword finishing into Coda Lunga e Distesa. > For your safety you will do this strike that is called 'escape and cover', in a way that your sword will go into Cinghiara Porta di Ferro Stretta. > And from here you need to embellish the play, that is you will make a right turn throwing the left foot close to the right and then do a left turn going with the sword into *Guardia d'Intrare* and the left foot will go in a large pace towards the enemy's right side. > And you stop in the abovesaid guard of entering in a large pace, with your arms neatly extended, and above all your left hand high strongly above and the point of your sword forwards, directed to the face of your adversary. Reading this, it is clear that some technical background is needed — these actions are not straightforward to interpret. ## Glossary Here are the terms relevant to this part of the assalto: ### Porta di Ferro Alta ::image{#m17cvkty88hmn5bsnafye9jj9h7yxnjb} A type of guard with the sword to the inside of your right thigh (porta di ferro), held with arms somewhat high (alta). ### Porta di Ferro Stretta ::image{#m17edgpd7gm034xesw9r8kd9e17yw4jb} A type of porta di ferro held with the hands somewhat close to the body and the point of the sword toward the opponent. ### Tramazon A cut executed by wheeling the sword around its point of balance. With the two-handed sword, this action is likely done either to the inside or the outside depending on the circumstances. ### Thrust in falso A thrust executed in the way of a false edge strike, an action similar to a rising cut with the false edge but that strikes with the point. ### Roverso ridoppio An ascending cut done from left to right with the true edge of the sword. ### Mandritto A strike originating from the right side, traveling towards the left, typically in a descending diagonal line, unless otherwise specified. ### Porta di Ferro Larga ::image{#m176mny29ym4mvg76m8e7fz7857ywwvf} A type of porta di ferro with the sword pointing to the ground. ### False edge The edge of the sword facing towards the swordsman. ### Roverso sgualembrato A downwards strike originating from the left side towards the right in a diagonal angle. ### Coda Lunga e Distesa ::image{#m17athwvyp7bwggzwgx7qqvhan7yx6gh} A guard with the left foot in front and the sword pointing backwards on the right side. ### Escape and cover A retreating action consisting of a defense of escaping with the body and by covering with the sword. Unfortunately we lack a precise technical description. ### Cinghiara Porta di Ferro Stretta ::image{#m17b88t225wmcs4ccqsx3eafrh7yx6et} A type of porta di ferro with the left foot in front and the point towards the opponent's face, with hands pulled somewhat close to the body. ### Embellishment An action done out of measure, which is to decorate and make the play beautiful; basically a flourish. ### Right turn The first half of this embellishment. Consists of a riversosgualembrato into guardia di testa and a riversoridoppio, while drawing the left foot, that was forwards, back close to the right, ending into guardia di croce. ### Left turn The second part of this embellishment. Consists of a mandrittosgualembrato into guardia di testa and a mandrittoridoppio while stepping with the left foot forwards in a long pace into guardia d'intrare. ### Guardia d'Intrare (in largo passo) ::image{#m17bm5j7gssd196kr3xwxkv9v97yw74x} A guard with the left foot in front and the sword high to the left, with the point sloping somewhat downwards towards the face of the opponent. ## Interpretation The process of interpretation for this sequence, like the others, consists of three phases (and often several iterations of this cycle): 1. Solve the meaning of any technical terms or expressions that you are not familiar with 1. Learn to execute all the actions in sequence without too much extrapolation of actions 1. Figure out how the sequence plays out with an opponent and get fluent in executing the sequence with a partner For step one, the fifth part provides plenty of challenge: the thrust in falso comes up again, and there are many guards and cuts to be understood. Those are manageable, but then we hit the 'escape and cover', which in its original Italian form is *fugie e crove* — 'crove' not being a known word in any Italian dialect as far as I know. So we are forced to interpret it, and I have settled on the theory that 'crove' is a form of *coprire*, 'to cover'. I would be happy to be corrected on this, but that is the best I have. Even so, we still have the question of what the phrase actually means in practice. From Marozzo's description (he uses this action twice in his book, only with the two-handed sword) we only know that it ends in cinghiara porta di ferro, and both times the action begins from a position where the left foot is in front. For the action to include any sort of *escape* (*fugie*) there needs to be a backwards step, and from a left foot in front position into the same there have to be two passes or a gathering step or some sort of leap that does not change the lead foot. Fugie e crove also includes two terms and hence likely two actions, so going with a false edge parry and a true edge strike into the required position seems reasonable, but it is difficult to confirm! But even more interesting is the *embellishment*. A right turn and a left turn — what are those? Starting with what we have in the primo assalto: - Begin in cinghiara porta di ferro - Perform a 'right turn', bringing left foot back - Perform a 'left turn', throwing the left foot in front - Finish in guardia d'entrare This is not much to go on, leaving us quite free to perform whatever we want in place of these turns. But reading all of Marozzo, we find more clues from the *secondo assalto*, where he describes the following in the seventh part: > Here, being in the seventh part of this second assault in guardia d'intrare in a large pace, here embellish the play, that is throw a roverso into guardia di testa, drawing the left foot close to the right and at the time turn the sword into guardia di croce. And from here do the left turn that goes into guardia de intrare with your right foot escaping. Nothing is certain until we find more detailed sources, but we *can* allow ourselves to make the following assumptions: - The first part of this passage describes the right turn, as in the second the left turn is mentioned but not described in detail, while the first is not named but instead described in detail. - Regardless of the different starting guard and steps, the *volte* are similar in both *assalti.* If we take these to be true, we can say that the right turn consists of 1. A generic *roverso* (likely descending) that ends into guardia di testa, while drawing the left foot close to the right. 1. A turn of the sword from guardia di testa into guardia di croce, which is a cross-handed position where the true edge of the sword points up, the sword pointing forwards at head level on the right side. This action is likely to be reminiscent of a riversoridoppio. From here we can assume that the left turn is the opposite of this, consisting of 1. A generic *mandritto* (likely descending) into guardia di testa. 