cavalcabo Archive

  • <p>You are standing in <i>quarte</i> or fourth, the guard for defense and waiting. You opponent changes posture into one of the offensive stances: first, second or third. What do you do? How does Cavalcabo say you defeat these aggressive guards?</p> <blockquote><p>You will put yourself in quarte guard making a turn to the right side of the enemy, and holding your dagger on the left side, neither too high, nor too low, you uncover the right side, so that the enemy has the opportunity to strike first.</p></blockquote> <p>We’ve seen this before. Stand with your weapons on one side so that you […]</p>023 November, 2015

    Cavalcabo: Easy as First, Second, Third

    You are standing in quarte or fourth, the guard for defense and waiting. You opponent changes posture into one of the offensive stances: first, second or third. What do you do? How does Cavalcabo say you defeat these aggressive guards?

    You will put yourself in quarte guard making a turn to the right side of the enemy, and holding your dagger on the left side, neither too high, nor too low, you uncover the right side, so that the enemy has the opportunity to strike first.

    We’ve seen this before. Stand with your weapons on one side so that you […]

  • <p>This technique appears in various formulations so frequently in the text <sup id="footnote_plugin_tooltip_7541_1" class="footnote_plugin_tooltip_text" onclick="footnote_moveToAnchor('footnote_plugin_reference_7541_1');">[1]</sup><span class="footnote_tooltip" id="footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_7541_1">the very influential translation by Villamont from Italian to French of Cavalcabo’s Treatise or Instruction on Fighting with Weapons (1597) and a similar essay by Patenostrier, available in English translation by Rob Runacres of the Renaissance Sword Club</span> jQuery("#footnote_plugin_tooltip_7541_1").tooltip({ tip: "#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_7541_1", tipClass: "footnote_tooltip", effect: "fade", fadeOutSpeed: 100, predelay: 400, position: "top right", relative: true, offset: [10, 10] }); that it must be at the core of Cavalcabo’s teaching. In its most concise form, it is written like this:</p> <blockquote><p><i><b>To understand how one must attack for the best</b></i></p> <p>When </p></blockquote> […]016 November, 2015

    Cavalcabo: Passing? Traverse? Triangle Step?

    This technique appears in various formulations so frequently in the text [1]the very influential translation by Villamont from Italian to French of Cavalcabo’s Treatise or Instruction on Fighting with Weapons (1597) and a similar essay by Patenostrier, available in English translation by Rob Runacres of the Renaissance Sword Club jQuery("#footnote_plugin_tooltip_4120_1").tooltip({ tip: "#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_4120_1", tipClass: "footnote_tooltip", effect: "fade", fadeOutSpeed: 100, predelay: 400, position: "top right", relative: true, offset: [10, 10] }); that it must be at the core of Cavalcabo’s teaching. In its most concise form, it is written like this:

    To understand how one must attack for the best

    When

    […]
  • <p>Cavalcabo<sup id="footnote_plugin_tooltip_9104_1" class="footnote_plugin_tooltip_text" onclick="footnote_moveToAnchor('footnote_plugin_reference_9104_1');">[1]</sup><span class="footnote_tooltip" id="footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_9104_1">the very influential translation by Villamont from Italian to French of Cavalcabo’s Treatise or Instruction on Fighting with Weapons (1597) and a similar essay by Patenostrier, available in English translation by Rob Runacres of the Renaissance Sword Club</span> jQuery("#footnote_plugin_tooltip_9104_1").tooltip({ tip: "#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_9104_1", tipClass: "footnote_tooltip", effect: "fade", fadeOutSpeed: 100, predelay: 400, position: "top right", relative: true, offset: [10, 10] }); delays dealing with cutting strikes until after his advice on how to use the cloak as an off-hand device. Is this a measure of the importance he places on them?</p> <p>The sections on strikes are about 500 words wedged between […]</p>09 November, 2015

    Cavalcabo: Plays of the Estramaçon

    Cavalcabo[1]the very influential translation by Villamont from Italian to French of Cavalcabo’s Treatise or Instruction on Fighting with Weapons (1597) and a similar essay by Patenostrier, available in English translation by Rob Runacres of the Renaissance Sword Club jQuery("#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3463_1").tooltip({ tip: "#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3463_1", tipClass: "footnote_tooltip", effect: "fade", fadeOutSpeed: 100, predelay: 400, position: "top right", relative: true, offset: [10, 10] }); delays dealing with cutting strikes until after his advice on how to use the cloak as an off-hand device. Is this a measure of the importance he places on them?

