Tuesday, January 26, 2016

A glossary of terms for Swordfighters Beginning Longsword

This glossary is an amalgam of a list from Guy Windsor and additional terms that I have added.


Glossary of Terms related to Beginning Longsword

Abrazare: the Italian word for wrestling.  Medieval wrestling included grappling, strikes, kicks, joint locks and breaks
Accressere: to step forwards without passing
alla traversa: across
base: the area on the ground defined by a perimeter drawn around your feet.  In wrestling it also means to get to your hands and knees (the actual base then being defined by the area surrounded by a perimeter drawn around everything touching the ground.
Bicorno: two:horned. Specifically a guard position.
Breve: short. Specifically a guard position.
Colpo: a blow, either cut or thrust
Crossguard:  the crosspiece on the sword that protects the hand
Dente di Cinghiaro: The boar’s tooth
Destra: on the right
Discressere: to step back without passing
Posta di Donna: The woman’s guard
Falsa: false
False Edge:  also called dead side, the upper sharp edge of the blade when the blade is held in a conventional grip
Fendente: a descending blow
Footprint: the placement of your foot on the ground.  You can be flat footed or on your toes.
Posta di Fenestra: The window guard
Fora di strada: off the line; as in “accresco fora di strada”, “I step off the line”
forward weighted: a stance with the weight on the front foot
Frontale: frontal. Specifically a guard position.
Inside: relative to a stance or a type of strike. It is the chest side of your stance
Largo plays: things that happen at long range
Ligadura: a lock. Ligadura soprana= high lock; ligadura mezana= middle lock; ligadura sottana= lower lock.
Longa: long. Specifically a guard position.
Mandritto: forehand
Meza/ mezana: middle or half, depending on context.
Meza Spada : the middle third of the blade
Meza volta:the type of turn that results when you pass forward or backwards
Mezano: one of the 6 blows, these are horizontal. Literally, “middle blow”.
Neutral:  Referring to a stance with your feet evenly weighted and shoulder width apart.  Any time your feet are together.
Out of Measure:  the distance such that it takes more than one step to reach your opponent
Outside: Referring to a stance or a strike it is the back side of your stance
Passare: to pass; to step passing one foot past the other.
Passo: a passing step; also the space between your feet. Hence “passo alla traversa”, pass across.
Pommel:  weighted end of the sword
Porta di ferro: iron door. Specifically a guard position, either middle (mezana) or whole (tutta).
Posta: Guard position. Plural poste.
Posta Frontale: The frontal guard
Posta longa: The long position
Proper Measure: the distance that a technique is supposed to work.
Punta: point (of a weapon), or a thrust.
Punta di spada: the point of the sword down to the first third of the blade.  Also called the “weak”
rear weighted: a stance with the weight on the rear foot
Rebattere: to beat aside, specifically an incoming weapon.
Remedio: remedy; specifically the defence against an attack, usually some form of parry.
Rooting: to make it hard to be picked up or moved. It involves finding the biomechanically efficient postures to resist forces.
Rompere: to break, as in rompere di punta, to break the thrust (a defensive action).
Roverso: backhand
Stretto plays: things that happen at close range
Scambiare: to exchange. Specifically, scambiare di punta, the exchange of thrust (a defensive action).
Sinestra: on the left.
Sottano: a rising blow.
Strada: way, line. Specifically the line between two fencers. Usually in context “fora di strada”, off the line.
Strong line: a feature of a stance.  Its the direction where you can create or oppose the greatest force.  It is the biomechanically most efficient structure relative to resisting a force.
Tondo: a horizontal blow (as mezano).
Tornare: to step (pass) backwards.
True Edge: also called the live side, the lower sharp edge of the blade when the blade is held in a conventional grip
Tutta: whole or full.
Tutta Spada : the lower third of the blade.  Literally the whole blade.  Also called the strong.
Tutta volta: turning by pivoting on one foot
Vera croce: true cross. Specifically a guard position.
Volta: turn, specifically volta stabile, stable turn; meza volta, half turn; tutta volta, whole turn.
Volta stabile :turning while keeping both feet in place
Weak line: in a stance the directions where you cannot resist forces
Zenghiaro: wild boar. Specifically a guard position. Usual form “posta di dente di zenghiaro”, position of the wild boar’s tooth.
Zogho largo: wide play. Specifically actions with weapons that occur at wide measure. The distance that is defined by the longest attack with only a single foot movement
Zogho stretto: close play. Specifically actions with or without weapons that occur in close measure.  To be able to hit without stepping