During the classical period, fencers employed a variety of actions on the blade characterized by varying degrees and subtlety of lateral pressure to open the closed line during the attack. Generally these are classified as glides, often called a variety of other names, as actions which maintain contact with the opponent's blade from the beginning of the attack to its termination, hopefully, in a touch. In classification systems these are sometimes classified as attacks on the blade and in other cases as taking of the blade.
Two Italian manuals in the early classical time period available in English address the glide: Masaniello Parise's 1884 Treatise on the Fencing of the Sword and Sabre (Holzman's translation) and Generoso Pavese's 1905 Foil and Sabre Fencing (published in English specifically to bring Parise's teachings to an American audience).
Parise defines the glide as an action maintaining contact with the opponent's blade from the start of the action to its finish. He identifies six glides:
- Fianconata in Quarta
- Glide in Terza
- Glide in Seconda
- Glide in Mezzocerchio
- Fianconata in Seconda
- External Fianconata (Glide of False Quarta)
In general these are executed with the lunge, advancing, feint, and double feint.
Pavese terms the glide as "the slide," also emphasizes maintaining contact throughout the action, and lists four glides, the action of the blade in which is the same:
- Fianconata of Quarta
- Glide (Filo) of Tierce
- Glide (Filo) of Seconda
- Fianconata of Seconda
We now have three glide-like actions that are identified as fianconatas. So what makes these different from the regular glide? If we combine the descriptions in Parise and Pavese, we can identify the following techniques (note that the numbering of elements in the techniques does not indicate tempos and is intended only to indicate the flow of the action):
Fianconata in Quarta (Fourth) - (1) engage the opponent's blade in high inside line with the fencer's hand in position 3rd in 4th, (2) maintaining contact, pivot the point over the opponent's blade and lower the point under the opponent's blade, turning the hand into position 4th, (3) lunge, simultaneously straightening the wrist to deflect the opponent's blade clear of the line and from the fencer's target, (4) ending as an attack to the opponent's flank.
Fianconata in Seconda (Second). In understanding this technique, it is important to remember that both Parise and Pavese describe the arm and blade in the guard position as extended, essentially at shoulder height, threatening any opponent. Because of distance, both Parise and Pavese indicate that this technique should only be performed with the advance-lunge. The flow - (1) with the opponent's blade on the inside line, engage with the middle of the blade with the hand in 3rd in 4th position (Parise, 2nd Pavese) against the opponents weak, (2) the fencer lowers his blade and, passing under the blade. transports the opponent's blade from inside line to the outside line using a turn of the weapon hand to move to 4th position, (3) maintaining contact, lunge with a glide of second to hit the opponent's flank while deflecting the opponent's blade to the outside.
External Fianconata - (1) the fencer places the medium of the blade on the weak of the opponent's blade with his hand in 2nd in 3rd position, (2) transport the opponent's blade from the outside to the inside in a semi-circular movement as the hand is turned into 4th position, (3) as the half-circle is complete the fencer thrusts, hand in 4th position.
The obvious difference between the fianconatas and the glides lies in the glides essentially remaining in the same line from start to finish. In contrast, the fianconata starts with an essentially partial circle transport of the blade. That transport is to the low line with the intended target being the opponent's flank (on a right handed opponent).
This is not the only time we will encounter the fianconata. Barbasetti discuses the flanconade (fianconata in Italian) in his English language fencing manual of 1932, and a future Technical Blog post will compare his interpretation with that of Parise and Pavese.
Sources:
Pavese, Generoso; Foil and Sabre Fencing (Scherma di Spada e
Sciabola); [fencing manual]; Press of King Brothers, Baltimore, Maryland,
United States of America; 1905.
Copyright 2021 by Walter G. Green III