    The sections on strikes are about 500 words wedged between […]

  • <p>So, I’m trawling through Cavalcabo’s fencing text <sup id="footnote_plugin_tooltip_8680_1" class="footnote_plugin_tooltip_text" onclick="footnote_moveToAnchor('footnote_plugin_reference_8680_1');">[1]</sup><span class="footnote_tooltip" id="footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_8680_1">the very influential translation by Villamont from Italian to French of Cavalcabo’s Treatise or Instruction on Fighting with Weapons (1597) and a similar essay by Patenostrier, available in English translation by Rob Runacres of the Renaissance Sword Club</span> jQuery("#footnote_plugin_tooltip_8680_1").tooltip({ tip: "#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_8680_1", tipClass: "footnote_tooltip", effect: "fade", fadeOutSpeed: 100, predelay: 400, position: "top right", relative: true, offset: [10, 10] }); for nuggets of tactical advice. You know the sort of thing I mean, “always maintain the initiative,” “don’t  feint because smart fencers won’t fall for it and stupid ones won’t respond the way you […]</p>04 November, 2015

    Cavalcabo: Tactical Advice

    So, I’m trawling through Cavalcabo’s fencing text [1]the very influential translation by Villamont from Italian to French of Cavalcabo’s Treatise or Instruction on Fighting with Weapons (1597) and a similar essay by Patenostrier, available in English translation by Rob Runacres of the Renaissance Sword Club jQuery("#footnote_plugin_tooltip_7164_1").tooltip({ tip: "#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_7164_1", tipClass: "footnote_tooltip", effect: "fade", fadeOutSpeed: 100, predelay: 400, position: "top right", relative: true, offset: [10, 10] }); for nuggets of tactical advice. You know the sort of thing I mean, “always maintain the initiative,” “don’t  feint because smart fencers won’t fall for it and stupid ones won’t respond the way you […]

  • <p>I’m trying to figure out the very influential translation by Villamont from Italian to French of Cavalcabo’s Treatise or Instruction on Fighting with Weapons (1597) and a similar essay by Patenostrier. This text is available in English translation by Rob Runacres of the Renaissance Sword Club.</p> <p>The text is fairly straightforward but there are occasional sections which seem very dense and need some unpacking to understand what is being said. Here’s the second example I came across and what I did with it.</p> <blockquote><p>“<strong>Against those who use feints</strong><br /> So you understand which things are counters to those who use </p></blockquote> […]25 October, 2015

    Cavalcabo: Techniques Against Feints

    I’m trying to figure out the very influential translation by Villamont from Italian to French of Cavalcabo’s Treatise or Instruction on Fighting with Weapons (1597) and a similar essay by Patenostrier. This text is available in English translation by Rob Runacres of the Renaissance Sword Club.

    The text is fairly straightforward but there are occasional sections which seem very dense and need some unpacking to understand what is being said. Here’s the second example I came across and what I did with it.

    “Against those who use feints
    So you understand which things are counters to those who use

    […]
  • <p>I’m back and I’m exploring the development of the French school between Henry de Sainct-Didier (1573), the first native fencing manual, and Charles Besnard (1653), the cementing of the French school in fencing with the foil.</p> <p>To start, I’m trying to figure out the very influential translation by Villamont from Italian to French of Cavalcabo’s <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Treatise or Instruction on Fighting with Weapons</span> (1597) and a similar essay by Patenostrier. This text is available in English translation by Rob Runacres of the Renaissance Sword Club.</p> <p>The text is fairly straightforward but there are occasional sections which seem very dense and need some unpacking […]</p>014 September, 2015

    Cavalcabo: Unpacking His Example Actions

    I’m back and I’m exploring the development of the French school between Henry de Sainct-Didier (1573), the first native fencing manual, and Charles Besnard (1653), the cementing of the French school in fencing with the foil.

    To start, I’m trying to figure out the very influential translation by Villamont from Italian to French of Cavalcabo’s Treatise or Instruction on Fighting with Weapons (1597) and a similar essay by Patenostrier. This text is available in English translation by Rob Runacres of the Renaissance Sword Club.

    The text is fairly straightforward but there are occasional sections which seem very dense and need some unpacking […]