First assalto of Marozzo
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| Capitolo 147: Two players with sword and targa. | ||
The first of three assalti for sword and buckler described by Achille Marozzo in his treatise, Opera Nova. This assalto is broken into seven parts, plus an introduction. In addition, Marozzo instructs his students to complete each part with an embellishment, which is initially prescribed but later left up to the students' creative powers.
This assalto is "asymmetric" in the sense that Marozzo primarily focuses on the actions of one player, named the agente, only occasionally describing what his opponent, patiente, is doing. It is assumed, unless otherwise stated, that patiente is continuously defending, primarily with his shield.
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Sequence
The general pattern for each part (except the introduction) is as follows: beginning in a high guard (guardia alta or guardia di testa, agente proceeds to throw attacks that open up his opponent's guard from below. Finish with three strikes: a mandritto to the leg, flowing into a riverso to the arm, followed by a montante, ending in guardia alta. Finally, add an embellishment.
This assalto is essentially demonstrating several ways of creating an opening against which a certain attack -- the finishing three cuts in each part -- can be devastating.
Throughout, agente's buckler should be extended well of his body and only moved slightly when necessary to allow his sword to pass. Patiente, on the other hand, uses his buckler constantly to defend himself against agente's attacks.
Note: each part is broken down into steps, literally. Every action a single player performs with a single step is presented together as a single item. This is because, usually, such actions are intended to flow into one another smoothly.
Introduction
From the Manuscript
Translation
The first assault of the wide play of sword and buckler.
Now here begins the first assault of the sword and small buckler, that is beautiful and useful in sparring and teaching. Note: First the need in the play is to find your partner. I want you to place yourself in a corner of the hall with your buckler at your lower left side, that is on the thigh, and your right foot close to your left, withdrawn neatly, and with the sword in Coda Lunga et Larga, your arm extended, and your body right and galant as much as possible. Here I want you to throw your right leg forward, and in this step I want you to strike the falso of your sword to the dome of your buckler, and in this striking, move the said dome toward your face, and there you throw your left leg in a grand-pass in front of your right, and in this step make a touch (beat) of the buckler and place your sword into Guarda di Testa with the arm well extended. Then you turn the point of the sword towards the ground with the false-edge towards your buckler and there you throw a falso of the buckler in this way; cut from low to high with your right hand, and in the cut make a molinello while passing forward with your left foot. You will end above the buckler arm and you will touch (beat) the buckler with your pommel to the inside of the rim and there throw your sword fist ahead of your buckler, turning the point towards the ground, and in this turn cut a rising falso of the buckler. In this cut throw your right leg forward and make a rising montante, immediately withdrawing your right leg close to your left, the sword ending in Guardia Alta with your buckler well extended. And then you cut a fendente along the rim of the buckler with the right foot behind and that being done you pull the left to the otherside of the right, and put your sword in Coda Lunga et Distesa, and then you make a grand pass with the left foot ahead of the right, and in this stepping you make a touch (beat) to the buckler and the sword comes to Guardia di Testa, cutting again from below a falso to the dome of the buckler, and in this cut you make a grand pass with the right foot ahead of the left, and make a rising montante along the buckler, immediately withdrawing the right foot close to the left and your sword will go to Guardia Alta with your arms well extended, and your left thigh away from the opponent, and your right foot well extended, and withdrawn galantly. You, the agente, are now close to your opponent, as is the need whether you are the agente or the patiente.
Interpretation
In this part, the students start facing one another at opposite ends of the room, approximately ten meters apart. Their steps should bring them just within one range of another. They should perform the same attacks, simultaneously (i.e. agente and patiente have not been differentiated yet). Essentially, the introduction is one large embellishment; later embellishments take pieces of the introduction and repeat them.
- Begin in coda lunga e larga with the feet together, standing upright, and the buckler at the side.
- Pass the right foot a short distance forward, raising the buckler, and tapping the buckler with the false edge.
- Beat the false edge with the buckler and pass the left foot ahead of the right, ending in guardia di testa.
- Point the sword at the ground and beat the false edge with the buckler, cutting a montante followed by a horizontal molinello (passing through guardia sopra di braccio) while passing with the right foot forward.
- Cut a second molinello while stepping with the left foot, ending in guardia sopra di braccio.
- Pass the left foot forward and strike the corner of the buckler with the pommel.
- Bring the sword in front of the buckler, pointing downward. Beat the false edge with the buckler and cut a montante, ending in guardia alta, and passing the right foot forward.
- Cut a fendente along the rim of the buckler, ending in coda lunga e distesa, stepping forward with the left.
- Cut a rising cut from the right, beat the shield with the false edge of the sword and cut a montante into guardia alta.
