This is intended to be a “too long; didn’t read” of my chapter-by-chapter summary of Fabris’s Book 1 here. This summary necessarily involves a bit of interpretation on my part, but I’ve tried to keep that minimal. I’m new to Fabris and am open to corrections and feedback!

Can you give me the “TL;DR” for your “TL;DR”?

How to fence (according to Fabris):

1. As you enter distance, position your sword and body so that you can easily defend against any direct attack from your opponent’s current position
2. As you enter distance in this manner, your opponent has four options:
   • They do nothing
     • Hit them while locking out their direct line of attack
   • They withdraw (and maybe change positions)
     • Return to step (1) and proceed anew
     • If they keep doing this forever, eventually they’ll run out of space
   • They attack directly
     • Your defense is easy and you get to hit them for free
   • They change positions (either to attack indirectly, or just because changing positions makes them feel good)
     • While they are changing positions, they cannot hit you; use this time to hit them (or at least gain an advantage over them if hitting isn’t possible in the time afforded by their motion)

Obviously, that is all easier said than done. But that’s why there’s a whole treatise.

Concepts

• Distance (=Measure)
  • Out of distance
    • You are out of distance if you need more than one step to reach and wound your opponent
  • Wide distance (misura larga)
    • You are in wide distance if you need one step to reach and wound your opponent
  • Narrow distance (misura stretta)
    • You are in narrow distance if you can wound your opponent without stepping
  • Wrestling/grappling distance
    • You are in grappling distance if you can grab your opponent’s body or hilt with your non-dominant hand without stepping
    • Not explicitly classified as a separate distance by Fabris, but he alludes to it.
• Fencing Time (Tempo)
  • Tempo (=Fencing Time)
    • Any motion made within distance is a tempo
    • Every tempo contains two qualities:
      • An tactical quality: what is the purpose of the action and how does it affect the fight?
      • A time quality: how long does the action take to perform?
      • These two aspects of “tempo” are often used interchangeably because each quality informs the other
    • Every tempo precludes certain other tempi – a fact which gives rise to opportunities
      • For example:
        • It is impossible to raise and lower the same arm at the same time
        • It is impossible to extend and withdraw the sword at the same time
        • It is impossible to step backwards while stepping forward
    • Every tempo is not only a motion, but an opportunity to wound (or at least take some sort of advantage over) your opponent
    • Any motion made out of distance is not a tempo because motions made outside of distance are not opportunities to wound or gain advantages
  • A single fencing action can contain multiple tempi
    • Some motions take only a single tempo to complete, but other motions take multiple motions (and thus multiple tempi) to complete
      • Every step takes at least two tempi:
        • One to lift the foot
        • One to set the foot down again
      • Most cuts take at least two tempi:
        • One to lift or withdraw the sword in preparation
        • One to bring the sword down
      • Mutating one kind of attack into another takes at least two tempi
        • An attack and a remise are two tempi
        • A feint and a real attack are two tempi
        • An indirect attack is often at least two tempi
  • Some tempi are longer than others
    • An action of the sword is faster than an action of the foot
      • Small hand motions can have a huge tactical impact because the weapon is a lever and so it translates a small hand motion into a much larger motion of the weapon
      • A step involves coordinating the entire body and more commitment
    • Leaning backwards or forwards is faster than stepping backwards or forwards
  • Distance is related to time
    • The duration of an action is related to the distance that the action must traverse
      • Smaller actions require less time
      • Larger actions require more time
      • Actions that cross a longer distance require more time to do so
    • The greater the distance between the fencers, the more time each fencer has to act
      • At wide measure, it is difficult (and sometimes impossible) to hit in a single tempo
      • At narrow measure, if the direct line of attack is open, it is by definition possible to hit in a single tempo
      • Stepping backwards gives the stepping person more time
  • Acting “in tempo“ (“in time”)
    • Your action is “in tempo” if the duration of your action is smaller than the duration of the tempo you have to work with
    • The duration of your opponent’s tempo represents the amount of time you have to act “in tempo”
      • For example, suppose…
        • Your opponent’s action takes t units of time
        • Your action takes s units of time
        • If s ≤ t then your action will be finished “in tempo” (that is, “in time”)
        • If s > t then your opponent will complete their action before you complete your action; your action is not “in time”
    • We can use the principle of acting “in tempo” to understand why certain fencing actions succeed or fail:
      • If you try to counter a single-tempo action with a multiple-tempo-action (or combination of actions), you will probably fail
      • If you try to use a big action to counter a small action, you will probably fail
      • If the duration of your attack is longer than the duration of an appropriate defense, your attack will fail if your opponent performs that defense
