Learn Dual Wielding Swords - Achille Marozzo Ch. 77

[@SchildwachePotsdam]

Psst... don't tell anyone, but the cross block isn't as bad as Skallagrim made it to be ;P

[@KKRCeb]

This is probably the best interpretation I have seen. Good job!!!

[@SchildwachePotsdam]

@@KKRCeb Thank you. It's greatly inspired by a workshop by Jacopo Penso at last years English Sidesword Open. Really opened me up to the topic :)

[@penttikoivuniemi2146]

The cross block is great. The scissor block you see in movies etc. is bad.

[@SchildwachePotsdam]

@@penttikoivuniemi2146 I agree, that most movies don't present this well, but a quite similar move can be seen in Marozzo's Chapter 80 (so in part 4 of this series^^).

[@limadamata8883]

exactly, a Japanese master showed a good exemple of how it can be nice.

[@SchildwachePotsdam]

And yes, everything is already recorded - so we will continue with this next thursday! :)

[@pedroandrade4344]

Great video! There is not much content about this on youtube.

[@SchildwachePotsdam]

Thank you! Let's change that :)

[@Naki728]

Your video helped me a lot when teaching my Bolognese class, great content, hope to see more~

[@SchildwachePotsdam]

That's awesome to hear, thank you!

[@Arcuzool]

Awesome, really looking forward to this series!

[@SchildwachePotsdam]

Thank you 🤗

[@Daniel_D_King]

We did a 6 week crash course on dual wielding swords at our club. It was actually pretty good. Achille marozzo chapter 77. Not so much similar to sword and dagger as you might suspect.

[@rogerz9281]

Beautiful form and clear presentation - thank you very much for this!

[@ChrisWilliams-hm1nx]

I will be following this series. Thanks

[@SchildwachePotsdam]

My pleasure :)

[@ashleypolasek4474]

Looking forward to following along with this series. Thanks for sharing your work!

[@SchildwachePotsdam]

My pleasure :) Thank you for watching!

[@scottjeffers58]

Excellent presentation as always! Bravo! I guess its time to brush of the dust and get back into the ‘ol dui spada

[@SchildwachePotsdam]

That's the spirit! :)

[@aaronharris1592]

Wow I can see this being viable defence, Great work on your pacing of the video and the careful explanations. I can't wait to see more from you

[@SchildwachePotsdam]

Thank you very much for your kind words :)

[@sailonstellarwinds]

Wonderful!

[@SchildwachePotsdam]

Thank you :)

[@tsafa]

good vid!

[@SchildwachePotsdam]

Thanks! :)

[@thillerson]

I feel like you shouldn't leave your left sword in place as you thrust, but like a parrying dagger, parry forward over their sword as you push the thrust. What do you think, am I over generalizing this pattern?

[@SchildwachePotsdam]

While I like the idea, in practice I felt in this instance (already placed under their blade) I needed the extra leverage by shortening the arm. Also Marozzo tells us to knock their thrust outwards (and not down). There will be another play however, where we use the true edge to displace down and to the left with a strike. :)

[@thillerson]

@@SchildwachePotsdam Yes, especially if you give it something of a strike then they won't be able to disengage (I don't remember Marazzo for cavazzione hahah) under and you'll be safe.

[@moose_hunter7834]

Great video. Is that a type XIV in you left hand? It is lovely, who made it? :)

[@SchildwachePotsdam]

That's my very old Tinker Hanwei (which can be hit or miss and are overpriced at the moment). I think it was modeled after a type XVI :)

[@williamgollatz1911]

Is there a reason why when you cross the swords together, its vertical, and not horizontal?

[@SchildwachePotsdam]

I think I explain this in a later video: in later chapters we are told that after the crossing we perform a mezzo volta (oversimplified a 90 degree turn) with both hands into the starting positions of coda lunga alta and porta di ferro alta.

[@arpioisme]

aw yea

[@SchildwachePotsdam]

⚔️❤️

[@zakaela6790]

I enjoyed this one, definitely a niche topic in HEMA that’s inadequately represented. However, I have a question regarding your interpretation. But keep in mind I don’t disagree, I just want to know how you reached such a conclusion. That being, when exiting the play the text simply reads “cross your swords together” without further information. (I could be wrong on that last bit, I’ve just started studying Marozzo.) I understood this to mean the typical “X” shaped cross block with both weapons that you see in many sword and dagger techniques from other manuals. Yet you hold one sword overhead in a handing parry/di Testa (Dall’Agocchie version) fashion. Again, I’m not saying you’re wrong. It’s a useful technique I find myself using with two swords or with sword and dagger. I’m just curious how you took Marozzo’s words to mean such.

[@zakaela6790]

Actually, I think I figured it out. He says in the third part “cross your swords together, and make a half turn of each hand, and thus you will return into those same guards that I directed you to use before, with your arms extended straight at your enemy.” From the position you used, a half turn (mezza volta) with each hand will bring you into the desired position, while the typical “X” will not. I still would like to hear your reasoning though, as I might just be digging a deeper grave for myself.

[@SchildwachePotsdam]

@@zakaela6790 You got it exactly right :) There will be other crossings however, since in a later part our end position will be coda lunga stretta with the right and coda lunga alta with the left while again performing a half turn. There I use the "high" X for instance. :)

[@zakaela6790]

I see, thanks a million. Looking forward to the next video.

[@wojciechjaworski9304]

Hello! Is Marozzo's dual wielding designed to face an opponent with two swords as well, or against a single blade? I love your explanations, but when you're without a partner, my imagination struggles a bit to figure out where the second guy is ;)

[@SchildwachePotsdam]

It's against an opponent with two swords as well. I'll try to get Stephan to film everything with me partnered :)

[@wojciechjaworski9304]

@@SchildwachePotsdam Finger's crossed you'll manage to do that, I would love to learn that system and teach it in my club :)

[@wojciechjaworski9304]

@@SchildwachePotsdam hey Martin, did you manage to find Stephan? ;D I could really use these partnered demonstrations :D

[@riyadislam3441]

Nice. Can only imagine how much easier this would be if the wielder was naturally ambidextrous. Small question. I know that Marozzo and most Italian fencing schools prefer the sidesword or rapier for fencing, but would any of these principles be applicable for other types of blades? Like say a saber or arming sword?

[@SchildwachePotsdam]

Sure! Remember that Marozzo like the other Bolognese masters mainly talk about the use of the "spada" = sword. Swords without a complex hand guard are depicted frequently in the manual. So while better hand protection is nice, these exercises work just as well for arming swords. Maybe with a curved saber it might be a bit different, but there should be lots of transfer effects :)

[@riyadislam3441]

@@SchildwachePotsdam Ok, thanks. Was just curious. Like seeing how feasible the technique could be. The curved saber question was really just because my first exposure to dual wielding swords was Zuko from Avatar, granted that was based on Chinese Dao rather than European Sabers but I like to see the similarities and differences between styles. Look forward to your next video.

[@SchildwachePotsdam]

@@riyadislam3441 Haha, awesome! Love that show :)

[@szepi79]

@@riyadislam3441 this is a question I have been wondering for a while now. Why is the saber always a single weapon in Europe (I'm not lacking the dual wield necessarily, but a dagger or buckler could be advantageous), but in other cultures curved swords are used with others? (Like the Indian tulwar)