0.3.2. Rondelle's Sabre Salute

Maitre Louis Rondelle in his Foil and Sabre: A Grammar of Fencing (1892) includes a description of the steps of the Grand Salute.  Even more interesting, however, is a description of a formal, multiple step Sabre Salute.  The Grand Salute was typically performed with the foil; Rondelle's shorter version for sabre is the only example we have encountered so far for that weapon.

Rondelle describes the Grand Salute in his section on foil as a customary prelude to the assault (note that, as used by Rondelle and a considerable number of other Masters of the period, the term assault is not an artistic encounter where counting touches is not done, but rather the competitive bout for touches).  It serves as a type of warm-up to increase flexibility, and is a courtesy to not only the fencers but also to the audience.  There is no such description of the Sabre Salute, although he does note that it precedes the bout itself.  The description of the salute itself is abbreviated, and some reasonable assumptions (noted below) must be made as to its execution.

To reach the starting point for the Sabre Salute, we have to assume that Rondelle intended for us to come to Preliminary Position and then to On Guard.  This sequence is:

(1)  Assume Preliminary Position:

• Feet at right angles, heels together, weapon foot forward, feet on the directing line.
• Weapon arm is extended down the side of the body, not touching the body, with the blade and arm as a straight line slanted downward and directly forward so that the point is 4 inches above the floor [assumption is that the hand is in pronation].
• Rear arm crosses in the small of the back.
• The body is erect with the legs straight, the head facing the opponent.

(2)  Assume the Guard:

1. Raise the weapon arm slightly above the horizontal with the point at the height of the top of the head, keeping it straight and directed toward the opponent, the hand in pronation at eye height.  The body remains erect with the legs straight.
2. Execute two vertical moulinets, one to the left and one to the right, ending with the hand in pronation at chest height forward of the forward shoulder, the arm half bent, the elbow held a little to the outside and approximately 8 inches from the body, the point at eye height. [With fencers both using the same hand this requires some focus to keep the movement vertical and parallel to the directing line in order to avoid blade clashes.]
3. Bend the knees to lower the torso and advance the weapon foot approximately 20 inches on the directing line.

(3)  Both fencers simultaneously execute an undercut (a vertical circle executed as the reverse of the moulinet, ending with the blade held cutting edge up) to the outside with a lunge slightly off the directing line to the outside.

(4)  Both fencers recover to first position of assuming guard [(2).1. above].

(5)  Both fencers assume the guard performing two moulinets [as in (2)].

(6)  Both fencers recover forward to standing upright, rear arm still in the small of the back and cross sabres in third.

(7)  Each fencer executes two changes of guard from third to fourth and then fourth to third [agree in advance who will initiate the sequence - the fencers executing first one, then the other, is an assumption].

(8)  Both fencers escape to the rear [based on the sequence of illustrations, this is most probably a step rearward with the back foot to return to the guard position as in (5)].

(9)  Both fencers execute two appels.

(10)  Both fencers salute to the right and to the left [the illustration suggests that the salute is an arm and blade movement executed while in the guard position and indicates that this salute ends with the torso, arm, and weapon turned to the direction indicated from the directing line].  Recover forward to the standing position.

(11)  Both fencers assume the on guard with two vertical moulinets.

(12)  One fencer [agreed upon in advance] invites the other to attack [note that the invitation series is much the same as that of the Grand Salute, although the bladework is abbreviated]:

1. The invitation is "To you the honor."
2. The other fencer replies "I obey."  
3. The fencer who has been invited executes either a point thrust or a flank cut and recovers to on guard [to avoid unfortunate reactions the attack chosen should be coordinated in advance].
4. The first attacker then invites "To you the honor."
5. The other fencer replies "I obey."
6. The other fencer then executes either a point thrust or a flank cut and recovers to on guard. 

[Note that in most versions of the Grand Salute no arrest is made.  Rondelle does not specify whether or not the attack in this portion is expected to land, but to be consistent with the Grand Salute the initial distance should be taken at (1) as being such that a full lunge will fall short but not excessively so.]

(13)  Both fencers salute to the outside from the guard [see description of this salute in (10)], and then recover backwards to the standing position [assumption that this is a recovery to the preliminary position in (1)].

(14)  Both fencers salute the opponent [assumption is that this is a simple vertical salute bringing the weapon up with the guard at face level, hand in pronation, and then back directly down and forward].

Note that the sequence of action may have to be modified to achieve the goal of a smooth presentation, free of blade collisions, if one fencer is right handed and the other left handed.  In particular moulinets will require attention, practice, and a solid level of control.

Copyright 2019 by Walter G. Green III

Rondelle's Sabre Salute by Walter G. Green III is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.