1. A turn of the sword into guardia d'intrare while stepping forwards and to the side with the left or backwards with the right, reminiscent of a mandritto ridoppio. This is by no means definitive, and the embellishment remains one of the more mysterious parts of Marozzo. But at least this way of doing the two turns draws on actions that are actually described in the text. The other easy option would be to pull the sword directly into something vague on the right side, and then throw it up to guardia d'entrare. Doing it like this, it feels like something is really missing. Marozzo frequently encourages us to do things our own way, so I think he would be happy to see us improvise something beautiful where we are forced to extrapolate — but we should stay honest about when we are guessing. ## Notes In the video, when I do the embellishment, I do not emphasise the position of guardia di testa as much as I should — if at all. After the first cut, the sword should rotate into a position like this: ::image{#m17fgv09r3tq50zj110zajxcxs7ywny4} And the rising cut should be done from there. I may update the video, or add another showing this in more detail. ======================================================================== FILE: courses/art-of-the-two-handed-sword/art-of-the-two-handed-sword-part-6-short-and-to-the-point.md ======================================================================== --- type: page title: Short and to the Point resource: https://marozzo.com/courses/art-of-the-two-handed-sword/art-of-the-two-handed-sword-part-6-short-and-to-the-point tags: - assalto - marozzo - spadone - two-handed sword timestamp: "2014-10-22T00:59:59.000Z" access: public status: published nodeId: "3229d733-d199-47b1-853f-221dcd391373" --- The fifth part of the Primo Assalto marks a mid-point in the form. It introduces the *embellishment* for the first time (which is only repeated in the tenth part) and by this time most of the actions introduced in the Primo Assalto are already shown. From the sixth on we see some of the earlier themes revisited, and find many new examples of how to use the sword cleverly presented by Marozzo within the steps of the form. ::video[Art of the Two-handed Sword Part 6: Short and to the Point]{#cdf02832-cb2e-4663-abba-5a34e771942b} ## Sixth part and in this the agent will be with a falso > From the said **Guardia d’Intrare in largo passo**, you find your enemy with a **falso manco**, passing with your right foot strongly forward to the right, and this you do to give him a reason to move from his guard. > And as he moves, you pass with your left foot toward the his right side and make feint of throwing a **tramazon** to the head, only to let it fall as a **roverso** to the leg that will go into **Coda Longa e Distesa**. > But for your safety you throw your left foot strongly behind the right and drive **a crossed overhand thrust** to his face, and with a **half-turn of your hands** your sword will go into **Porta di Ferro Alta**, where you set yourself with your hands well placed and as gallantly as possible. The sixth part is very short and by now, if you have studied the guards and the cuts, you will be able to follow the text without difficulty. You will notice that the beginning is familiar from the first part. In the first part we began with the point off-line and threw a thrust in way of a *falso*, while now we begin with the point in line and throw a *falso* with the edge. The feet are reversed as well but in the first there were two passes made and here only one. At the throwing of the tramazzone we are in a very similar situation as in the first, but instead of following through with the cut we execute it as a feint, passing with the left as we throw a cut from the left side to the leg that travels all the way to the extended-behind position of Coda Longa e Distesa. From there we choose not to execute the standard retreat but instead pass back with a thrust, finally settling into Porta di Ferro Alta. Notice that in the video I make the transition after the thrust as a cut while the text implies a *mezza volta di mani*, a half-turn of the hands, which is essentially just turning from one guard to another without necessarily performing a cut of any kind. I got a bit carried away, but outside the practice of this form in its purest, performing the cut after the thrust is just as valid. So if you compare these you can see how they share same movements but there are certain differences, like switches flipped: ### First part 1. Begins point off-line 1. Throws a falso with point 1. Throws a full Mandritto 1. Parries with true edge and strikes a half roverso, then parries with Guardia di Croce, going through into a falso dritto 1. Finishes into Porta di Ferro Alta ### Sixth part 1. Begins point in line 1. Throws a falso with edge 1. Feints a mandritto and throws a full riverso 1. Continues the riverso by spinning around into an imbroccata 1. Finishes into Porta di Ferro Alta The most interesting thing is that if you consider the last actions of these two sequences, you may realize that parrying in Guardia di Croce and cutting afalso drittoin the first part and cutting a riverso into Coda Longae Distesa and following with a crossed thrust are the same action, only done in different directions. Pretty neat, huh? Ask any Marozzo aficionado and they’ll tell you this is no coincidence. When you start looking you will find more of similar instances in Marozzo’s work — strangely it is as if the master started to speak to you directly as your understanding grows. Perhaps the genius in the *assalti* is exactly this: as you practice them you start to see the reasons behind them. What at first appeared as lacking in structure and symmetry suddenly becomes clear. It is the same with the partner forms as you figure out the possible actions of the *master*, the one performing the defenses and offenses you are acting on or provoking with the form. As you become more sure about what the correct steps are you go through an incredible amount of situations and actually develop a greater number of skills for surprising situations than you ever imagined. Perhaps this is now a bit too much speculation, but there’s little doubt that it does work like this in practice. The nice thing about the *assalti* is that there are not too many places where we are forced to guess and come up with our own ideas. There’s plenty of detail to keep us in touch with what we know is proper Bolognese swordsmanship. And as Marozzo tells us in various parts of his book, we can be creative. To which I can’t help but to add: as long as we stay true to the sources where possible, and admit where the line between interpreting and being creative stands. ======================================================================== FILE: courses/art-of-the-two-handed-sword/index.md ======================================================================== # Art of the Two-handed Sword - [The Guards](/courses/art-of-the-two-handed-sword/art-of-the-two-handed-sword-part-1-the-guards) - [The Teaching](/courses/art-of-the-two-handed-sword/art-of-the-two-handed-sword-part-2-the-teaching) - [La Seconda Parte Del Primo Assalto](/courses/art-of-the-two-handed-sword/art-of-the-two-handed-sword-part-3-il-seconda-parte-del-primo-assalto) - [Choices](/courses/art-of-the-two-handed-sword/art-of-the-two-handed-sword-part-4-choices) - [Let's See Some Action!](/courses/art-of-the-two-handed-sword/art-of-the-two-handed-sword-part-5-lets-see-some-action) - [An Assalto Within Assalto](/courses/art-of-the-two-handed-sword/art-of-the-two-handed-sword-part-5) - [Short and to the Point](/courses/art-of-the-two-handed-sword/art-of-the-two-handed-sword-part-6-short-and-to-the-point) ======================================================================== FILE: courses/guard-lessons/guard-lessons-cls.md ======================================================================== --- type: page title: Coda Lunga Stretta resource: https://marozzo.com/courses/guard-lessons/guard-lessons-cls tags: - lesson - guard-lessons - lessons timestamp: "2020-07-13T12:26:40.000Z" access: public status: published nodeId: "1138c7d0-7068-48c2-bc54-b4f5d537d1aa" --- The first in our series of guards is the Coda Lunga Stretta, or _narrow long tail_. ::video[]{#2cc46f46-c93d-453b-9d56-22078951ae1e} ## Characteristics of the guard The key defining feature of all the Coda Lunga guards is that the sword hand is held to the outside of the right knee, when the sword is held in the right hand. Coda Lunga Stretta has the sword hand close to the knee – either right next to it or slightly pushed forwards, but nowhere near full extension. This guard should be seen as a _withdrawn_ position rather than an _extended_ one. Marozzo uses Coda Lunga Stretta with the right foot in front, and would generally call the position Coda Lunga Alta if the left foot was in front. There are :link[differences]{#c89d0987-cdab-462b-afcd-f80ed1ffa0c3} in how the masters name the guards, but for now we should consider the position only with a right lead. I find it useful to keep the wrist in slight extension as this makes it easier to hold the sword and ensures that the wrist is firm and acts first when initiating attacks and defenses from the position. This however is not detailed in the source text. The body should lean somewhat forwards, as Marozzo depicts in all of the three instances where this guard is shown using various sidearms. ::image[]{#m177zt5d9ewbadrgx11jgsfx6d7yw9kf} Marozzo describes Coda Lunga Stretta equally good for striking and parrying, thus it being suitable for being either the _agent_ (attacker) or the _patient_ (defender). ## Entering the guard You should familiarize yourself with the guard and practise entering into it by both stepping forwards and backwards. To make the most of this exercise, try to minimize all unnecessary movement and _telegraphing_ your actions. Make sure you _feel_ comfortable in the position and that you are able to take the exact same position every time should you so choose. If possible, take photographs or video of yourself entering the position, and check that all the key details are in place. You can then compare yourself to the above video or even better, to Marozzo's illustrations. But remember that not everyone has to take the positions _exactly_ the same way – more important is that you are aware of what you are doing and why. ## Actions in Coda Lunga Stretta Marozzo wants us to learn the attacks, the parries and their ripostes from this position, but he does not enumerate which attacks can be launched from this position. Practically it is possible to make virtually any strike from here, and you should practise each one. It is difficult to say whether Marozzo would have wanted us to practise the attacks and parries with stepping freely, or in place, or always with ripostes or progressing from only the attacks through the parries to their ripostes, but I believe we can safely assume that a setup of beginning in Coda Lunga Stretta in order to learn basic actions is a good one. In the above video we decided to show most of the basic attacks without footwork, leaving that for later when you have studied more of these guards. You can of course include footwork in your exercises at any stage you feel comfortable doing so – it would not be wrong to do so even immediately at the beginning. We decided to show only parries, leaving the ripostes totally for later – in a later part of this course we have gathered multiple plays or pair drills from Marozzo that begin in Coda Lunga Stretta. Instead, we show here a simple exercise of just closing lines of attack from Coda Lunga Stretta. This drill in itself is still useful, especially if you pay attention to how you can invite attacks to be either _mandritti_(aimed towards your left side) or _riversi_(aimed towards your right side) while staying in Coda Lunga Stretta and not changing guard, but instead changing how your body and the point of your sword is aligned in relation to the attacker. You can also see other examples of parries in the :link[Parries]{#4016487b-004c-4c81-8002-6548801428ff}. ## The next guard In the next part of this course we will examine Cinghiara Porta di Ferro. You can practise transitioning into the guard by throwing a _mandritto sgualembrato_ while passing diagonally forward with your left foot. ======================================================================== FILE: courses/guard-lessons/index.md ======================================================================== # Guard Lessons - [Coda Lunga Stretta](/courses/guard-lessons/guard-lessons-cls) ======================================================================== FILE: courses/guards-and-footwork-of-achille-marozzo/footwork-of-a.md ======================================================================== --- type: page title: Footwork resource: https://marozzo.com/courses/guards-and-footwork-of-achille-marozzo/footwork-of-a tags: - section - guards-and-footwork-by-achille-marozzo - footwork timestamp: "2020-05-24T21:28:33.000Z" access: public status: published nodeId: ac7ac4f8-651f-480c-85c2-3d2a4c619591 --- ::children ======================================================================== FILE: courses/guards-and-footwork-of-achille-marozzo/footwork-of-a/applying-the-segno-to-another-exercise.md ======================================================================== --- type: page title: Applying the Segno to Another Exercise resource: https://marozzo.com/courses/guards-and-footwork-of-achille-marozzo/footwork-of-a/applying-the-segno-to-another-exercise tags: - lesson - guards-and-footwork-by-achille-marozzo - footwork timestamp: "2020-05-24T21:28:14.000Z" access: public status: published nodeId: e6808975-611e-4cb5-92e8-60a77f7d5ab3 --- Since all steps on the segno can be taken by alternating between the left and the right foot, as in casual walking, with a little bit of creativity we can "apply" it to any set drill that involves footwork. Marozzo is rather reticent about what, and how, to practice while passing over the segno. This is one example of using it creatively to deepen your understanding of a given sequence, such as dall'Agocchie's "defending from each guard", while simultaneously improving your footwork and movement. ::video[Applying the Segno to Another Exercise]{#9291f23d-bd84-4abb-bcbf-7147de66f1c7} ======================================================================== FILE: courses/guards-and-footwork-of-achille-marozzo/footwork-of-a/footwork-on-achille-marozzos-segno.md ======================================================================== --- type: page title: "Footwork on Achille Marozzo's Segno" resource: https://marozzo.com/courses/guards-and-footwork-of-achille-marozzo/footwork-of-a/footwork-on-achille-marozzos-segno tags: - lesson - guards-and-footwork-by-achille-marozzo - footwork timestamp: "2020-05-24T21:28:20.000Z" access: public status: published nodeId: d0bf6945-68a7-4ae6-9fd1-c987ecc3e0ba --- Achille Marozzo's *segno* — an eight-pointed star diagram used as a training tool for footwork — is one of the distinctive features of his work that gives us some suggestion of the training methods used in the 16th-century *sale d'armi*. This video is an exploration of how to practice with the segno, offering more exercises and a more precise methodology than earlier treatments of the subject. Note that while the segno is described and illustrated by Marozzo, these exercises are a suggestion rather than a direct transcription of something Marozzo explicitly advised. ::video[Footwork on Achille Marozzo's Segno]{#e7d9b5b5-d04a-4bda-8a76-ac2120ab32dd} ## What Is the Segno? The segno is a geometric training diagram with eight points arranged in a star. This layout is not arbitrary — it allows circular, diagonal, and angular movement possibilities that a linear diagram could not. The segno is not a mnemonic tool so much as a training environment to inhabit. ## Building the Foundation Practice begins simply: from the center, you step toward one of the eight points with a natural, normal-length stride. Once comfortable with all eight directions, you can skip points — stepping directly to a 90-degree angle rather than the adjacent 45 degrees, then to 135 degrees, and eventually to a full 180-degree reversal. Combining step sizes within a single sequence develops your capacity to move according to the situation. ## Turns, Guards, and Cuts The segno also trains the *volta* — the rotational body turns central to many actions with the sword. The *mezza volta di mano* and *mezza volta di persona* are practiced in combination with steps, building automatic coordination between steps