Maestro Exams & More!

One of the questions that’s interested me the most over the last few years is what defined a fencing maestro in the period we study. If you’re interested in what being a fencing maestro, particularly for fencing nowadays, means then I can’t recommend Maestro Puck Curtis’s article “What is a Fencing Maestro?” highly enough as it really demystifies the whole thing and explains, what the job really entails.

Looking back at the sixteenth and early seventeenth century I’ve found a lot of research on the London Master’s of Defense. As well, I recently read an entire book looking at how the Paris Masters of Arms tested for the rank of maestro. Unfortunately, though, I have not been able to find much describing how the Italians went about it outside of Marozzo yelling at clouds about kids these days. While I’m still hopeful that something more detailed about our period will pop up, I decided to take up a challenge that one of my friends had issued me a few years back. Namely, take the questions from William Gaugler’s book on classical Italian fencing and apply it to rapier. While I’m still working on a something more finalized, I figured I’d share with all of you the rough draft I was able to come up with. There’s still a bit more carryover of classical terminology than I’m aiming for, but I think this really sums up everything I would expect an Italian rapier maestro to know. If you’re bored at home, I’d highly recommend going through all of these questions and seeing how many you can figure out the answer to regardless of where you are on your own fencing journey.

The Rapier

1. Name three early seventeenth-century Italian authors of fencing treatises.

2. What are the principal parts of the rapier?

3. How many elements does the rapier’s blade consist of, and what are they?

4. How many different degrees of strength are there in the blade, and what are they?

5. How is the rapier properly gripped?

6. How many single sword guards positions are there, and what are their names?

7. How many numbered sword and dagger guards are there and how are they formed?

8. What are the different sword and dagger positions for attacking, how are they formed, and when should each be used?

9. Explain structure and how it’s used in fencing.

10. What is the position of the weapon when it is in line?

11. What is the line of direction?

12. What is the purpose of the guard position?

13. Describe the guard position in rapier.

14. What is the line of offense?

15. What is the lunge?

16. Describe the execution of a lunge.

17. What are the prerequisites for an efficient lunge?

18. What is the pass?

19. Describe the execution of the pass on both inside and outside lines.

20. Describe the execution of an advance, a retreat, and a jump back.

21. What is fencing measure, and how many measures are there?

22. Explain the difference between offensive and defensive measure.

23. How is the advance lunge performed?

24. Define stringere.

25. Describe the three factors of stringere: Proportion, invitation, and constraint.

26. Describe the three aspects of proportion (angulation, penetration, and breadeth) and how they can be used to affect your opponent’s disengage.

27. What is the difference between a find and a lunge? How is each performed on both the inside and outside lines?

28. Define structure.

29. What are the three advantages in the thrust?

30. What are the three advantages in the cut?

31. Explain what it means to form a strong vs. weak angle against your opponent’s sword.

32. Name the different cuts.

33. Explain the difference between full and half cuts.

34. What are the three turns of the sword and when might each be employed?

35. Demonstrate a stramazone and a molinetto. Explain when each might be used.

36. How many lines of attack are there in single sword, and how are they designated?

37. How many lines of attack are there in sword and secondary, and how are they designated?

38. What are invitations, how many are there in rapier, and what are their names?

39. Explain the difference between a static and a dynamic invitation.

40. What are engagements, how many are there in rapier, and what are their names?

41. Describe single and double changes of engagement.

42. What are transports, and how are they designated?

43. What are envelopments, and how are they named?

44. Define offense.

45. What is a simple attack, how many are there, and what are their names?

46. Describe in detail the execution of each of the simple attacks.

47. What are forced glides?

48. When is the thrust to low fourth used?

49. Define defense.

50. What are parries, how many kinds are there and what are they called?

51. How do opposition parries differ from beating parries?

52. What are simple parries, how many are there in rapier, what are their names, and which target areas do they defend?

53. What is the riposte?

54. Specify where the simple riposte can be directed after each parry.

55. What are compound attacks, and into which groups may they be divided?

56. Explain and demonstrate an imbrocatta.

57. Explain and demonstrate an punta roversa.

58. Explain and demonstrate an punta dritta.

59. Demonstrate the three ways to regain a blade without losing blade contact.

60. What is the feint?

61. How many parries does a single feint elude?

62. Describe the execution of the feint direct and disengagement in opposition to the invitation to the inside line, indicating both the master’s and pupil’s movements.

