SWORD PLAY
[Illustration: FRANCOIS DARRIEULAT Fencing Master]
SWORD PLAY
_Based upon_
THE FRENCH SCHOOL
OF THE FOIL
_By_ SCOTT D. BRECKINRIDGE
_and_
SCOTT D. BRECKINRIDGE, Jr.
[Illustration]
A. S. BARNES & COMPANY, NEW YORK
COPYRIGHT, 1941, BY A. S. BARNES AND COMPANY, INCORPORATED
_This book is fully protected by copyright and nothing
that appears in it may be reprinted or reproduced in any
manner, either wholly or in part, for any use whatever,
without special written permission of the copyright owner._
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
_This little book is dedicated by two former pupils_
To
FRANCOIS DARRIEULAT
Originally of Dax, in France; sometime Master of the Sword to The
Washington Fencer’s Club, the Washington Racquet Club, the United
States Naval Academy and Cornell University. Twice coach to American
Olympic Fencing Teams. A sound teacher, an inspiring master, a loyal
friend.
PREFACE
The accompanying brief text originated in the failure, when called
upon to coach the fencing team at the University of Kentucky several
years ago, to find any book on the subject that seemed to sufficiently
emphasize some of the basic principles of French Foil play. With books
adequately presenting both the Italian and compromise schools, we felt
that a brief presentation of the theory of the French school would not
be amiss.
It has seemed to us that this tendency to follow a compromise school
without any effort to explain or insist upon the basic theory and
practice of either French or Italian method, will develop a group of
sword fighters whose progress is limited by their personal ability and
originality along irregular lines rather than by the almost limitless
possibilities of either of the classical schools. Certainly a fencer
thoroughly grounded in the basic philosophy and technique of either
of these schools is better prepared for a long course of steady
improvement than the individual who has a rather vague conception of
the purpose and performance of offense and defense with the sword.
Therefore, we have endeavored to present accurately and with reasonable
thoroughness the basic principles of the French school. We have
tried to indicate the practical application of these principles to
competition fencing and to point out a number of the pit falls that
await the unwary.
There are four groups to whom it is hoped that this little book will
prove of special value: (1) the amateur fencer whose past interest
has been in the practice rather than in the theory of the art, but
who has been drafted as coach in one of the colleges that has no
available professional; (2) the instructor in the Department of
Physical Education who, with only a minimum of personal knowledge,
is called upon for class instruction; (3) the amateur fencer who has
become somewhat vague in his memory of theory, rules, and conventions,
but finds that he is to be called upon to act as an official in local
fencing matches; and (4) the young fencer who must either give up
fencing or find his way as best he may without the advantages of
personal instruction.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
Preface vii
Foreword xi
I. Fundamentals 1
The Position of Guard, without the Sword
The Advance and Retreat
The Thrust
The Lunge
The Sword
The Grasp (Grip, or Hold) of the Sword
Positions of Sword-hand in Guards
II. Defense and Attack 13
Distance
The Engagement
Counter Parries
The Attack
The Disengage and Lunge
The Cut-Over (coupé) and Lunge
The Feint
The One-Two
The Double-Counter-Attacks
Attacks on the Sword
Defense Against Attacks on the Sword
III. Irregular Practises 47
IV. The Bout 52
V. Exercises 68
VI. Class Instruction 71
VII. The Duelling Sword 85
VIII. The Saber 91
Index 99
FORWARD
“SHALL WE FENCE?”
Man was never as fleet of foot and certainly never as strong of fang
and claw as the larger animals with which he had to contend as he
fought his way up the ladder of physical and social evolution. However,
he was superior in cunning, and, later, in pure intellect. Early, he
sought means of equalizing the physical balance--first employing such
crude clubs as could be broken from the forest trees, later improving
these by the addition of a grass or skin bound lump of stone, and yet
later discovering that blood-letting was superior to tissue crushing.
This last discovery, which led to the development of the stone knife,
was the first step in the evolution and perfection of the sword. First,
the dagger was fastened to a staff to make a spear and, eventually,
the sword appeared, although this probably did not come in its true
form until the bronze age. Whatever its exact date, since the earliest
historical records and monuments of man, the sword has been his
companion and principal weapon of offence and defence. In fact, it was
not until after the French Revolution that it disappeared as part of
the formal dress of the gentleman, and not until after World War I that
it ceased to be an important part of the equipment of the cavalryman.
