We mentioned in the beginning of the sword section that knowing the posta was the key to winning without coming to the cross. This section analyzes the various posta for strengths and weaknesses.
Once again, for the sake of discussion we divide the posta pairings into two types. The first are the contrary posta, and the others are the non-contrary wards. While there are more non-contrary ward pairings then contrary pairings, we start with the contrary pairings in a fight. The first thing you need to do is figure out your opponent, and doing so from a contrary ward provides the safest way to do this. If you already know your opponent, then this is much less important.
Some wards are naturally contrary, and by this we mean that neither ward has an advantage to the other. All wards are contrary to themselves (di Dona vs di Dona offers no tactical advantages), except wards where the point is forward. Posta where the point is forward, the more extended blade has the advantage.
An extended blade is one that is closer to your opponent. The sword itself could be longer, the arms holding the sword could be longer as well. The heights of the opponents can make difference as well. Then you have sword position, even though your opponent may have a longer sword, and longer arms, if you're both point forward, and your point is closer, your more extended.
The existing manuals all have different pairings. In some cases all three have at least one ward in common, and just pair it with something else. I think they all have the same purpose, they are contrary to each other.
| Wards | Manuals Found in | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Getty | Pissani-Dosi | Morgan | |
Bicorno vs Choda Longa |
Y | ||
Breve vs Dente di Cenghiaro |
Y | ||
| Breve vs di Dona Senestra | |||
| Breve vs Finestra | |||
de Donna Destraza vs Porta di Ferro |
Y | Y | Y |
de Donna Senestra vs Finestra |
Y | N | N |
Dente de Zenchiaro Mezana vs Frontale |
Y | ||
Finestra vs Porta di Ferro |
N | Y | Y |
| Frontale vs Longa |
|||
Longa vs Porta di Ferro Mezana |
Y | ||
My interpretation of these "pairings" as being contrary, and that they are done on purpose, is not the only one. There are those who say that the wards had to be listed in some order, and this is the order that came up. Some people believe that the order is the order of the most common wards to least common (and di Dona is seen a lot, as is Porta di Fero).
My argument for these being "paired" is based on this passage from the beginning of the manual:
The guards, or "positions" are easy to recognize. Some guards will be set against one another and will not touch one another, studying each other to see what the opponent may do. These are called poste, or guards, or First Masters of the fight. They will be wearing a crown, meaning that the position in which they wait is optimal for defense.
You can find this quote in Tom Leoni's excellent translation of the Getty manual, here. If you're serious about studying Fiore, you have to have this translation.
In all three manuals the pictures of the poste have crowns on their head. They are optimal for defense. They are set against one another, don't touch, and are suited to studying the other and seeing what they will do. I take this last part to mean that your offering an invitation to the other ward to do what it does best. I think that's why the poste are front or back weighted the way they are. I also believe that a large part of these "pairings", is selling the invitation.
If you're opponent is comfortable in the poste, and they aren't taking the invitation, you know something about them. If they appear to be thinking about taking the invitation, you know something else. You study your opponent by studying their reaction to the ward you're in. If you pick a ward, watch which ward your opponent picks. You study their reactions. You gauge skill and knowledge in this way.
At the very least, they give us a place to talk about analyzing wards and how they're used, and opposed.
The key to understanding this pairing is in the description for Coda Longa and Bicorno. Fiore says that Coda Longa is good at coming to the close play, while Bicorno is good at preventing the close play. These two oppose each other quite nicely, just by their very nature. However with Bicorno sitting at a 45 degree angle up, dangling the torso and legs in front of Coda Longa, it also shows the nature of long tempo vs short tempo wards as well.
If Coda Longa makes any attack, Bicorno thrusts. Coda Longa's long tempo attacks are a detriment attacking into Bicorno's short tempo thrusts. On the other hand if Bicorno attacks with a thrust, the long tempo nature of Coda Longa allows it to easily Exchange Points, or Break the Thrust easily. Against any other Bicorno attack, Coda Longa can counter with a powerful Fendente counter cut, or a Sottani. Attacking first with either ward is not good.
Fiore also states that whatever Longa can do, Bicorno can do. So you can substitute Longa here, however remember that Longa is by it's nature a Longer Ward, and so does not offer the same tempting body and leg targets that Bicorno does. In order to entice Coda Longa into attacking, Longa will have to offer a tempting target. This is the chief difference between these two wards, and this pairing shows that off nicely. While they both can do many of the same things, they do them in slightly different ways, and those differences are crucial to understanding the wards themselves.