63. Describe the execution of the feint by disengagement and disengagement in opposition to the engagement to the outside line, indicating both the teacher’s and student’s movements.

64. Describe the execution of the feint by glide and disengagement from engagement in third, indicating both the master’s and pupil’s movements.

65. What are compound ripostes, and how are they used?

66. How is an advance coordinated with a double feint?

67. Describe the execution of the double feint direct and disengagement in opposition to the invitation on the inside line, indicating both the master’s and pupil’s movements.

68. Describe the execution of the double feint and disengagement in opposition to the invitation on the outside line, indicating both the master’s and pupil’s movements.

69. Describe the execution of the double feint by disengagement and disengagement in opposition to the engagement on the outside line, indicating both the teacher’s and student's movements.

70. Describe the execution of the double feint by glide and disengagement from engagement on the inside line, indicating both the master’s and pupil’s movements.

71. What are cooperative drills and what is their purpose?

72. What are non-cooperative drills and what is their purpose?

73. What are blocked drills and what is their purpose?

74. What are variable drills and what is their purpose?

75. What are circular parries, how many are there in rapier, what are their names, and which target areas do they protect?

76. What are half circular parries, and how are they executed in rapier?

77. How are circular parries opposed?

78. Describe the execution of the feint direct and deceive in opposition to the invitation in third, indicating both the master’s and pupil’s movements.

79. How are one circular and one simple parry eluded?

80. How are one simple and one circular parry eluded?

81. How are two circular parries eluded?

82. How are one simple, one circular, and one simple parry eluded?

83. How are one circular, one simple, and one circular parry eluded?

84. When are circular ripostes used?

85. What is the cavazione sopra, and how is it used?

86. When is the cavazione sopra preferable to the cavazione sotto?

87. Describe the execution of the feint direct and cavazione sopra in opposition to the invitation in third, indicating both the teacher’s and student’s movements.

88. Describe the execution of the feint by cavazione sopra and disengagement in opposition to the engagement in fourth, indicating both the master’s and pupil’s movements.

89. Demonstrate how you might feint against the sword as opposed to feinting against the dagger.

90. Define actions on the blade, and list those that are used in rapier.

91. From which engagements may blade seizure be affected?

92. How are the internal flanconade and flanconade in second executed?

93. What are beats and how are they identified?

94. What are false beats?

95. Describe the execution of the simple beat, change beat, and circular beat in fourth followed by a straight thrust.

96. What is a grazing beat?

97. What are expulsions, and how are they performed?

98. What advantage do expulsions have over beats?

99. What are renewed attacks, and how are they executed?

100. Define tempo, velocity, and measure.

101. What is fencing tempo?

102. Describe the four tempi.

103. What is contratempo, and how is it used?

104. What is the difference between contratempo and mezzo tempo?

105. What are probing actions, and actions of concealment?

106. What are attacks in tempo?

107. What does it mean to act “out of tempo”?

108. When does a straight thrust become an action in tempo?

109. How is the contracavazione executed?

110. What is the distinction between second intention and countertempo?

111. What is the basic principle of fencing?

112. When a right-handed fencer executes the inquartata against a left-handed adversary, where does he direct his thrust?

113. Demonstrate both an inside and an outside yield. Explain when each might be employed.

114. Explain what it means to make a presa as well as show how it might be used.

115. Demonstrate half-swording (spada in armi) and explain when and which line it should be used on.

116. Demonstrate the three girati and when each might be used.

117. Demonstrate the different ways of holding a cloak and the advantages of each.

118. Explain the three aspects of defense: cover, angle, and distance.

119. Explain the three kinds of problems a student might have (mechanical, tactical, psychological).

This is still very much a work in progress, so if you have any thoughts on how it could be improved please feel free to reach out with any suggestions you might have.

In other news, the Bolognese longsword class I recently taught at a kingdom-level event was just covered in our local baronial newsletter.

As well, I finally found an editor for my upcoming book, “Bolognese Longsword for the Modern Practitioner”. Super excited to be moving forward with this and will gladly keep you all updated as the process moves along.

In the meantime, feel free to stay up to date with all of my findings by subscribing to my newsletter here.