And the sword was by no means a strictly utilitarian product. Not
only was it frequently the object of the most painstaking and loving
attention of both swordsmith and silversmith, but it was endowed with
personality, in some of the most romantic songs and stories of the
ages. King Arthur, at the head of his knights of the Round Table, did
not wear just a sword. At his side rested Excalibur. When Roland died
in the Vale of Roncesvalles, surrounded by the bodies of his Moorish
foes, in his right hand was the good sword, Durandal. The Cid Campeador
carried into battle the sword Tizona. Siegfried bore no nameless
weapon. And so, in the romances of England, of France, of Spain, and of
Germany, we find the swords of the heroes endowed with personalities.
Therefore, we may proudly claim that our weapon has a history and a
romance both as old as those of man. Also, it is interesting to realize
that the sword has progressed with its bearer, varying in weight, in
shape, and in general characteristics as he has visualized the uses to
which it was to be put. In the so-called days of chivalry, the problem
of the swordsman was not graceful play of sword against sword, but
the cracking of a shell of armor so that he could reach the kernel of
humanity within. With the passing of armor, the sword was lightened
to the rapier--and, with the progressive lightening of the sword, its
uses became more and more delicate and complicated, until, by the time
of the appearance of the colichemarde and small sword, most of the
refinements that we know today had been recognized and developed.
Today, there remains to us a game which employs the three weapons that
have been derived from the rapier--the duelling sword which, except
for larger guard and slightly larger blade, is an exact replica of the
small sword; the foil, which was developed as a practice weapon for
the small sword; and the saber which retains the use of both point and
edge, as did the rapier, but is much lightened to permit greater speed
and versatility of play. This game calls upon the physical forces as
does any of our more severe athletic games. It requires the meticulous
attention to technique that characterizes golf; the explosive energy
of the sprint runner; the split-second decisions of the tennis player
and boxer; and, above all and before all, it requires for its fullest
achievement a power of analysis that is not equalled by any other
game in the athletic group--much more nearly resembling chess in
this characteristic. And it is this final attribute that charms and
holds its devotees. After the passing of the super-abundant physical
energy of youth which requires some outlet, even after the passing of
that period when hard training will bring back speed and endurance,
there remains the fascination of the game, where cunning of head and
skill of hand may still more than balance the physical superiority of
younger, but less skilled, heads. It is a game that can be followed
for four or five decades, with the aging devotee still a dangerous
competitor at the end of this time. It is a game where the 220 pounder
has no advantage over the man half his size, and where the six footer
possesses no insuperable advantage over the man a half foot shorter.
It is a game of speed and coordination, of technical finesse and
intellectual acuity, and offers full reward, both physical and mental,
to those who will pursue its intricacies.
Chapter I
FUNDAMENTALS
THE POSITION OF GUARD, WITHOUT THE SWORD
The feet are at right angles--the front foot in the long axis of the
fencing strip and pointing directly towards the opponent, with the heel
in line with the heel of the rear foot and about two foot-lengths from
it. The distance between the feet cannot be set arbitrarily, but must
be such as to give a steady position without sacrificing agility, or
tending to fixation. Both knee- and hip-joints are well flexed, so that
the individual is almost “sitting on air.” The front thigh should form
an angle of less than forty-five degrees with the horizontal and the
knee should be directly above the instep. The rear knee is “cocked”
slightly in front of a vertical line above the foot--so as to lend more
force and assurance to the forward kick in the lunge. The weight is
equally distributed on both feet, so that movement to the front or rear
may be executed with equal ease. The body is erect, with rear shoulder
forced somewhat backward so as to minimize the target offered to the
opponent, but without sufficient restraint to hamper activity. The
rear arm is elevated, with upper arm horizontal, forearm vertical and
hand horizontal, the shoulder, elbow and wrist forming right angles.
The position of this arm should be maintained without rigidity or
tightness. The forward, or sword, arm is about two-thirds extended, the
forearm being almost horizontal with elbow and hand slightly below the
level of the breast. This level should be approximately midway between
the top of the collar and the fork of the crotch. The elbow of the
sword arm should be maintained definitely inside of the outer line of
the body.