Two aggressive wards, that cancel each other out. Breve must move, while keeping it's point on the line, while Dente di Cenghiaro waits coiled, ready to launch a devastating thrust. Breves movement is what keeps Dente di Cenghiaro from attacking, if Dente di Cenghiaro can shift his blade over to come from the low right, he moves Breves sword out of the war in what is essentially Exchange of the points. If Dente di Cenghiaro makes a straight thrust then Breve can exchange points.
It would seem that Breve can edge in, and end up with it's point closer to Dente di Cenghiaro, but this is not necessarily true. Both wards have to be aware of their hands and arms. Breve's arms are leading it's body, while Dente di Cenghiaro on the other hand, has one arm tightly wrapped around it's body and the other at the side of it's hip. This means that Dente di Cenghiaro will almost always have it's point closer to Breve's hands, then Breve is to Dente di Cenghiaro. Both thrusts, from either ward can be in the time of the hand. This makes it very dangerous for Breve to try to edge closer. Things like body size, and exact position as well as other factors can influence this, but it will be generally true.
Dente di Cenghiaro must get Breve to either commit to an attack, or in moving step close to close. If Breve gets close enough that Dente di Cenghiaro can advance even to, or past Breves point, Dente di Cenghiaro has the Exchange of Points. Dente di Cenghiaro has a good thrust, and an okay rising cut from here. Breve's point being forward makes either of those attacks vulnerable to an Exchange of the Thrusts. However, if Breve stays in one place and waits too long, Dente di Cenghiaro can actually attack using Exchange of the Thrusts. Should Breve's point wander from the line, not only does that allow Dente di Cenghiaro to Exchange, but the Exchange can be Dente di Cenghiaro's strong to Breve's weak.
Breve must move, the point must stay on the line. These two things seem contradictory, but they aren't. If Breve can convince Dente di Cenghiaro to make it's thrust too early, it can Exchange the Point. If Dente di Cenghiaro's point drifts to far from the line, or crosses it, it can find it's hand victim to a fast Fendente, followed by a fatal thrust. Breve uses footwork to keep from being Exchangted, and to convince Dente di Cenghiaro to attack
This particular pairing pits a ward suited for thrusting, against a ward suited for breaking the thrust. Posta di Dona Senestra can also make excellent Fendente's, but takes a longer tempo to get the blade around to attack, in this long tempo Finestra can thrust. However, with the blade cranked around the back of the head, di Dona Senestra is also nicely suited to deliver it's own thrust should Finestra takes it's point off line to deliver it's own fendente, mezzana or sottani. In their response to any cut, both wards do the same thing, deliver a thrust before the cut can materialize.
Where they differ is in their responses to the thrust. Both can, and should, respond to a thrust with either Breaking the Thrust, or Exchange of the Point. However, Finestra has some very bad obvious responses, that di Dona Senestra does not have. Finestra is back-weighted, but the sword remains forward. As di Dona moves to attack with a thrust, there is a temptation to simply set the incoming thrust aside, with Finestras point, and wheel the blade into a Fendente. This would tend to keep Finestra's blade inside di Dona's, and therefore gives the appearance of safety.
The first problem with doing this, is that Finestra's blade is trapped on the inside, when the blades Cross at the Tip. The only option here is for di Dona to cut to the other side, and with a traverse to cut Fendente to the other side. If di Dona misses the crossing at the tips, then the two will end up crossed at the middle, again, since Finestra's blade is trapped inside of di Dona's, there is little Finestra can do to stop Finestra from either grabbing the blade, or more likely aiming a fendente at Finestra's hands. Finally, if di Dona misses both the crossing at the tips, and the crossing at the middle plays, di Dona can simply push the exposed Finestra elbow.
As with all the contrary Posta, both these Posta have the exact same options, and responses. What makes this pairing different, is the particularly bad response Finestra has to a thrust. It should also be pointed out that contrary posta are used to see what you're opponent will do. One of the things you can test, especially from di Dona with this pairing, is what your opponent will do when di Dona thrusts, as long as you're prepared if Finestra decides to Exchange, or Break the thrust.
Also, looking at how these two are paired, they are both back weighted with the sword as far back as you can get it. Posta di Dona is cranked around to expose the back to a thrust, while Finestra is also back weighted and inviting the Fendente that di Dona wants to deliver with such power. Since Finestra's blade is withdrawn so far back, Finestra is also guarded against the possibility that di Dona Sinestra can come the narrow plays, as di Dona Sinestra is so good at.