and body rotation. Once stepping and turning patterns are established, you can layer in guard positions and transitions. These transitions become mandritti, riversi, and thrusts that flow naturally from one guard to the next as you navigate the star's points. Guards like *coda lunga* and *porta di ferro* alternate between each step, and the *mezza volta* that underlies these actions will power the entire movement. ## Paired Practice The segno supports pair practice as well. With a partner, it provides structure for continuous, flowing engagement — whether circling around your opponent at the outer edge of the segno in search of an opening, or engaging more closely within it. The footwork options trained in solo drilling become tactically meaningful within the segno, and simply having the segno painted on the floor and practicing over it will encourage versatile footwork. Marozzo included the segno for a reason. It organizes the full range of movement into a coherent, scalable system that supports the rich movement patterns within the Bolognese tradition. ======================================================================== FILE: courses/guards-and-footwork-of-achille-marozzo/guards.md ======================================================================== --- type: page title: Guards resource: https://marozzo.com/courses/guards-and-footwork-of-achille-marozzo/guards tags: - section - guards-and-footwork-by-achille-marozzo - guards timestamp: "2020-05-24T21:28:27.000Z" access: public status: published nodeId: a5e83a2c-67ab-4511-9b84-377f0042b31b --- ::children ======================================================================== FILE: courses/guards-and-footwork-of-achille-marozzo/guards/guard-positions-and-their-names.md ======================================================================== --- type: page title: Guard Positions and Their Names resource: https://marozzo.com/courses/guards-and-footwork-of-achille-marozzo/guards/guard-positions-and-their-names tags: - lesson - guards-and-footwork-by-achille-marozzo - guards timestamp: "2020-05-24T21:28:00.000Z" access: public status: published nodeId: "15f8cc76-814a-4258-b096-2d998b9e670c" --- The following video shows you the guards of the Bolognese tradition, one by one. ::video[Guard Positions and Their Names]{#50ec00a4-675c-4c87-bf72-11e6cecc6eba} ## High guards - **Porta di Ferro Alta**\ *(high iron door)* - **Coda Lunga Alta**\ *(high long tail)* ## Narrow guards - **Porta di Ferro Stretta**\ *(narrow iron door)* - **Coda Lunga Stretta**\ *(narrow long tail)* ## Wide guards - **Porta di Ferro Larga**\ *(wide iron door)* - **Coda Lunga Stretta**\ *(narrow long tail)* - **Sotto Braccio**\ *(under arm)* - **Coda Lunga Distesa**\ *(extended long tail)* ## Guards with opposite lead - **Cinghiaro Porta di Ferro Alta**\ *(high boar's iron door)* - **Cinghiaro Porta di Ferro Stretta**\ *(narrow boar's iron door)* - **Cinghiaro Porta di Ferro Larga**\ *(wide boar's iron door)* ## Guards over shoulder level - **Guardia Alta**\ *(high guard)* - **Sopra Braccio**\ *(over arm)* - **Guardia Alicorno**\ *(unicorn guard)* - **Guardia di Testa**\ *(head guard)* - **Guardia di Faccia**\ *(face guard)* - **Guardia d'Entrare**\ *(entering guard)* ======================================================================== FILE: courses/guards-and-footwork-of-achille-marozzo/guards/guard-progression-of-achille-marozzo.md ======================================================================== --- type: page title: Guard Progression of Achille Marozzo resource: https://marozzo.com/courses/guards-and-footwork-of-achille-marozzo/guards/guard-progression-of-achille-marozzo tags: - lesson - guards-and-footwork-by-achille-marozzo - guards timestamp: "2020-05-24T21:27:53.000Z" access: public status: published nodeId: "59f3bb64-e095-4411-b9a3-92e9ea57e768" --- ::video[Guard Progression of Achille Marozzo]{#5431af07-1b38-4deb-82dc-59d939ce6e3a} 1. Coda Longa Stretta 1. Cinghiara Porta di Ferro Stretta 1. Guardia Alta 1. Coda Lunga Alta 1. Porta di Ferro Stretta 1. Coda Lunga Distesa 1. Guardia di Testa 1. Guardia d’Entrare 1. Coda Lunga Larga 1. Becca Possa 1. Guardia di Faccia 1. Becca Cesa ======================================================================== FILE: courses/guards-and-footwork-of-achille-marozzo/guards/system-of-guards-2.md ======================================================================== --- type: page title: System of Guards resource: https://marozzo.com/courses/guards-and-footwork-of-achille-marozzo/guards/system-of-guards-2 tags: - lesson - guards-and-footwork-by-achille-marozzo - guards timestamp: "2015-04-10T00:29:02.000Z" access: public status: published nodeId: "6f6f5901-05fc-4805-8603-115cc1d040d7" --- These lessons will show you a standard way I use to teach the guards. This is a somewhat simplified process, but it helps new students to learn the positions with confidence, without having to worry too much about specifics or the terminology. ## Brief intro ::video[System of Guards - Brief Intro]{#b037e44d-eb82-4db5-9479-696917864f64} ## Full video ::video[System of Guards - Full Video]{#28b907e0-fdd1-4875-a696-8f509b4601d3} ======================================================================== FILE: courses/guards-and-footwork-of-achille-marozzo/index.md ======================================================================== # Guards and Footwork of Achille Marozzo - [Guards](/courses/guards-and-footwork-of-achille-marozzo/guards) - [Footwork](/courses/guards-and-footwork-of-achille-marozzo/footwork-of-a) ======================================================================== FILE: courses/index.md ======================================================================== # Courses - [Art of the Two-handed Sword](/courses/art-of-the-two-handed-sword) - [Guards and Footwork of Achille Marozzo](/courses/guards-and-footwork-of-achille-marozzo) - [Techniques of Anonimo Bolognese](/courses/techniques-of-anonimo-bolognese) - [Guard Lessons](/courses/guard-lessons) ======================================================================== FILE: courses/techniques-of-anonimo-bolognese/anonimo-001.md ======================================================================== --- type: page title: Anonimo 1 resource: https://marozzo.com/courses/techniques-of-anonimo-bolognese/anonimo-001 tags: - lesson - anonimo-001-025 - techniques-of-anonimo-bolognese timestamp: "2020-05-29T19:37:30.000Z" access: public status: published nodeId: e1740c89-4df5-4f95-b10f-8e8d0ac9d640 --- This is the first action I have decided to enumerate from the Anonimo Bolognese. It is one of the longest plays in the entire manuscript, including multiple points where the opponent can be harmed. It spans all the stages of combat from entering from outside of measure with a provocation through various attacks and defenses into a close-quarters action by performing a presa. ::video[Anonimo 1]{#84117807-e04e-4645-80aa-f0d4367020a6} Originally one of the hardest plays to interpret, this sequence finally renders into a beautiful set of chained offensive actions, perfectly displaying the nature of Bolognese swordplay as demonstrated by the Anonimo. ## Translation First, having the sword alone you can set yourself in PdFS, with the right foot forward opposite to your enemy, keeping the left hand close to the thigh. From here you can approach him, making the left foot push the right forwards. Without striking make sure to keep yourself in a wide pace in order to more readily be able to push forwards and to retreat backwards without disorder. You having done this he is forced to make a strike or retreat backwards. But if instead he only wants to oppose you in the same guard with the right in front, with genteel skill you push your opponent's sword to his left with the false edge of your sword atop his, taking it out of the way. And during this time make a wide pass with your left foot towards his right side throwing a mandritto to his