Early effort should be made: (1) to accustom the muscles of the rear
shoulder to maintaining its backward position for the effacement
of the target; (2) to accustom the thigh muscles to the strain of
maintaining the semi-sitting position; and (3) to accustom the muscles
of the shoulder of the sword arm to the inside position of that elbow.
These are the only positions in fencing that carry with them a sense
of constraint to the beginner, and, as each makes a very appreciable
contribution to the future efficiency of the swordsman, they should
be practised with assiduity from the beginning. The well flexed legs
are the very basis of the attack; the withdrawal of the rear shoulder
minimizes the apparent target; and the “inside” elbow of the sword arm
is a fixed pivot from which all parries are controlled and all ripostes
launched.
THE ADVANCE AND RETREAT
Fencing is a game of constant, sudden, and rapid movement. The
necessity of closing distance to facilitate the delivery of a
successful attack and of increasing distance to reinforce the
execution of a planned defence results in almost incessant advancing
and retreating. The advance is executed by carrying the front foot
forward approximately its own length, planting it, and quickly bringing
the rear foot up to its previous relative position. The retreat is
merely a reversal of this procedure, first carrying the rear foot
backward approximately its own length, and then following with the
front foot. The necessity for quickness in these movements cannot be
over-emphasized. A certain amount of imbalance and unreadiness is
bound to exist while one foot is in the air. The opponent may await
this brief moment and seize it for launching his attack.
[Illustration:
FIG. 1. Side view of guard; in quarte.
FIG. 2. Front view of guard; in quarte.
FIG. 3. Thrust.
FIG. 4. Lunge.]
The jump advance is just what the name would indicate, a short jump
forward--both feet leaving the ground at the same time. In the Italian
school, this is called the “balestra.” It has the advantage of being
executed in a single movement, thus being quicker. However, being in
a single movement, it is irretrievable and, once started, must be
completed. Probably, its greatest field of usefulness is against the
individual who invariably sways backward on his rear leg with his parry
against any attack.
THE THRUST
The thrust is entirely a movement of the sword arm and is the initial
movement in every attack. As the right of way in the attack depends
upon the sword arm being extended, with the point threatening the
target, any movement _preceding_ the thrust, such as an advance or
retreat, is merely by way of preparation, constitutes no threat, and,
consequently, has no rights. The movement, in its simplest form, is
merely a quick extension of the arm, with point in line. The quickness
should be without initial tension or terminal jerk. If the point is
not in line, it does not threaten the target; does not constitute an
effective feint; and, therefore, does not command the right of way.
Occasion will be taken, from time to time, as this work progresses,
to return to this point for it is upon it and the various departures
from it that the entire theory of the right of way in foil fencing is
based. To recapitulate: No movement is a legal threat, or possesses
any inherent rights, unless preceded, initiated, or accompanied by
an extension of the arm, with the point in line; nor do these rights
become activated until this movement has been completed; nor do these
rights persist after either the extension of the arm, or the threat of
the point, is withdrawn.
THE LUNGE
The lunge is the forward movement of the body by a powerful extension
of the rear leg. With the kick of the rear leg, the front foot is
raised an inch or two clear of the floor and travels forward one and a
half or two times its own length, the heel landing almost imperceptibly
ahead of the planting of the ball of the foot. _When_ the front
foot lands, the rear foot should remain in its original position;
the rear leg should be extended; the thigh of the front leg should
be horizontal, the lower leg vertical, and the body inclined _very_
slightly forward. With the kick, the rear arm is straightened smartly
to the rear. This is the concluding movement of each properly executed
attack, carrying the point from its position at the end of the thrust
to the target. It should be catlike in the speed of its execution
as well as in the accuracy and coordination of its movements. It is
executed in a single time. There is no intermediate stage. There is the
kick of the rear leg, followed by the arrival in the full extension
of the lunge. There is no gentle settling to, or gradual assumption
of the lunge. The movement is explosive in its sudden completeness.
If the legs are insufficiently flexed, the forward movement becomes a
fall and is infinitely slow in the split-second terms of fencing time.
