Uploaded August 2021 | Updated September 2026, 20 hours ago

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Playing with measure! Estimating the one's own range and that of the opponent is one of the most important skills while fencing. This week we focus on possible body voids and necessary parries. What are your favorite exercises to learn measure?

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 defenses & counters for the single sword. It's based on the current translation of Jherek Swanger (an older one can be found on Wiktenauer, see down below).

This a part out of fifth principal heading (out of six in total), Giovanni dall'Agocchie used to teach fighting with a sword.

Free Lesson Plan #3 (pdf):
dropbox.com/s/cmje5yt3r6xn91v/Sidesword_Lessons.pdf?dl=0

Future lessons (videos) will be:
- Different starting guards
- Historical defense & counters drill
- Provocations (multiple lessons)
- Strette (close play, multiple lessons)
- Tempi, moments to attack (Already did that! :D youtu.be/QhnEJ025Duo)

We used a Malleus Martialis, a Regenyei and a Kvetun Sidesword to film these.

Image & Media sources:
wiktenauer.com/wiki/Achille_Marozzo (images)
wiktenauer.com/wiki/Giovanni_dall%27Agocchie (you find the old translation here)

Timestamps:
00:00 Intro & Recap
03:00 Voiding with Guardia di Testa
08:10 Parry against a Mandritto to the leg
10:13 Parry against a Riverso to the leg
13:58 Outro



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Music Created By: Random Mind
Song Title: The Old Tower Inn
Credit link: goo.gl/cN3oi3
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Music: The Witcher 3 - OST
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#hema #sidesword #fencing