Frontale threatens the fast cut, while Dente de Zenchiaro Mazana threatens a quick thrust to the hands. This keeps the two from immediately attacking. If the middle boars tooth takes the point off line, Frontale will deliver a quick fendente to the head, followed by a thrust, in classic Fiore. On the other hand if Frontale extends to far, or otherwise exposes the hands, they'll receive a point through them quickly.
Range is also a key player here, too close and Dente de Zenchiaro Mazana can end up with the point closer to the hands, then Frontale is to the head. In addition to range, if either player is off the line, Frontale has an advantage.
If Middle Boars Tooth attacks first, the point is easy to slip with an advance traverse, and uncovering the head. Should Frontale attack first, it exposes the hands to attack. Even if Frontale leads with a traverse, the hands are exposed during the transition, and it's easy for middle boars tooth to adjust as well.
Both wards can be considered aggressive wards in and of themselves. However, should either player be overly aggressive, they'll expose themselves to the other. Controlled deliberate aggression may also seem to be an avenue, however, a slight mistake, or misjudgment can bring disaster. Again we see that the way to win is to be patient, and encourage your opponent to make the mistake.
This pairing is interesting because of what Fiore says about di Fenestra: "And of covering and of wounding it is Master", while of Porta di Fero he says "This is also an excellent ward for exchanging the thrust, and thrusting yourself.". So the obvious thrust that di Findestra has will not work against Porta di Fero. Porta di Fero will easily be able to exchange the point or break the thrust.
Fiore also says "that it is always ready with malice and deceit. And of covering and of wounding it is Master." of Finestra, and this is the key to winning vs Porta di Fero, deceit. The key for Porta di Fero to win is to not be deceived into moving too early. While it may seem that Porta di Fero has the ability to exchange the points while the opponent is lying in di Finestra, this is not the case. Posta di Finestra is an instabile ward, and so any attempt at the point can easily be deceived.
If Posta di Finestra can advance traverse, while Porta di Fero's blade is too close to the line, Porta di Fero can easily be defeated here. Keeping the blade off the line for Porta di Fero is the opposite of what di Finestra must do. Finestra taking it's point off line removes the threat, and can give Porta di Fero an opportunity for it's own thrust.
However, in order for Finestra to make any cut other then a thrust, it's point must move off line. Combining that cut with footwork could deceive Porta di Fero into making a mistake. This is the game, di Finestra must deceive while Porta di Fero must be iron willed to not be deceived.
This pairing, out of all of them, is the most likely to happen by accident. Mostly by having one person attempt to cover a cut. At that point one person is in Frontale, while the other is in Longa. Granted both players have to make a mistake in judging range for this to happen, so among experienced players, not as likely. Another way would be for someone to be stepping back when the other was thinking they were coming forward.
Like every other point forward ward pairing range is a critical issue. If Longa is to close, Longa will end up with his weak, against Frontale's strong. However, Longa can use this to entice Frontale to the attack. If Longa doesn't commit to the thrust, then it is easy for Longa to deceive Frontale.
As with every pairing we've seen with Longa, Longa must use it's range to draw an attack so it can counter it. Just as with any other ward paired with Longa, Frontale must see through the deceptions and encourage Longa to more commitment his attempts to draw a response.
Both of these are point forward, and so one would assume that Longa has the advantage here, because it is the most extended blade, however it has the same distance to travel as Porta di Fero Mezana. This means that Longa is not in fact more extended then Porta di Fero Mezana. More extended also means, closer. That's why these two posta are contrary.
If Longa attacks Porta di Fero Mezana with a cut, Porta di Fero Mezana retaliates with a sottani deflection, stepping off the line and return with a Fendente to the arms. If Longa attacks with a thrust, then Porta di Fero Mezana will break the thrust, and return it's own.
If Porta di Fero Mezana thrusts or cuts, then Longa can traverse, and cut, or directly wound the arms. Which Longa chooses depends on circumstances. If Longa can, the fastest thing to is to directly attack the arms, and then step off the line. Most of the time, sidestepping the blow and returning a cut of it's own is better.
Longa really needs to probe against the other wards, and get them to make a mistake, and then retaliate. This is also true vs Porta di Fero Mezana. This companion ward can easily stop anything Longa tries directly. This means being somewhat more active the Porta di Fero Mezana. Porta di Fero Mezana on the other hand needs to be patient, and invite Longa to over commit on a probe, or to actually attack. If Porta di Fero Mezana attempts to move to early, then Longa will deceive it, and win.