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Crossed at the Tip

Wed, 08/05/2009 - 13:28 — Jim.Barrows

This play teaches that when you are crossed at the tips in wide measure, you must immediately do 1 of two things, you either slip the blade and cut, or thrust to the face. If you feel pressure, you slip and cut, otherwise thrust. If you hesitate, even to make the decision, you'll end up with the thrust to the face. This play can be symmetrical, depending on wards, blade position and measure. How you got crossed at the tips, also doesn't matter, merely that you are crossed at the tips.

Getting into the position shown on the first plate in the Getty Manual
Tempo Performer Starting Ward Cut/Action Footwork Ending Ward
1 Player Posta Di Donna Fendente Right Pass Traverse Posta Longa1
1.5 Scholar Porta Ferro Fendente Left Advance Traverse Posta Breve2
2 Player Posta Longa After going into Posta Breve, presses the Scholars blade to regain the line Posta Breve
Solution 1 to having the tips crossed at wide measure
Tempo Performer Starting Ward Cut/Action Footwork Ending Ward
2 Player Posta Breve Presses Scholars blade to regain the line Posta Breve
2.5 Scholar Posta Breve Slips around Players blade, and makes a falling cut Advance (optional) Posta Breve
Solution 2 to having the tips crossed at wide measure
Tempo Performer Starting Ward Cut/Action Footwork Ending Ward
2 Player Posta Breve Hesitates or drops his blade under the Scholars Posta Breve
2.5 Scholar Posta Breve Punte Advance (optional) Posta Longa

Explanation

Tempo 1
The Player (left), and the Scholar (right) square off in Posta di Donna vs Posta di Ferro. As Fiore states when attacking from Posta di Donna, that if the attack steps off the line they'll find their opponent open. So, the Player pass traverses and begins his fendente. The Scholar, not liking this at all, does her own advance traverse and fendente.

Tempo 1.5

Both the Player and Scholar are crossed at the tips. However the Player is in Posta Longa, while the Scholar is in Posta Breve. The Scholars left advance traverse has caused the tip of his blade to be pointing at the Players shoulder. While the Scholar does not have a mechanical advantage, he does have a tactical one.

The Player has lost a tempo, and her point is offline. If she moves into any other ward, the Scholar will attack, and with his blade inside hers, and her spent in Breve, she has few options to defend. If she attempts to fall back into Posta Coda Longa, she may not be able to move back fast enough to void the Scholars thrust. If she attempts to move into Posta Porta di Ferro, again she will get a thrust in the face. She can move into Posta Breve, or through Posta Breve to Posta Cenghiaro. Moving into Posta Breve, still leaves her sword offline, and his sword inside hers however. So, she presses his blade in attempt to regain the line. If she attempts the move through Posta Breve to Posta de Cenghiaro, she still has to press his blade, and so the result is the same.

Tempo 2 - FendenteAs soon as the Scholar feels the pressure on his blade, he slips his blade over hers, and cuts fendente into the arms, or head depending on whats available. The Scholar needs to take care the he stays as close to the Players blade as possible, without touching it. Any pressure on the Players blade, and the Player can turn the tables on him. If the Scholar winds up with a cut to the arms, then he should immediately turn that into a thrust.

Tempo 2 - Thrust to the FaceIt's possible that the player could hesitate, or drop his blade in attempt to get under the Scholars blade. Either of these gets the same response, a quick thrust to the face. Depending on range, and exactly what the Player moves, some footwork might be necessary to increase the safety of the Scholar. In addition the thrust is with the blade horizontal, so the quillons provide protection for the hand.

If you take Fiore's statement to "Turn the blade and cut to the other side" literally, you are not safe. Your opponent can drop his blade and cut into you at the same time your cutting him. You also don't really end up on the other side, even though you've gone from a right fendente to a left fendente. The solution is to have the Scholar slip around the Players blade into a fendente. This is a tear drop shaped motion of the blade, that should make as little contact as possible with the players blade, and is not a move into Posta Frontale.

Notes

  1. The player should be cutting through Posta Longa into Porta di Ferro Mezana, but gets interrupted by the Scholar. When practicing for the first time, go ahead and stop in Posta Long to give the Scholar time to do his action. You eventually want to do everything at full speed.
  2. The Scholars tip should pointed toward the Players outside shoulder, and clearly have a line of attack