If the rear knee is not cocked slightly forward, as prescribed, the
impetus is apt to be in an upward, rather than forward direction, and
both time and distance are sacrificed. If, in the anxiety to reach out
toward the opponent, the body is allowed more than a _very_ slight
forward inclination, the balance will be disturbed and the recovery
slowed. This may leave one at the mercy of a skilful opponent who
has successfully parried the original attack. The recovery from the
lunge is almost entirely dependent upon a strong kick-back with the
front leg. It is aided by a simultaneous flexion of the rear leg and
swinging of the rear arm up to the position of guard. This recovery
must be executed as quickly and smoothly as was the lunge. It must be
so perfectly coordinated and free from conscious effort that it permits
the careful execution of defensive movements with the sword during its
performance. This presupposes long, hard practice, so that perfectly
seasoned muscles perform their function almost without conscious
direction.
Great emphasis is being placed in these preliminary remarks upon
the development of fencing legs. This is necessary for at least
two sufficient reasons. In the first place, fencing is a war of
movement--not one of fixed positions. In the second place, the muscles
involved are used in a way for which no other sport is more than a
partial training. While the fencing lunge may well be compared with
the quick start in the dash races, one is not allowed to prepare his
stance for a single start but must be continually in position to make
it at any moment and repeatedly, with every muscle under the tension
that exists at the precise moment that the gun fires for the start.
The sudden movements of the advance and retreat must be made from this
position. The strain upon untrained thigh muscles is extreme. The
fencer who has not fully mastered these movements and trained these
muscles starts handicapped and must look for his victories among those
who are inferior to himself in other branches of the game, or who
are equally inferior in this branch. Perfect performance and perfect
coordination of head, hand, and legs are necessary for the finished
fencer. The neglect of proper foot-work is one of the commonest
failings in young fencers--but is almost never seen among the finalists
in major competitions. Bad and slovenly habits, formed early, are
frequently fatal to later success. School the hand and the legs, while
waiting for observation and experience to develop the head.
A good exercise for the development of fencing legs consists in taking
the position of guard at one end of a forty-foot fencing strip and
advancing rapidly to the other end, interspersing a lunge and recovery
after every third or fourth advance. Never relax the flexed position of
guard. When too fatigued to continue properly, stop and rest. The same
exercise may be taken in reverse, doing several quick retreats followed
by lunge and recovery. Remember that the average foil bout lasts about
five minutes and that, against anything like even competition, you may
have to make innumerable advances and retreats with as many as fifteen
lunges to gain your five touches. And you may have to do this three,
six, or nine times in a single afternoon, with the added fatigue of
high nervous strain. Few sights are more depressing than a young man,
with the legs of an octogenarian, having to flex them before each
attack and trying to step back, with knees straight, from a swiftly
executed attack.
Hitherto, we have discussed the position of body and arm without the
sword. From now on, we discuss these positions with the sword in hand.
THE SWORD
The sword is made up of four components: the blade; the guard; the
grip (or handle); and the pommel. The blade is further subdivided into
the blade proper and the tang. The tang is of much softer temper than
the blade proper, meets it at a sharp shoulder and serves for the
attachment of guard, grip, and pommel. The guard is usually made of
polished, or plated, steel or aluminum and is most commonly shaped in a
double loop, called “figure 8,” or as a segment of a spherical surface,
called “bell.” Occasionally, rectangles or ovals of solid metal are
seen. The guard has a square aperture at its center for the passage of
the tang. The “figure 8” guard must be faced, on the blade side, with
heavy leather or other material to prevent the passage and trapping of
the opponent’s point. The bell guard is usually padded on the inner
face with a light, circular, cloth cushion. The grip is usually made of
wood, with a tunnel through its center for the passage of the tang. It
is slightly curved to better fit the hand and is usually wrapped with
cord. The pommel is usually of steel in the shape of a truncated cone,
of such length and weight as to properly balance the sword. It may be
in one or two pieces and is usually threaded to fit the end of the tang.
The French blade most commonly used is the #5, which is about
thirty-five inches long; rectangular in cross section; much heavier
near the guard than at the point; and resilient and highly tempered,
so that its tendency is to resume its straightness after a touch.
This blade terminates at the point in a flattened button, which, in
practice, is wound with waxed cord or friction tape. The blade proper
is divided into three theoretical portions: the forte, which is the
heavier part near the guard; the faible, which is the light portion
near the point; and the middle section. In the French theory, all
parries are made against the faible of the attacking sword, either by
a pressure of forte to faible or of a sharp blow of forte to faible,
faible to faible, or mid-section to faible.
