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School of European Swordsmanship

The five drills

Longsword training at the School centres around five set drills, which contain the kernel of our current interpretation of Fiore's Art. These drills are built up according to Fiore's four Masters of Battle, which represent four steps in a fight: the attack, the defence (remedy) the counter to the defence (counter-remedy) and the counter to that (the counter-counter-remedy). For more information about Fiore's system, please refer to "A swordsman's guide to Fior di Battaglia"

First drill has the defender parry with the crossing of the second master of zogho largo, which is countered by the attacker yielding and entering into zogho stretto, which is countered by the ligadura mezana, from the third play of the first remedy master of the dagger.
Watch first drill!
Second drill has the defender enter directly into zogho stretto, which is countered by a variation on the soprana tor di spada, which is in turn countered by an elbow push.
Watch second drill!
Third drill skips to the end of the sword on two hands, and has the defender parry from posta di dente di zenghiaro, beating the sword aside. The attacker yields and enters with a wrap, which is countered with the ligadura sottana.
Watch third drill!
Fourth drill is the last two plays of the zogho largo section; the attack with a mezano, parried, the turn to the punta falsa, and it's counter.
Watch fourth drill!
Fifth drill introduces the feint: a thrust from posta di donna using bicorno, parried, the parry deceived, and the deception countered.
Watch fifth drill!

The cross-handed forms of the drill are designed to maintain the logic of the normal form, adapted where necessary to the difference in structure that occurs when one of the combatants is holding the sword in the other hand.