Uploaded August 2020 | Updated September 2026, 18 hours ago
In this series we learn how to fight with a sword - or a sidesword to be precise. The modern term "Sidesword" is usually referring to transitional weapons between the medieval arming sword and the renaissance rapier - in their time, they were most often called "spada" (= sword), which is a one handed sword that could take any shape depending on it's context. This is our current interpretation of Giovanni dall'Agocchie's attacks for the single Sidesword. It's based on the current translation of W. Jherek Swanger (an older one can be found on Wiktenauer, see down below).
These are the first two out of six principal headings, Giovanni dall'Agocchie uses to teach fighting with a sword.
Some things to remember:
- Every time you grip your sword, the edge that faces toward the middle knuckle of your hand will be the true edge, and conversely, the other one will be the false one.
- A (man)dritto originates from your sword-hand side. (In my case that's every blow from right to left.)
- A riverso originates from your off-hand side.
- A fendente travels on a line from head to foot.
- A sgualimbro travels on a line from shoulder to knee.
- A tondo (or traverso) is a horizontal cut.
- A ridoppio is a diagonal rising cut that finishes at the shoulder.
- A falso is a cut leading with the false edge.
- An imbroccata is an overhand thrust from above.
- A stoccata is an underhand thrust from below.
- A punta riversa is a thrust from the off-hand side.
- A punta in falso is a (wide) thrust from the sword-hand side. You are advised to turn your body behind it.
Timestamps
00:00 true & false edge
00:22 mandritti
01:26 riversi
02:18 tramazzoni & mezzi colpi
02:56 punte
04:05 falsi
We used a Regenyei Sidesword to film this.
Image & Media sources:
wiktenauer.com/wiki/Achille_Marozzo
wiktenauer.com/wiki/Giovanni_dall%27Agocchie (you find the old translation here)
♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪
Music Provided: Internet Archive - archive.org
GOTHIC AND RENAISSANCE DANCES (1961)
Klaus Walter, Michel Walter, Eleanor Slone, Gerald Sonneck, Ernst Koelz, Alfred Hertel
Anonymous: 7 Pieces - Molendinum de Paris
Jean le Grand: Entre vous (15th Century)
Anonymous 3 Pieces for Lute (16th Century) - Allemande
Recorded in the early 1960s
Digital transfer by F. Reeder
License: Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0
♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪
#HEMA #Sidesword #Potsdam
In this series we learn how to fight with a sword - or a sidesword to be precise. The modern term "Sidesword" is usually referring to transitional weapons between the medieval arming sword and the renaissance rapier - in their time, they were most often called "spada" (= sword), which is a one handed sword that could take any shape depending on it's context. This is our current interpretation of Giovanni dall'Agocchie's attacks for the single Sidesword. It's based on the current translation of W. Jherek Swanger (an older one can be found on Wiktenauer, see down below).
These are the first two out of six principal headings, Giovanni dall'Agocchie uses to teach fighting with a sword.
Some things to remember:
- Every time you grip your sword, the edge that faces toward the middle knuckle of your hand will be the true edge, and conversely, the other one will be the false one.
- A (man)dritto originates from your sword-hand side. (In my case that's every blow from right to left.)
- A riverso originates from your off-hand side.
- A fendente travels on a line from head to foot.
- A sgualimbro travels on a line from shoulder to knee.
- A tondo (or traverso) is a horizontal cut.
- A ridoppio is a diagonal rising cut that finishes at the shoulder.
- A falso is a cut leading with the false edge.
- An imbroccata is an overhand thrust from above.
- A stoccata is an underhand thrust from below.
- A punta riversa is a thrust from the off-hand side.
- A punta in falso is a (wide) thrust from the sword-hand side. You are advised to turn your body behind it.
Timestamps
00:00 true & false edge
00:22 mandritti
01:26 riversi
02:18 tramazzoni & mezzi colpi
02:56 punte
04:05 falsi
We used a Regenyei Sidesword to film this.
Image & Media sources:
wiktenauer.com/wiki/Achille_Marozzo
wiktenauer.com/wiki/Giovanni_dall%27Agocchie (you find the old translation here)
♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪
Music Provided: Internet Archive - archive.org
GOTHIC AND RENAISSANCE DANCES (1961)
Klaus Walter, Michel Walter, Eleanor Slone, Gerald Sonneck, Ernst Koelz, Alfred Hertel
Anonymous: 7 Pieces - Molendinum de Paris
Jean le Grand: Entre vous (15th Century)
Anonymous 3 Pieces for Lute (16th Century) - Allemande
Recorded in the early 1960s
Digital transfer by F. Reeder
License: Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0
♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪
#HEMA #Sidesword #Potsdam
