Arming Sword - Sparring

[@AGermanFencer]

Arming sword needs more love. Srsly.

[@NevisYsbryd]

I unfavorited this so that I could favorite it again at "Swordo Grabbo". Thanks for covering spada a uno mano! There is so little on this technique, especially on youtube.

[@FedericoMalagutti]

Ahahah! Thank you so much Nevis!

[@secutorprimus]

I very much like this arming sword series you've been making. I study messer, so it's interesting to see your very Fiorist spin on this sort of weapon. Very good video

[@FedericoMalagutti]

Thank you very much!

[@cmbaileytstc]

Love this match. Especially the blade grab, an unconventional but effective application of the hand being faster than eye

[@jamwithme8847]

I wished movie sword fights are like this

[@CapitanCarter]

Awesome fighting Federico! as I've noted myself, the forearm and wrist are highly exposed and need to be protected as well as possible, usually by keeping the hand back until the last possible moment. I'm not sure if it is in Fiore, but I study Meyer Dusack and at times like 5:30 I would transition to something like a left ochs/stier or similar to the more modern British sabre half circle guard. it is very good at defending cuts to the wrist from the inside.

[@TannithVQ]

Good to see this. I hope all is well with you Federico

[@FedericoMalagutti]

Tannith Velaqua everything is ok! Thank you Tannith

[@TyLarson]

Finally got myself an arming sword and buckler from sigi forge and practiced with it last week. Nice to not have to borrow!

[@FedericoMalagutti]

good news Ty! Have fun with them!

[@nsombakuZambia]

I love this style of video!

[@antoinepichon1426]

An arming sword sparring oh yeah

[@yeolsaltyswordsmen8238]

Thank you

[@Druid_Ignacy]

2:53 was beautiful!

[@FedericoMalagutti]

Thank you!

[@larrypowers2553]

I live in Tennessee I wish I could find people to do this with

[@Cleanpea]

Put Tennessee in the map-search: www.hemaalliance.com/club-finders

[@IamPatrickStar]

4:15 still wondering what that music is called because I feel like I heard it a few times somewhere else

[@giacomobianchi5412]

Ahahahahahah i'm watching again this video and it was so funny at 4:21. Me: "Wow, cool!" Federico: "Gotcha!" Simone: "Ah! Merda!"

[@jimmynicolas4602]

Sympa, ça change de l'épée bocle. ..😁

[@ericpaisley8501]

Some really instructive exchanges. Both fencers were using good tempo and measure. I have a couple of questions; Do you or Simone have a sport fencing background, and if yes, does that influence your approach? Also, Holding the arming sword with your lead leg back, is this part of a play to attack on a passing step?

[@FedericoMalagutti]

Hi Eric, no I never practiced sport fencing, even If I studied all the three weapons Italian treaties on my own. And as far as I know Simone never practiced Sport Fencing too, even if his past HEMA club was slightly more "sporty" than my one. For the second question. Yes, I'm experimenting with the footwork I'm using with the longsword, which involves a lot of passing steps to land most of the offensive actions. I am still figuring out when and how use at their best the forward/backward lead leg with this weapon, which due to its nature receives in theory a bit more advantage from the forward lead leg. On the other hand, most "offensive" guards in the manuals (speaking about messer and other pseudo arming sword references) shows the left leg forward, this to me makes sense for a number of reasons, but it would end up being a 10.000 words comment so I have to ask you to wait 'till the future videos ;-)

[@Cleanpea]

@@FedericoMalagutti I am still only a very green beginner, but when I try to learn solo-arming sword guards and their technique at home (using a hanging rope as a target), I usually put my left foot first and I become more static, yet more solid.. It feels intuitive, with the left foot. Thank you so much for all these arming-sword videos!

[@Josh-rs6bj]

Swordo Grabbo!!!

[@FedericoMalagutti]

Joshua G. N... NANI???

[@Julius_Caesar69420]

What is that salute you did in the beginning?

[@LittleHouseOnThePrairie23]

Beautiful exchanges! I’m in the market for a new I 33 blade, who makes the arming sword you use in this video? It looks lovely!

[@wyattguilliams9479]

I assume it has more to do with grip for effectiveness but is it possible to use long-sword stances with the arming sword? I only ask for a story I'm writing and though the actual arming sword techniques will be used it just seems it leaves you too exposed with wide movements

[@FedericoMalagutti]

Yes, it’s all about grip length. You can have your hero/character holding an arming sword but with the handle long enough to grip the pommel with the second hand with ease

[@MegaLars10]

Those swords make a beautiful sound, is it real or an effect?

[@FedericoMalagutti]

MegaLars10 it’s real

[@rylie8989]

The swordo grabbo was on the blade right, are you guys fencing using like sword and gauntlet technique? Or do arming swords tend to be unsharpened at the base, so you can half sword like with longsword?

[@matthewcooper4248]

Great video, but a lot of the cuts from the guy in white were low quality, way more of a touch than a strike.

[@FedericoMalagutti]

Oh yes, I hate the guy in white!

[@thanglongnguyenvu3815]

I am a total noob so I want to ask: why does the man in black (Simon if I recall)'s blade seem smaller? Are there many types to an arming sword's blade?