      • If the duration of your defense is longer than the duration of the attack you are defending against, your defense will fail
• The divisions of the sword
  • Fabris divides the sword into four parts:
    • (1) The first quarter of the blade nearest the hand is strongest for parrying
    • (2) The second quarter extends from the first to the middle of the blade and is still good for parrying, albeit somewhat weaker
    • (3) The third quarter extends from the middle toward the point and is bad for parrying (especially against cuts)
    • (4) The fourth quarter should not be used for parrying at all but is best for wounding
  • These four parts can be simplified to just two:
    • The strong (the forte)
      • The part of the sword from the middle of the blade down to the grip
      • Best at defending
    • The weak (the debole)
      • The upper half of the blade
      • Best at wounding
• Guards
  • Fabris sorts all possible fencing stances into four categories depending on how the weapon hand is positioned:
    • First (Prime)
      • Palm of the weapon hand facing outward
      • knuckles inward
    • Second (Seconde)
      • Palm of the weapon hand is horizontal facing down to the ground
      • Knuckles pointing up
    • Third (Tierce)
      • Palm of the weapon hand facing inside
      • Knuckles pointing outward
      • Like you are offering someone a handshake
    • Fourth (Quarte)
      • Palm of the weapon hand facing upwards
      • Knuckles pointing down to the ground
  • Strictly speaking, there are more than four possible positions because the hand can be placed in an intermediate position between these four, but for simplicity’s sake we only refer to these four
• Counter-Positions
  • You are in a counter-position relative to your opponent precisely when…
    • You are not touching your opponent’s sword with your own
    • Your sword, body, and arms are positioned such that your opponent’s weapon point cannot travel in a straight line and hit you in the body
    • Your sword is positioned in a stronger position relative to the opponent’s sword
  • Adopting a counter-position gives you an advantage over your opponent:
    • If your opponent attacks directly, you will not get hit
    • Therefore, opponent must move their sword elsewhere to attack you directly, which will increase the duration of his action so that there is plenty of time to parry
• Engaging (= finding, = gaining) the opponent’s sword
  • To engage the opponent’s sword is to place your sword relative to your opponent’s such that you have a mechanical advantage
  • Fabris details various ways of engaging, but generally it means the following:
    • Place your own sword as close to the opponent’s sword as possible without actually touching it such that…
      • Your point is directed towards your opponent’s blade, but still sufficiently in presence
      • Your sword is above your opponent’s sword
      • Your forte is closer to their debole than the other way around
• Disengagement (Cavazione)
  • A blade motion that moves your sword from one side of your opponent’s sword to the other
  • Used variously to avoid engagements, beats, and parries
• Free vs. subjected sword
  • A fencer’s sword is either “free” or “in subjection”
    • A fencer’s sword is free if it is possible for the fencer to wound in tempo
    • A fencer’s sword is in subjection if the direct line of attack is not available
  • If your opponent cannot free his sword, he cannot hit you; a sword in subjection is harmless
• Obedience
  • A fencer is “in obedience” if they are in a situation where they must parry to avoid getting hit
  • A fencer who is in obedience and does not attempt to parry has made a mistake
    • As such, we generally assume that a fencer in obedience will attempt to parry (although we ought to be prepared for the possibility that the opponent attacks us at any time)
• Attacks
  • Cuts vs. Thrusts
    • Cuts
      • Fabris considers the cut to be worse than the thrust in a one-on-one fight without armour, but still outlines how to use them and defend against them
      • Manner of making cuts
        • (1) From the shoulder
        • (2) From the elbow
        • (3) From the wrist
        • (4) From the shoulder, but keeping the arm straight and the point forward the whole time
      • Fabris’s ranking of methods of making cuts
        • (1) is the worst because it’s big and gives your opponent many opportunities to exploit
        • (2) is better than (1) because you are less exposed
        • (3) is better than (2) because you are less exposed and it’s faster
        • (4) is better than (3) on defense because it is faster and your point ends in presence, so you can easily parry or thrust after a cut
        • (3) is better than (4) on offense because it is less restricted and freer and, therefore, can more easily deceive the opponent
    • Thrusts
      • Fabris considers the thrust better than the cut in a one-on-one fight without armour
        • A thrust can be made in one tempo, most cuts require at least two (one to lift the sword, another to bring it back down)
        • Thrusts require less strength
        • Thrusts have greater reach
        • Thrusts are deadlier than cuts
        • If you miss with a cut, it brings your sword and body into disorder
      • There is no good reason to hurl your arm violently to give a thrust greater force
        • The body and the legs, not the arm, give a thrust its force
  • Firm-footed attack vs. passing attack
    • Firm-footed attack: When you attack either by lunging forward with your lead leg or just by leaning the body forward without stepping
    • Passing attack: When you attack by moving forward with with both feet, one after the other, typically starting with by stepping forward with the back foot

