1.2 Stance
Overview
This section will outline the typical stances or guards used in Italian rapier fencing. The objective is to give you an idea of how to form a balanced protective stance from which you can both readily defend yourself, and launch an attack against your opponent.
The legs
In all the stances the legs are held in the same position, so these instructions are common to all the guards.
The leading foot is the foot on the same side side as your sword hand, also called the sword foot. The sword foot points directly forward.
It is critical that the knee and foot both point in the same direction and the knee is over the foot, not sagging inwards.
The rear or "offside" foot should have the heel about a shoulder width distance from the sword foot heel, and be as directly behind it as is comfortable, certainly no more than a couple of fingers width off. Ideally the rear foot is at 90 degrees to the front foot but in practice most people have it somewhere between 60 and 90 degrees. It should be no less than 45 degrees.
With the feet in position, bend the knees to bring them just over the instep of each foot, being sure that they are over the instep and not at a bit of an angle. Now shift the torso backwards (but keep it vertical) so that the front leg is mostly straight, but the knee is unlocked. You may need to also straighten the rear leg a fraction so that some of the strain is relieved. A better way to relieve the strain is to turn the back foot to point a little behind the body, at approximately 100° from the front. The rear knee should now be more comfortably pointed in the same direction as the rear foot. It should feel like the weight is more on the back leg than it is on the front foot. Keep your weight on the balls of your feet. Fold in a little at the waist to maintain a straight spine. We call this the "withdrawn vita". (The vita is the renaissance Italian word for the area of stomach which they considered the centre of the vital force that makes us human.)
If you find the withdrawn vita stance difficult realise that you can do the Italian techniques with a more centred stance, but the manuals do use it, and the the instructions for the lunge require it.
Teaching note: women tend to let their backside stick out more than men do, but watch that everyone tucks the hip under and doesn't have an exaggerated curve in the lower back and the backside jutting out. Explain it as "rotating the hipbones up" or "pulling your hips towards your ribs as though you were starting an abdominal crunch exercise" or even "a pelvic thrust". Not only does it upset the balance of the stance, it is bad for the lower spine.
- Exercises:
- Most people find the stance uncomfortable to start with and need to learn how to spread at the hips, and to strengthen the quads and calves of the legs. Practice these once or twice a day for the first couple of months training.
- Hip flexor stretch - to open up the hip stretch (ie to get the 90° stance)
- Stand with the feet together. Turn the feet and legs outwards, so that they get as close to 180° as possible. Slowly bend the knees and lower the torso to stretch inner leg muscles etc. Ensure the knees point in the same direction as the feet. Hold the stretch for 10 seconds, then straighten the legs. Repeat 10 times.
- Horse stance - to strengthen legs
- Stand upright with the feet pointing forward and at about a shoulder width apart. Lower the torso while bringing up arms in front of you to be parallel to the ground. Final position ideally should resemble sitting on a chair. Hold for 10 seconds, then lower the arms and straighten the legs. Repeat 10 times.
Teaching note: Keeping the knee over the foot is something a lot of people don't do even when walking normally. Watch your students during all exercises and bouting and call "turn your knee out" to remind them when they forget. Knee damage is the single most common injury in fencers. If the foot and knee are not in vertical alignment, tremendous damage to the stabilising ligaments at the side of the knee, and at the ankle can occur. This damage is very slow to heal.
The body
Your torso should be upright, shoulders straight, head up and level. You are a haughty Italian noble, not a crouching knife fighter or a fearful novice.
Your hips and torso are aligned, and around 45 degrees from the line between your heels. You should not be facing your breast straight on to your opponent or have your sword shoulder very forward. Your shoulders are relaxed, not tense and pulling up.
Your back should be straight, your vita pulled in ("abs engaged" in modern gym speak) so that your lower back is not overly curved.
Turn your head to look along your sword at your opponent.
The arms and hands
The sword arm
Your sword arm should be about 3/4 extended. Your elbow should be more than a fist's width in front of your chest, 2 fists is best, and straight from your shoulder, not turning outwards or inwards. Your shoulder should be relaxed, not lifting to try and support the sword.
The guard recommended by Capo Ferro and Giganti is terza or third, with the sword hand in third position (cross vertical, knuckles to your swordside) at nipple height, above the middle of your thigh with the sword tip pointing at your opponent's eyes.
Teaching note: Most people find the sword is heavy in the beginning and so gradually they'll bend the elbow to bring the hand closer to the chest to relieve the strain. Watch for it and tell them to extend the arm. Don't let them extend so far as to lock the elbow.
The off hand
The free hand should be held at about sword side nipple height and roughly level with the sword arm elbow and close to it. The knife edge of the hand should face the opponent
This position covers the inside line close to the sword (why this is important will be shown in the chapter on pressures and glides) and also means that if you defend with the off hand you only have to decide to move it up or down, not up, down, inside or outside.
Teaching note: Many people will let the off hand flop down or ignore the off hand altogether. It's important they get used to holding it ready as it takes too long to get it back into position. This is also about where it will be when they use a dagger so get them used to it now.
- Exercise
- Go from a relaxed normal way of standing with your sword held loosely by your side to the terza guard. Look in a mirror, use lines on the floor, or have someone spot for you. Practice getting your feet the correct distance apart without needing to look, your knees over your insteps, your head up, your back straight, your sword elbow 3/4 extended, your off hand in the proper position. You should be able to go on guard without needing to shuffle your feet.
Putting it together - the guards
The guards are numbered in Italian, and take their names from the hand positions seen in part 1.1.
The main ones we will be using are terza, high seconde, low seconde, high quarte, and low quarte.
- offered vs refused. Note shoulder change when feet change. Note why you would use refused (others use it, we don't teach it at this stage).
Teaching note: Face the students and go into each guard. Ask them which parts of your body are covered and which seem open to attack. Drop the tip so the weapon is horizontal in terza, ask them what is open now.
If we drill the guards then we run into the transition problem. Perhaps just drill terza and quarte, leave the others till transitions.
Make clear note of tip position when on guard and when moving from left to right and back.
Explain hilt and tip position in low vs high.
- Exercise
-
Start in terza. Move to quarte. Step forward with your back foot so you move into refused stance, then move into terza in refused.
Have someone look at you as you are in each guard and compare you to the pictures taking note of the list of important things at the bottom of the page.
It is important
- that your knees must fairly straight with the back one bent a bit more than the front
- that you have your weight mostly on the balls of your feet
- to "withdraw the vita", to keep your hip tucked under and not stick your backside out.
- to relax your body - arms, legs, shoulders, neck. Just as you do when standing naturally.
- to hold your elbow forward of your body and your hand forward, rather than the elbow at your side and your hand by your hip.
- that your off hand is forward and ready, not near your chest and not floppy and forgotten
- to keep your tip at about your opponent's eye level and not let it drift downwards.
- that your hands and arms are relaxed
It doesn't matter:
- if you don't have lots of weight on the back foot even though the manuals seem to show this
- what angle your back foot is at as long as it is angled away from the front one.
- exactly how far away your back foot is from your front foot as long is it's roughly shoulder width.
Notes:
Offered and refused
1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th -
distance feet apart
body weight distribution
hand/arm position
toe toward opponent
back foot - how to describe?
picture essential
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