[@JayeffF-vr4ub]

@Federico Malagutti , Were arming swords still very common in Fiore's time? Do you have any theories on why he would include so many different weapons but no arming sword or single handed swords?

[@wildrangeringreen]

Simple, cross-hilted swords were common (to varying degrees) up into the very end of the 1500's (although complex hilts started appearing in the second half of the 1300's, initially in the form of finger rings), particularly amongst professional military men who could afford/wear full plate harness. The rise of state-funded, professional, standing armies in the late 1500's (and the rise of firearm usage) in much of Europe eventually lead to a reduction in the number of men in full plate, largely on account of cost; and that's where you start seeing the simple cross being completely phased out, in favor of complex hilts on arming sword blades, spadroons, and sabers. most of the treatises were written for dueling or for wealthy clients (Fiore himself was a low-level noble) (whose wearing/carrying of longswords was fashionable, and could afford the armor to allow them to use them on the battlefield), so most of the sources cater to that. Godinho's (Iberian) work, Joachim Meyer (Germanic) (Meyer's "rappier" was little more than an arming sword with a side ring), Marozzo (North Italian), Silver (British), ect tended to speak on more common weapons slightly more. Looking into who the work is "dedicated" to (aka: sponsored by or written with the hope of the person sponsoring it) tells us a lot about what the system was meant to do. Most of the concepts in Fiore's book are applicable to an arming sword, but the exact way you implement them will look a little different, on account of the weapon.

[@Skitheim]

N... NANIIII?

[@DavidVolta976]

I never really fence with an arming sword, i only practice messer. But it seems to me that messer have more techniques. There are a lot of wrist based blows that i don't really see here.

[@FedericoMalagutti]

David Volta this is my personal choice of techniques, of course. You can use your messer knowledge to use a sword. Here we are talking mainly about personal choices.

[@DavidVolta976]

@@FedericoMalagutti of course, and you do it the perfect way. It's more or less the first time i look at an arming sword sparring i believed that this kind of messer techniques were linked to the arming sword too.

[@FedericoMalagutti]

@@DavidVolta976 I think that the answer is "yes... but!" I mean, this actions are linked without any doubt, because the tool is so similar in the shape and it's use, but at the same time it really depends from watch you are training for and which other weapons are you studying in the meantime. My main goal is to make this "system" fit my personal interpretation of fiore, I want the actions to be related to my longsword repertoire to fit the more wide holistic system which I train. So, if you end up fighting with an arming sword, I would suggest you to use your repertoire of messer skills ;-)

[@DavidVolta976]

@@FedericoMalagutti Thank you for your answers and your time. You truly are an inspiration for my journey in Hema ^^

[@FedericoMalagutti]

@@DavidVolta976 you are welcome ;-)

[@jacopolutterotti2186]

Come sempre sei molto ben impostato nelle guardie, belle anche le azioni di blocco con la mano libera, ma se devo essere sincero fino in fondo mi pari un po' statico per quanto riguarda i piedi, cosa di cui con la spada a due mani non soffri... Solo un consiglio personale!

[@FedericoMalagutti]

Grazie Jacopo. Hai ragione, questo accade principalmente per via della mancanza di sicurezza che ho con lo strumento in sparring. Pian piano sta scomparendo comunque.

[@Ashanlor]

Out of curiosity. Other than the shape of the blade prefer thrusting over cutting, is there any real difference between the techniques of this vs a saber? A lot looks to be similar here as well I know a lot of different weapon systems of the time pulled the basics from saber.

[@FedericoMalagutti]

Many cut and thrusts swords have always something in common with the saber. The difference sit in the shape which dictates the use. The main differences are the blade shape, the average weight (if we compare them with late 19th century sabers in general) but especially the hand protection. Everyone of this points slightly changes the way in which the techniques are chosen and/or executed.

[@randelldarky3920]

This is a good demonstration of why I would not want to get in a sword fight. I like My Town Guard. It has a basket to protect My hand.

[@andreweden9405]

Federico, I'm sorry to bother you about this. Since you're really my only contact in Italy right now, I want to ask you... Are things crazy in northern Italy right now? Are the hospitals overwhelmed with people sick with coronavirus? That's what we're being told over here in the US, so I just wanted to hear from an actual Italian.😁

[@FedericoMalagutti]

Andrew Eden don’t be sorry ;-) We are of course in a situation which is by far out of the normal parameters. With more or less 14.000 people hospitalized and 2000 of them are getting intensive care. In general only the big centers are having problems. Here in my valley for example we have 3 or 4 cases. No one of them with real problems. Our hospital doesn’t have problems in this regards. So it really depends from the single zones. In general I would say that the image of the problem is a bit exaggerated by media, especially out of our country. So yes. We have a big problem, but things are not crazy. Luckily for us, one of the few things we can be proud of our today’s country is the healthcare system, which is one of the best in Europe, especially the one in northern Italy. Thanks for being interested.

[@andreweden9405]

@@FedericoMalagutti , You are always very good at getting back to your subscribers! I didn't have a way to know for sure, but I was definitely suspecting the same thing... That the media is greatly exaggerating the situation, especially our American media. Thank you so much, Federico. I really appreciate the information. I'm glad you are doing well, and I hope you continue to stay safe!

[@FedericoMalagutti]

@@andreweden9405 thank you Andrew! Stay safe too ;-)