face or sword arm that does not go beyond CPdF and the right foot follows behind the left[1]. And if your opponent responds with any strike you can hurt his sword hand with a mezzo roverso that does not pass CLS. And if he doesn't respond with any strike do not hold yourself from delivering the abovesaid roverso. And if your opponent has the sword in presence you can make a small feint of pushing a thrust to his right side, but in the instant passing with the right foot towards his left side taking his sword with the true edge of yours, making a half-turn of the hand and pushing a thrust to his body behind his sword with the left foot following behind the right. And in this taking you need to smack his sword somewhat forcefully away towards the ground or his right side. With vigor you overpower him and push a thrust to his flank for his misfortune. And if he, in any way, saves himself with his sword pushing yours upwards or to the side, after seeing this you follow with a wide pass to his right side with your left making a presa with your left hand on his sword hand and push it to his left, during which you turn a riverso fendente on top of his head, while letting your right foot following behind the left. [1] The original text reads so that the left follows behind the right. This seems to be a mistake, so I have corrected it in the translation. In the position of CPdF, and after a pass forwards with the left it is unlikely the left would be following behind the right. ## Commentary This play is one of the longest in terms of description within the Anonimo. Despite this the techniques themselves are quite straightforward. But do not let the quickness of this play deceive you, as there is a wide array of material available in this first play. We are introduced, for example, to the following concepts: - initiating an attack by constraining the opponent to attack (or stand still as in this case), the action of stringere - feinting - half-turn of the hand - entering into a presa in case your attack is parried - making a beat onto a sword extended in presence - using both edges of the sword to manipulate the opponent's sword Some parts of this play include options, through which it can be easily varied. I often find the first plays in fencing texts a bit more cryptic than many of those that come later — as if the masters got better at communicating through the process of writing more. With the Anonimo I get this feeling as well. The first play is long, has many options and even seems to have a mistake in the text. For these reasons it took me a long time to satisfactorily interpret this play, but I am rather satisfied with it now, and use many aspects of this play in daily practice. ======================================================================== FILE: courses/techniques-of-anonimo-bolognese/anonimo-10.md ======================================================================== --- type: page title: Anonimo 10 resource: https://marozzo.com/courses/techniques-of-anonimo-bolognese/anonimo-10 tags: - lesson - anonimo-001-025 - techniques-of-anonimo-bolognese timestamp: "2020-05-29T19:38:45.000Z" access: public status: published nodeId: fbccece7-bca6-4270-ba7c-3ce27574ffc4 --- ::video[Anonimo 10]{#b1de5127-4a39-44f8-bd5f-2c88050e6231} This play is a simple attack by beating the opponent’s blade and then following in with a thrust, immediately resorting to a grapple should the opponent parry the thrust. ======================================================================== FILE: courses/techniques-of-anonimo-bolognese/anonimo-11.md ======================================================================== --- type: page title: Anonimo 11 resource: https://marozzo.com/courses/techniques-of-anonimo-bolognese/anonimo-11 tags: - lesson - anonimo-001-025 - techniques-of-anonimo-bolognese timestamp: "2020-05-29T19:38:55.000Z" access: public status: published nodeId: "2cb0cdb2-338f-474f-a2ce-1fc2a704fe43" --- ::video[Anonimo 11]{#674b2c16-3250-45e2-a11a-4be4d8746d43} This play continues from number ten by following the initial beat with a feint and a sfalsata, then beating again and making a thrust. Should the opponent parry and strike, this strike is intercepted in Guardia d’Intrare and followed by a riverso cut to the head. ======================================================================== FILE: courses/techniques-of-anonimo-bolognese/anonimo-12.md ======================================================================== --- type: page title: Anonimo 12 resource: https://marozzo.com/courses/techniques-of-anonimo-bolognese/anonimo-12 tags: - lesson - anonimo-001-025 - techniques-of-anonimo-bolognese timestamp: "2020-05-29T19:39:03.000Z" access: public status: published nodeId: db3e6d4e-58ad-47af-85f0-f9048c8a607e --- ::video[Anonimo 12]{#6947e1c0-f7bb-49ba-a970-dffe87c4d082} This play begins with a feinted thrust on the inside line, followed by a beat and another thrust. If this thrust is also parried and the opponent follows with a cut, the cut is parried and followed by a thrust in Guardia d’Intrare. ======================================================================== FILE: courses/techniques-of-anonimo-bolognese/anonimo-13.md ======================================================================== --- type: page title: Anonimo 13 resource: https://marozzo.com/courses/techniques-of-anonimo-bolognese/anonimo-13 tags: - lesson - anonimo-001-025 - techniques-of-anonimo-bolognese timestamp: "2020-05-29T19:39:13.000Z" access: public status: published nodeId: "0f028b97-8230-4cc9-ba4b-ce9e7e0e6763" --- ::video[Anonimo 13]{#bdacb25c-d061-4306-a240-550ce3adf211} ## Translation If your opponent is arranged in CLS with the left foot in front, set yourself in CLS with the left foot in front. From here make a feint of pushing a thrust to the flank into his left side, and as he moves his sword in order to parry the said thrust, that is he will make the point of his sword look outside towards your right side, you will then disengage your sword under his connecting the true edge of your sword over his at the middle forwards towards the point. And in one tempo you will pass with your left foot forwards running a thrust into the chest behind his sword. But you need to maintain pressure with your sword on his toward the ground as much as you can and at this time push the said thrust into his body behind his sword. And if he lifts his sword in order to parry the said strike, you will search with your left hand to make a presa on his sword. ======================================================================== FILE: courses/techniques-of-anonimo-bolognese/anonimo-2.md ======================================================================== --- type: page title: Anonimo 2 resource: https://marozzo.com/courses/techniques-of-anonimo-bolognese/anonimo-2 tags: - lesson - anonimo-001-025 - techniques-of-anonimo-bolognese timestamp: "2020-05-29T19:37:39.000Z" access: public status: published nodeId: fe274118-db28-46b5-b51e-52fd0f9e6cb9 --- The second action shows perhaps the most fundamental defensive action within the Bolognese repertoire of techniques. The generic nature of this defense is emphasized through its effectiveness against all three types of attacks originating from the right side of the opponent towards the defender's upper openings. ::video[Anonimo 2]{#5e798b94-4ded-440c-9487-bc09915a6e65} ## Translation If you are in CLS with the left foot in front facing your opponent and he attacks with a mandritto in order to wound your upper parts, or with a stoccata or an imbroccata, against each of these strikes pass with your right foot deep towards his left side. During this time make a half turn of the hand meeting the opponent's strike with the true edge of your sword and pushing a thrust with all your strength to his chest behind his sword. And have your body turn well behind your sword so that the sword and the right shoulder will be directly towards your