Fabris’s Basic Game Plan

Fabris conceptualises fencing in terms of

1. Distance
2. Timing (Tempo)
3. Strong and weak blade engagement

His basic game plan is to move from out of measure to close measure while maintaining a positional, mechanical, or intention-based advantage and without giving your opponent a good tempo to attack. All the while, you should be prepared to attack when the opponent either freely gives a tempo or is forced by your advantage to give a tempo. The first priority is always limiting the options of the opponent and not giving your opponent a good tempo to attack, so this movement from out of measure to close measure is not necessarily constant forward movement (although book 2 explores “how to proceed against the opponent without stopping”, book 2 is out of scope for this summary).

He pursues this strategy by:

• …using counter-posture to give you a positional advantage even when the swords are not near each other
• …defining and then seeking good blade engagements in a manner that avoids giving the opponent a clear tempo
• …characterising the kinds of tempi that lead to danger in wide and narrow distance so that the fencer can avoid offering them and exploit them if the opponent offers them
• …preserving degrees of freedom by avoiding committed actions for as long as possible
• …defining opportunities to place the opponent in subjection or obedience and then exploiting that
• …avoiding being put into subjection or obedience yourself
• …emphasizing one-tempo counters to your opponent’s attacks

How these tools are applied varies depending on the distance between the fencers.

• Out of measure
  • Enter wide measure without giving your opponent a good tempo to attack
    • Enter into wide measure in a counter-posture
    • Be prepared to attack or change postures depending on how the opponent reacts to you entering measure
  • As you enter wide measure, that is a good opportunity for feints and other provocations
• Wide measure
  • You should be in a counter-posture as you enter measure, limiting your opponent’s ability to attack directly
  • Once in wide measure, you need your opponent to give you a tempo to attack
    • If they step forward in wide measure, you can attack the closest opening
    • You can gain their sword to provoke a tempo, being careful not to give them a tempo in the process
  • Otherwise, you can cautiously proceed to close distance
    • Form a counter-position
    • Put all of your weight on your back foot as you lift your front foot, being prepared for a counterattack
    • Place your front foot forward while keeping your body in wide distance
    • If you can now hit without stepping, you are in close distance
  • If your opponent flees, do not chase them but proceed cautiously
• Close measure
  • By definition, at close distance you can hit without taking a step
  • If you have gained your opponent’s sword at close distance, they cannot hit you in one tempo and you can hit them in one tempo: do so
  • If your opponent flees, you are once again at wide measure – proceed with caution anew
• Wrestling measure
  • Fabris does not recommend seeking out wrestling, but rather to be prepared for it happening by accident
  • Fabris does sometimes recommend “passing to the opponent’s body” after wounding them (that is, you have stabbed them and then keep pushing your sword into them until you reach their body) but at that point you aren’t really wrestling, you’re waiting for them to bleed out at a distance where they cannot stab you