The balance of the French foil, to lend itself ideally to the finger
play that is the perfection of French fencing, should be immediately in
front of the guard, so that the sword is _very_ slightly point heavy.
This balance can be obtained by mounting a standard #5 blade and guard,
with a grip measuring six and one half inches in length, and a steel
pommel measuring two inches in length and weighing about five ounces.
Many of the French foils offered on the market are so short in the
grip and light in the pommel as to create a heaviness of point that is
almost prohibitive to any delicacy of finger work.
THE GRASP (GRIP, OR HOLD) OF THE SWORD
The manner in which the sword is held largely governs its proper use,
but is frequently neglected in the basic instruction in sword-play. In
the French school, proper sword-play is grounded upon finger work and,
for the successful employment of this technique, two distinct grips are
employed--the one for defence, the other for offence. In both grips,
the position of the thumb is the same, resting upon the broader surface
of the handle close to the guard. However, the finger grip varies. In
the defence grip, the grip of the sword passes across the palm in such
a manner as to permit the fingers to curl snugly around the handle, the
index finger resting its distal _joint_ (articulation, not phalanx) on
the broad surface opposite the thumb and only partially encircling the
handle. This grip permits the use of the full strength of the fingers
in making parries and attacks on the sword. In the attack position, the
handle of the sword runs slightly obliquely along the palm of the hand,
instead of across it, and is in direct prolongation of the extended
arm. The thumb and index finger retain their firm grip near the guard,
but the terminal phalanges of the other fingers now rest lightly along
the narrow face opposite the palm for direction and control, rather
than force. The finger work (doigté) is one of the most valuable
and delicate and, at the same time, one of the most difficult and
neglected features of French sword-play, and this shifting grip is
quite necessary for its proper performance.
[Illustration:
FIG. 5. Grip of sword in quarte; supination, page 11; defence, p. 9;
top view.
FIG. 6. Grip of sword in sixte; supination, p. 11; defence, p. 9; top
view.
FIG. 7. Side view; hand in supination, p. 11; low line guard, p. 11.
FIG. 8. Side view; same as above except high line guard.
FIG. 9. Grip in attack, p. 9; top view.
FIG. 10. Hand in pronation, p. 11.]
POSITIONS OF SWORD-HAND IN GUARDS
The general position of the body and extremities in the position of
guard has been discussed in earlier paragraphs. The various guards with
the sword are designed to close the various lines of attack to the
opponent’s sword. The valid target in foil play includes the entire
trunk and the neck to the top of the collar. The head, arms, and legs
are excluded. For purposes of description and of defence, this target
is divided by an imaginary horizontal line into a high and a low line.
This horizontal line is drawn at slightly below the level of the breast
and equally divides the distance from the top of the collar to the
fork of the crotch. Frequent reference is also made to an inside and
an outside line, dependent upon its vertical area inside, or outside,
the sword arm. The high and low lines are fixed and constant, but
the inside and outside lines are variable, for reasons that will be
given later. The various areas of the body are protected by a series
of guards which, by their position, prevent the attacking sword from
reaching the body in this particular area. This division gives two
areas to be covered in the high and two in the low line. This gives
us guards in both high and low lines that deviate the attacking point
from the target either to the outer side or to the inner side of the
sword arm. Not only are there the four general lines of deviation of
the attacking point, but in each of these lines there is a distinction
based upon whether the guard is closed with the fingers of the sword
hand up (hand in supination) or with the fingers down (hand in
pronation). This gives us eight guards in all. In all of these guards,
the hand is maintained in the horizontal line dividing high and low
lines, the point being at eye level in the high line and at knee level
in the low line guards.
If, as stated above, these guards prevent the attacking sword from
reaching the body in the particular area which each is designed to
protect, it becomes obvious that, when an outside guard is taken, no
outside line for attack exists, except one which is outside the body,
and, consequently, no line at all. The same holds true of the inside
line, either high or low. Therefore, the outside and inside lines are
variables, existing only one at a time for purposes of attack and,
when they do exist, including the entire target. This distinction will
become more clear with the detailed description of the various guards
and their use in combat.