17. Countertime by Parise

Maestro di Scherma Masaniello Parise's 1884 Treatise on the Fencing of the Sword and Sabre (Holzman translation) provides one of the earlier and also most comprehensive description of countertime in its Fortyeighth through Fiftieth lessons.  Countertime is an answer to time actions (actions in tempo), fundamentally actions designed to interrupt and defeat the counteroffense in a tempo prior to the final.  They fall into Parise's category of contrary actions, movements that are used to defeat the opponent's offensive or defensive actions and that end in a thrust.

Parise's basic Countertime (controtempo) is provoked in several ways and is what would be termed today either countertime or defensive countertime (depending on whether or not one admits the possibility of counteroffensive countertime).  There are several applications on the opponent's action in tempo to arrest against:

• the fencer's step forward.
• the opponent's invitation to execute a feint. 
• the opponent's established point in line (followed by a disengage stop hit on the attempt to take).
• the fencer's invitation or engagement.

In each case the fencer's Countertime response is a lateral opposition parry or a circular parry and direct riposte to the uncovered target.  This is a varied and sophisticated range of situations in which the Countertime action can be employed.  It expands the range for those who view provocation of  Countertime in the modern terms of an advance in preparation or a false attack (which would logically be included in the fencer's invitation application).

Counterime leads to more complex actions.  If a fencer can perform Countertime, is the opponent bereft of a contrary action?  No.  The opponent can defeat the attempted parry with two options:

• Feint in Tempo -  the feint of the stop hit, followed by a disengage to deceive the attempted lateral parry, ending with a final thrust in the opened line.
• Circular Feint in Tempo - the feint of stop hit, followed by a counterdisengage to deceive the attempted circular parry, ending with a final thrust in the opened line.

It is worth noting that Parise states in the Fortyninth Lesson that "a greater complication would be difficult and erroneous."  Does this imply that some Fencing Master's are teaching greater complications (it is very similar to the discussion of De Bazancourt's against needless complications by Fencing Masters)?  It would seem so ...

Parise does describe two additional actions in tempo that are specific to the situation in which the fencer has established a point in line and an opponent attempts countertime after provoking the derobement and thrust on the opponent's attempt to take the blade.  These are:

• Feint by Disengage in Tempo - against the attempted countertime with a lateral parry, the fencer executes a disengage to thrust to hit.
• Feint by Counterdisengage in Tempo - against the attempted countertime with a circular parry, the fencer executes a counterdisengage to thrust to hit.  

Parise further identifies that it is possible to execute two additional actions, the mechanics of which he does not describe:

• Double Feint by Disengage in Tempo - possibly a one-two to avoid a second lateral parry.
• Counterdisengage with a Feint in Tempo - possibly a disengage to defeat a lateral parry after the circular parry.

However, he suggests that these actions are not in keeping with the very fast execution required of actions in tempo.

Countertime is not universally addressed in classical period texts and the coverage that does exist is not as extensive as Parise's.  Moniteur d'Escrime Holzman's translation (The Roman-Neapolitan School of Fencing) is worth reading for this and other examples of not only the Italian Schools but also of the complexity of classical period bladework in general.

Copyright 2018 by Walter G. Green III    

Countertime by Parise by Walter G. Green III is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.