At this point, the two players are within combat distance of one another. Subsequent parts focus on the actions of the agente, with patiente defending.
First part
In this part, agente draws his opponent's guard from high to low and back, until an opening presents itself below the shield.
- Begin in guardia alta with the right foot slightly ahead of the left. Agente throws two cuts in a large X over the buckler: a mandritto (to the opening above the opponent's shield) followed by a riverso. With each of these cuts, step (first with the right foot, then with the left). End in coda lunga e stretta.
- Thrust beneath the opponent's buckler. In the tempo of his defense (lowering his shield), throw a stramazzone to the head.
- Patiente throws a fendente to agente's head, which the latter defends in guardia di testa. Agente now steps across his left foot with his right, throwing a mandritto to his opponent's leg, flowing immediately into a riverso to the arm, finishing with a montante ending in guardia alta. It is essential that these last three attacks flow smoothly from one another without pause: with each defense, patiente is creating a new opening for the subsequent attack.
- Embellish.
Second part
Whereas the first part drew the opponent's guard from high to low and back, this part opens up the opponent's guard by persistently attacking from side to side.
- Begin in guardia alta. Agente feints a diagonal step forward and to the right. When patiente throws an attack to agente's head, the latter withdraws that foot and parries with guardia di faccia or guardia sopra di braccio.
- Agente makes a diagonal step to the left and throws a riverso to the opponent's temple.
- Agente makes a triangle step to the right, moving around his opponent, throwing two mandritto cuts: one outside the opponent's buckler, the other, a stramazzone, to the head, ending in porta di ferro stretta.
- Patiente attacks agente's head, and the latter parries with guardia di testa, and throws the final three cuts as in the first part.
- Embellishment.
Third part
Fourth part
Fifth part
Sixth part
Seventh part
Embellishments
Embellishments are "non-threatening" attacks at the end of each part of the assalti. They often involve attacking while moving backwards, or making excessive noise with the sword and shield. They are the 16th-century-equivalent of spiking the football in the end zone or growling and waving one's arms around. They can even be thought of (or used) as a flourish in a salute.
In the first part, Marozzo describes the following embellishment:
- Throw a fendente against the inside rim of the buckler, passing the right foot back, ending in coda lunga e distesa.
- Pass the right foot forward and beat the buckler with the false edge, ending in guardia di testa.
- Point the sword downward, beat the false edge with the buckler, and throw a montante, ending in guardia alta. Withdraw the right foot.
Later parts modify this basic pattern with stomps of the front foot, buckler punches at the air, and extra molinelli and stramazzoni thrown in a wheeling fashion over the head. Eventually Marozzo directs simply: "You may now embellish your play in any mode you want. That is with montare, cuts, and with touching of the brochiero." Whatever "mode" is adopted, the player must be sure to complete his embellishment in the guard in which the next part begins.
Videos
Literal translation
First Part
...that is to begin by doing this first. I want you to be in Guardia Alta. Step with your right foot and make a mandritto squalembrato ending in Sopra Braccio with the buckler well extended towards your opponent’s right side. Immediately withdraw the right foot close to your left. And if in this tempo your enemy cuts to your head, or leg with a mandritto, or a roverso, or thrust, or tramazzone, I want you in that tempo, that you make a grand-pass forward with the right foot. And that you cut a roverso squalembrato across the rim of your buckler and the sword comes to rest in Coda Lunga Stretta. And if your opponent cuts to your head, I want that you (cacci) a thrust beneath your buckler then go to the face of your opponent with two tramazzoni accompanying the said stable-thrust (punta ferma), and your sword comes to rest in porta di ferro stretta, and if at this moment while you are in porta di ferro stretta your opponent cuts to your head, I want you to accompany your sword with your shield and guard his strike in guardia di testa, and immediately having parried his strike, I want you to cut a mandritto tondo to his leg, withdrawing the right foot close to the left. Then step forward (do pure) with the said right foot, and cut a roverso squalembrato, rising immediately into a montante to the shield, and your sword goes into Guardia Alta. Withdraw the right foot to the left arranged precisely with your arm well extended and then embellish the play, that is wanting that you hurl the right foot behind the left with a grand-pass, and that you cut a fendente to the rim of the buckler, withdrawing, in the cut, the left foot and immediately re-advancing it forward. And make a strike to the buckler, and when you make this strike you make a half-turn of the fist, that is you turn the point of the sword towards the ground and strike the centre of your buckler with the falso of your sword from below and in that strike you make a grand-pass with the right foot in front of the left, and make a rising cut with the buckler withdrawn, withdrawing the right foot close to the left, and your sword enters into Guardia Alta, with your shield as extended as possible.
