Fiore: Mixed Weapons: Dagger and Staff v Spears (Fol 31r-v)
Dagger and Staff v Spears (Fol 31r–31v)
System: Fiore: Longsword
Section: Fiore: Longsword: Zogho Stretto
Source Text and Drawing
This master waits for these two with their weapons. The first wants to strike with an overarm thrust. And the other wants to strike underarm. This one can see. The master that waits with the staff on his right hand side, thus about in the whole iron door, turning his body, not moving his feet, nor the staff from the ground. And the master remains in guard. And as one of these strikes, he beats aside his lance with the staff, and with the dagger that he needs, to the left side, and with that beat he passes and strikes. And this is his defence as you find below these two with the lance.
We were both ready to strike this master but according to what he says we can’t do anything. Except that we could deceive him in this way, thus, we will turn the heads of the lances backwards, and we will strike with the foot of the lance. And when he beats aside the foot of the lance, we will turn our lances, and strike him from the other side with the heads of the lances. And this will be his counter.
This is the play of the master that waits for these two with two lances. The master has in his right hand a dagger, and in the left has the staff directly in front of his right foot. He could do the play in this way. If I were to do it in his place. But if this player had known well how to do it, he could have avoided this thrust of the dagger. If he had widened his hands on the lance, and with the extension of the lance that extends backwards he would have covered under my dagger, thus crossed, this would not have happened to him. And with the lance he could have injured me, if he had know how to do this counter.
Video
Key Resources
Book: From Medieval Manuscript to Modern Practice: The Longsword Techniques of Fiore dei Liberi
Online Course: The Medieval Longsword Complete Course
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Source: Getty MS Ludwig XV Translation: Dr. Guy Windsor