opponent. The sword goes into GdI and the left foot must faithfully follow the right. Then you will retreat backwards with the right foot setting yourself gracefully into CLS with the left foot in front. ## Commentary In its essence this is — and is meant to be — a very straightforward play. The only real question in the interpretation of the play is the precise nature of the thrust done "behind the opponent's sword" in Guardia d'Entrare. Both the somewhat cryptic definitions of this guard position and the somewhat vague description of the thrust leave room for interpretation, further emphasized by the possibility of pushing the opponent's sword towards the ground while executing the defence. For this video I have chosen what I feel is the most basic and functional interpretation, though there are options and slight modifications that may be viable. It must also be remembered that some descriptions might only pertain to a single option given in the previous moment of the play, such as beating the opponent's sword towards the ground; this is unlikely to happen in the position of Guardia d'Entrare, while that may still be the position during the thrust. Parry-riposte combinations such as this one are at the heart of Bolognese swordplay. While many of the sequences in the Anonimo are far more complex, it is the ability to defend and strike from any guard, against any attack, that underlies all the skill of a fencer. ======================================================================== FILE: courses/techniques-of-anonimo-bolognese/anonimo-3.md ======================================================================== --- type: page title: Anonimo 3 resource: https://marozzo.com/courses/techniques-of-anonimo-bolognese/anonimo-3 tags: - lesson - anonimo-001-025 - techniques-of-anonimo-bolognese timestamp: "2020-05-29T19:37:47.000Z" access: public status: published nodeId: "7528b8b6-af24-477c-a749-7faca5c0eae5" --- ::video[Anonimo 3]{#cf0e0b49-f46f-4317-a681-c6bababb43e7} The third play introduces another way of initiating the attack with a beat, and a defense done to the outside line. ## Translation If your opponent is in CLS with the right foot in front place yourself in the same guard, and from there pass with the left foot across towards his right side while throwing a mandritto to his sword hand that does not go beyond CPdFS, and the right foot must follow somewhat behind the left. If the opponent throws any strike to wound your upper parts, step with the left an amount towards his right side and make a half turn of the handmeeting his strike with the true edge of your sword in way of GdT, after which you push a thrust to his chest behind his sword and the right foot will follow faithfully behind the left. And in pushing this thrust it is necessary that you force his sword somewhat towards his left side and that you push the thrust to his chest with all your might. ## Commentary There are a couple of interesting points to consider in this play. The first is the nature of the initial provocation is it a cut to the hand or a beat Naturally a cut to the hand requires certain conditions in order to be viable, and it is possible for the opponent to close the line in a way that aiming at the hand would be dangerous. The reason for this is that generally a cut aimed to the hand leads to a very unfavourable crossing should you land on the crossguard instead of wounding the arm. But we will often see that the concept of striking at the hand can sometimes include striking the sword as well. These two are commonly treated as the same action, and this leads me to believe that you take whichever is more convenient for you. Basically three things can happen here You wound his hand and effectively end the fight He avoids your cut by moving the hand away (likely then follwoing with an attack) You hit his sword instead, preferably beating his sword aside For this video I chose to simply strike the sword but close to the hand, to make it easier for my opponent to follow with the next cut. Simply cutting at the hand is still a viable option of course. The other thing is the footwork. This play shows an interesting double step with the left foot, that is uncommon in many later sources. The first step is a pass and the second an accrescimento, a combination typical for the Anonimo. The last point is the final thrust. I have chosen to perform it basically as a stoccata, but it could be done as a descending imbroccata as well, since neither the end guard nor the type of the thrust is defined in the text. The forcing and pushing nature of the description leads me to believe a rising thrust is what the author is after, but of course the type of the thrust can be chosen according to the individual situation. This is one of the many plays that are best executed with an amount of speed and vigor. When practiced slowly the timing is difficult and the double step can feel awkward, but done faster and more naturally, the distance, the steps and the blade actions start to fall in place. In the video I make an extra step with the front foot before beginning the actions, this can be done but strictly is not part of the drill. The first cut could also be done with a tighter and smaller arc, but I chose to use a big action for better displaying the motion. ======================================================================== FILE: courses/techniques-of-anonimo-bolognese/anonimo-4.md ======================================================================== --- type: page title: Anonimo 4 resource: https://marozzo.com/courses/techniques-of-anonimo-bolognese/anonimo-4 tags: - lesson - anonimo-001-025 - techniques-of-anonimo-bolognese timestamp: "2020-05-29T19:37:56.000Z" access: public status: published nodeId: "65ed0311-d944-40d7-84f9-a413496f6d6b" --- ::video[Anonimo 4]{#24b69ae4-a8c1-46d1-9dfc-a99853677e9f} The fourth play shares many of the features of the second play, but now we begin with the right foot in front, necessitating that we defend with an accrescimento instead of a pass. ## Translation If you are placed in CLS with the right foot in front against your opponent, and he throws a mandritto or a fendente or if he pleases a stoccata or an imbroccata at your face, you will step the width of four fingers or a palm towards his left side with your right foot. And during this step you will make a half turn of the hand meeting his attack with the true edge of your sword, and behind his sword you will push a thrust into his chest or face. This strike needs to be done by beating his sword in every which way, so that as the thrust lands in his face or chest your left foot will follow somewhat behind the right and you need to let your body turn well, so that your right shoulder will be directed towards the opponent and the sword will end in way of GdI. From here you will retreat back with your right foot entering CLS with the left foot in front. ## Commentary This play is very straight forward. The most noteworthy thing is perhaps the detail in which the step is described, likely emphasizing the difference between this play and the second, where instead of a small step the width of four fingers a wide pass is made. We only chose to film the defense against the mandritto, though it would work similarly against the other strikes. For reference you can see the variations of the second play. ======================================================================== FILE: courses/techniques-of-anonimo-bolognese/anonimo-5.md ======================================================================== --- type: page title: Anonimo 5 resource: https://marozzo.com/courses/techniques-of-anonimo-bolognese/anonimo-5 tags: - lesson - anonimo-001-025 - techniques-of-anonimo-bolognese timestamp: "2020-05-29T19:38:03.000Z" access: public status: published nodeId: "72668757-8ef9-4b01-af3e-a7544bf176f6" --- ::video[Anonimo 5]{#5aaa2edb-0ea8-4c76-a492-0e0fa914a709} The fifth play introduces the sfalsata. ## Translation If your opponent has set himself in CLS with the right foot in front, or in PdFS, and you are placed in CLS with the left foot in front, from here make a feint of pushing a thrust to his chest on his right side, and as he makes any motion you then disengage your sword under his passing in this instant with the right foot deep towards his left side taking the true edge of the sword to his, beating it somewhat towards the ground or pushing it with force a little to his right, so pushing a thrust into his flank making the left foot follow behind the right. The sword will be found in GdI. In doing this strike you want to force his sword this way and to turn your body as much as you can, because these are most genteel aspects to accomplish. ## Commentary Building on similar concepts of beating and parrying from your right side and following with a thrust, this play begins by introducing the concepts of feinting with a thrust and the sfalsata, the Bolognese term for disengaging your sword under your opponents to the other side. This play is very close to the hallmark plays of later era rapier texts, where a feint and a disengage form a great deal of the core system. In those texts the alignment of the blades is often described in great detail, but the Bolognese way of describing things — while extremely detailed — is often more superficial. Steps, body movements and blade actions are described in equal amounts of detail, not drilling into the specifics of any of these actions. It is left to the student to learn the specifics through experience. It is of note that the thrust landed after the sfalsata could here be done either in a direct manner, or more like a due tempi action where the opponent’s sword is first pushed down and only then followed by the thrust. For us working with the text these options are not problematic. The text clearly suggests to us two different methods, so we are free to practice and experiment with them. Tactically we then have the sequences of feint-disengage-thrust and feint-disengage-beat-thrust. Both perfect examples of Bolognese tactical thinking (and, in my opinion, of fencing in general). Former is quicker, but less secure and the latter is more secure but takes one tempo longer to execute. ======================================================================== FILE: courses/techniques-of-anonimo-bolognese/anonimo-6.md ======================================================================== --- type: page title: Anonimo 6 resource: https://marozzo.com/courses/techniques-of-anonimo-bolognese/anonimo-6 tags: - lesson - anonimo-001-025 - techniques-of-anonimo-bolognese timestamp: "2020-05-29T19:38:11.000Z" access: public status: published nodeId: "3d0bb8ca-e2ce-43a0-a4ce-b7ea7b92d595" --- ::video[Anonimo 6]{#2534394a-eafd-4a19-b3b6-4f48694b66aa} The sixth is similar to the fifth, but done on the other side; feinting on the opponent’s inside and finishing with a thrust on his outside line. ## Translation If your opponent is in CLS with his right foot in front, you will place yourself in CLS but with the left foot in front opposite to him. From here you will pass with the right a great step towards his left side throwing a mezzo riverso into his sword-hand, that does not go beyond CLS, and your left foot must follow behind the right. And, from here, immediately feint as if you were to push a thrust to his chest, making a demonstration of a half-turn of the hand on his left side. And as he makes any motion to parry this feint you then disengage your sword under his and make a half-turn of the hand taking the true edge of your sword against his. And in this instant pass with left foot deep towards his right side pushing behind his sword a thrust to his flank, following with the right foot behind the left. This strike necessitates that you force his sword somewhat towards his left side in order for you to be able to wound with the said thrust, and that you turn your body as much as you can, so that the right shoulder is towards your opponent’s chest and the sword will be in way of CLA, but with the point kept towards the opponent as much as possible. ======================================================================== FILE: courses/techniques-of-anonimo-bolognese/anonimo-7.md ======================================================================== --- type: page title: Anonimo 7 resource: https://marozzo.com/courses/techniques-of-anonimo-bolognese/anonimo-7 tags: - lesson - anonimo-001-025 - techniques-of-anonimo-bolognese timestamp: "2020-05-29T19:38:18.000Z" access: public status: published nodeId: "71075f12-7d2f-4868-bc11-6fb2ddb5a08a" --- ::video[Anonimo 7]{#3d51af81-3047-4469-979c-9061a12baed2} A direct attack into a small opening left by the opponent. The seventh play is a lesson on tactics, the importance of details and also in the importance of being quick to take advantage of a tempo where one is presented to us. ## Translation If you are placed in CLS with your left foot in front against your opponent, take note whether he has his sword in presence. If the point does not look directly at your[1] body, but somewhat outside towards your[2] right side, you reach to him as much as you can in the right way[3] and immediately take the true edge of your sword over that of his while passing with the right foot forwards into a wide step, pushing behind his sword a thrust into his chest. And this strike needs to beat his sword with force towards the ground, and so in the same time push a thrust into his body. And if he lifts his sword upwards to parry this thrust, pass forwards and somewhat towards his right side in a wide pace making a presa on his sword-hand with your left. [1] This is erroneously transcribed as “sua”, meaning “his” in L’Arte della Spada. [2] This is erroneously transcribed as “sue”, meaning “his” in L’Arte della Spada. [3] Destro modo, which I believe can translate here as “the right way” or simply “directly”, but in both cases the meaning is clear. ## Commentary This play is tactically important and shows a way of entering with a direct attack if the opponent leaves an opening in his guard. The concepts addressed here are: - point in presence and leaving accidental or intentional invitations by slightly shifting the guard position (here likely to be accidental) - reaching forwards with the body and arm before stepping - making a very committed and quick attack, which if unsuccessful, leads into grappling - attacking without any kind of feint This play is a testament to the practical nature of many of the plays in the manuscript. The slightest error in the opponent’s guard can be immediately taken advantage over by attacking in a way that you can not be harmed when you attack, and should he manage to parry, you can always enter into a grapple. Noteworthy is a comparison to the instance where the opponent might have had the point in presence. The attack could not be as direct in that case, exposing you to a *sfalsata*and a counterattack in the tempo of your taking care of finding his sword first. As things are, this play offers us also a good example of the dangers in the interpretation process. The mistakes in the transcription could be explained as a quirky way of expressing things, even if they immediately seem like red flags. If not checked, it could lead to a very different kind of play, where everything would happen on the other side. This would probably not be too far off from the original intention, but all the little details and extra bits of information we can extract from the play would then be out of context and completely misplaced, negatively affecting our level of understanding on the finer points of these techniques. ======================================================================== FILE: courses/techniques-of-anonimo-bolognese/anonimo-8.md ======================================================================== --- type: page title: Anonimo 8 resource: https://marozzo.com/courses/techniques-of-anonimo-bolognese/anonimo-8 tags: - lesson - anonimo-001-025 - techniques-of-anonimo-bolognese timestamp: "2020-05-29T19:38:26.000Z" access: public status: published nodeId: "4e88ccc6-5327-4be0-888c-a18ca6e170e4" --- ::video[Anonimo 8]{#88ccd0bd-cbfe-45fa-b68f-bf0a88122310} This play, possibly connected to a play in Marozzo’s _Abbattimento di Spada Sola_, introduces the initial provocative cuts, that are not meant to connect with the opponent’s sword but simply to confuse the opponent and to prepare your follow-up actions. ## Translation If your opponent is in CLS with the right foot forwards or in PdFS, you will set yourself against him in CLS with the left foot forwards, and from here make a falso tondo that must not touch the opponent’s sword at all, and follow by passing with the right foot a great step forwards somewhat towards his left side, making a feint of throwing a mandritto to the head. And when he will go to parry this mandritto, you abandon the impression of mandritto, instead quickly throwing the true edge of your sword into his pushing it with full force towards his right side or the ground. And so at the same time you will push behind his sword a thrust to his chest and your left foot must follow behind the right and your sword will be found in way of GdI. In making this strike turn your body as much as you can, that is, with the right shoulder towards the opponent. ## Commentary While the text is clear, the exact purpose of the initial falso tondo is somewhat challenging. Even more tricky is the way how the feint of a cut is supposed to be changed into a beat on top of the opponent’s parry – a concept that is easy to understand but that requires very specific conditions to be true in order for it to work. Namely, the beat needs to be done early enough for the agent to get on top of the opponent’s blade properly. The initial false-edge cut is not so easy to see in the video, but it is important. This play introduces two new concepts to the mix: the preparatory provocative cut and the way to beat against a parry. ======================================================================== FILE: courses/techniques-of-anonimo-bolognese/anonimo-9.md ======================================================================== --- type: page title: Anonimo 9 resource: https://marozzo.com/courses/techniques-of-anonimo-bolognese/anonimo-9 tags: - lesson - anonimo-001-025 - techniques-of-anonimo-bolognese timestamp: "2020-05-29T19:38:33.000Z" access: public status: published nodeId: "1a06cc57-3e82-48dc-88f2-38f8617b3c1b" --- ::video[Anonimo 9]{#073b8ef6-ba2b-447a-9a68-b5e44050ea21} This play continues the theme of beginning with preparatory cuts. This time the purpose is to find a completely new perspective towards the opponent, then following the previously introduced concept of acting according to what line the opponent may have left open. ## Translation Should your adversary have set himself with the sword in PdFS with the right foot in front, set yourself in the same guard and from here you will pass with the left foot across towards his right side, and in this passing you will make a falso and a riverso. And this falso and riverso does not intend to wound the opponent, but to disorder him so that you can get to him with a different blow. Hence these falso and riverso need to be made wisely, so that the sword is warily halted in CLS and the right foot will follow behind the left. And as soon as you have arrived to this position, make note in which way the opponent has the point of his sword, because if he has it looking off-line to your right side you will need to follow one way, and if he has it looking off-line to your left side it will avail you to use another. But proposing that he has it looking somewhat off-line to your right side, follow by passing with your right foot into a long step taking the true edge of your sword over his, pressing it an amount towards the ground, and at this time use all your might to throw the point of your sword into his body behind his sword. And if he retreats backwards, pass through with your left foot while searching to make a presa with your left hand. ## Commentary For the option of doing a trapassare and a presa, I have shown two options: doing it to the inside and to the outside. I favor the outside line presa here strongly, but have left both for reference. This is one place where the way you do the presa is dictated by the situation more than anything. The finishing move is not described, but as always, there is a strong suggestion that it is left open for you to perform whatever technique you find most suitable. ======================================================================== FILE: courses/techniques-of-anonimo-bolognese/index.md ======================================================================== # Techniques of Anonimo Bolognese - [Anonimo 1](/courses/techniques-of-anonimo-bolognese/anonimo-001) - [Anonimo 2](/courses/techniques-of-anonimo-bolognese/anonimo-2) - [Anonimo 3](/courses/techniques-of-anonimo-bolognese/anonimo-3) - [Anonimo 4](/courses/techniques-of-anonimo-bolognese/anonimo-4) - [Anonimo 5](/courses/techniques-of-anonimo-bolognese/anonimo-5) - [Anonimo 6](/courses/techniques-of-anonimo-bolognese/anonimo-6) - [Anonimo 7](/courses/techniques-of-anonimo-bolognese/anonimo-7) - [Anonimo 8](/courses/techniques-of-anonimo-bolognese/anonimo-8) - [Anonimo 9](/courses/techniques-of-anonimo-bolognese/anonimo-9) - [Anonimo 10](/courses/techniques-of-anonimo-bolognese/anonimo-10) - [Anonimo 11](/courses/techniques-of-anonimo-bolognese/anonimo-11) - [Anonimo 12](/courses/techniques-of-anonimo-bolognese/anonimo-12) - [Anonimo 13](/courses/techniques-of-anonimo-bolognese/anonimo-13) ======================================================================== FILE: install.md ======================================================================== --- type: page title: Install Marozzo as an App resource: https://marozzo.com/install timestamp: "2026-05-08T16:12:44.735Z" access: public status: published nodeId: b809f4ad-350a-484b-8989-1a4683015d92 --- Marozzo.com works as a Progressive Web App — install it and the site opens in its own window with its own icon, and updates automatically. ## Desktop - **Chrome / Edge / Brave / Arc**: click the install icon at the right end of the address bar, or open the browser menu and choose **Install Marozzo…** - **Safari (macOS 14+)**: **File → Add to Dock…** - **Firefox**: not supported — use one of the Chromium browsers above. ## Mobile - **iPhone / iPad**: open in **Safari** (required), tap **Share → Add to Home Screen**. - **Android**: open in Chrome (or Firefox / Samsung Internet), tap the menu, choose **Install app** or **Add to Home Screen**. If installation doesn't appear as an option, update your browser to the latest version. ======================================================================== FILE: source-texts.md ======================================================================== --- type: page title: Source texts resource: https://marozzo.com/source-texts timestamp: "2026-03-02T19:17:26.160Z" access: public status: published nodeId: "3774ebee-b102-428a-8670-0bc7969d993e" --- The works are quite easily available, and facsimiles of Marozzo’s *Opera Nova* can be found in many other places than the ones listed here. These should be enough for you to get started! I only post translations in this list that I use myself and have found good and complete. ## Achille Marozzo Scans & transcription at [Wiktenauer](https://wiktenauer.com/wiki/Opera_Nova_(Achille_Marozzo)) ## Antonio Manciolino Scans & transcription at [Wiktenauer](https://wiktenauer.com/wiki/Antonio_Manciolino) ## The Anonimo Bolognese Transcription at [Wiktenauer](https://wiktenauer.com/wiki/Anonimo_Bolognese_(MSS_Ravenna_M-345/M-346)) ## Giovanni dall’Agocchie Scans & transcription at [Wiktenauer](https://wiktenauer.com/wiki/Giovanni_dall%27Agocchie)