This post is inspired by this video by Adam Franti from the Lansing Longsword Guild: “Studies in Opportunity – II – Speed is a Noobtrap” (17:52)

Adam makes some excellent observations that I think many historical fencers can benefit from. In my opinion, the most important takeaways are these:

1. If you have the better position in the crossing, you can afford to wait and see (or rather wait and feel) how your opponent reacts; this is a huge advantage
2. If you are in an advantageous crossing, do not leave that position of advantage if there is no compelling reason to do so
3. If you are in an advantageous crossing, you do not need to launch your attack immediately because every passing moment allows you to slowly increase your advantages until one of two things happens:
   • Your opponent is compelled to react with a committed (and, therefore, predictable) action
   • You can hit securely

So many people (especially longsword fencers) are terrified of waiting in the bind for even the tiniest fraction of a second. But if you understand the principles of strong and weak crossings and hard and soft pressure, you will realize that you have more time than you think (as long as you’re the one in the advantageous position in the crossing!).

Short summary of the video

Adam analyzes a fencing exchange with a student of his.

1. The exchange begins with Adam leaving an unfavorable crossing and then re-engaging by overbinding his opponent’s outstretched sword near the point with the weak of his own sword.
2. He presses with his weak against his opponent’s weak to feel whether his opponent is hard or soft in the bind.
3. His opponent maintains slight pressure, signaling haptically that he is not leaving the crossing, so Adam proceeds forward gradually increasing the quality of his already advantageous crossing.
4. His opponent adjusts accordingly, maintaining the bind with slight pressure and moving a stronger part of his blade against Adam’s, to which Adam responds in turn to maintain an advantageous crossing, all while reducing the distance under the cover of the crossing.
5. Once the critical distance is achieved where Adam can wind his point down towards his opponent’s face while maintaining the good crossing, he does so.
6. Adam hits with a thrust with opposition.

Adam remarks that this exchange feels very slow, but that both fencers were acting rationally and trying to hit without being hit. Adam remarks that his opponent’s only mistake was allowing Adam to enter the critical distance with the better crossing (that is, the transition from 4 to 5 in the sequence I outlined above). However, Adam also notes that, while there were many alternative courses of action his opponent could have taken that might have lead to a better outcome, each alternative opens up the fencer in the disadvantageous crossing to a straightforward counter.

Adam’s opponent had multiple opportunities to attack Adam while Adam was closing. However, in wide distance Adam has two advantages:

• He has more time to react thanks to the advantageous crossing (because his opponent cannot attack directly)
• He can feel his opponent leaving the crossing to strike through a lack of pressure in the bind

Once Adam reaches narrow distance (i.e. point 5 in the sequence above), his opponent could abandon the crossing and attack Adam’s arms, but doing so guarantees he will get stabbed in the face. Seems like a bad gamble to me.

Relating this video to Fiore

The very first play of the sword in two hands without armor in Fiore is the crossing of the swords at the points in wide measure. There, Fiore writes that, when crossed at the points, either you make a cut on the other side or you stab your opponent in the face. If your opponent presses hard against your point in the crossing, the cut around to the other side is intuitive and easy. If your opponent does not give you any clear impulse, proceeding from a crossing at the point to a thrust to the face is often less straightforward because you might not be in direct attack distance when first crossed at the points. In that case, you must close the distance before the direct thrust is possible.

Notice that the exchange Adam analyzes begins with a crossing of the swords at the points. Adam’s opponent never gives Adam enough pressure to make a cut around safe, so Adam proceeds forward until he stabs the student in the face. I think this is one example of how Fiore might proceed when crossed at the points but without the pressure necessary to make the cut around appropriate.

Relating this video to Fabris

Fabris dedicates an entire chapter in Book 1 of his “Science of Arms” to discussing why it’s a bad idea to rush in. He repeatedly advises the fencer to proceed resolutely and steadily, but not violently. He tells us to keep the enemy’s sword in subjection, which forces your opponent to either waste a tempo to free their own sword before attacking or accept the inferior position in the crossing. In either case, you have the time to adapt and keep the pressure on your opponent and you can do this best when your actions are made without jerky, violent motions.

“As to controlling the sword or thrusting with violence, controlling it is beyond comparison better, first because he who controls his sword, when it is beaten by the adversary, who means to hit in another line, can let it yield in the direction of the beat, and the Strong will still defend, if the sword is held well advanced. Further it is certain that when your sword is beaten, it is immediately freed. Similarly it is more useful to know how to be master of your sword, to engage the adversary’s faible and make a hit as opportunity offers, always holding his sword in subjection. If he cannot free his sword he cannot hit. Therefore this rule can be followed only by one who moves his sword without violence, works in such a way as to be always master of it, and if he is prevented by his adversary in any plan can abandon it and adopt another. He will hit at the very moment when his adversary has meant to prevent him, and without deviating his point or withdrawing it he will be able to carry it on to the adversary’s body. The principle to be observed is this, that in proceeding to make a hit either by a feint of disengaging or any other change, when once you have begun to approach, the point toward the adversary, you must continue until you reach the body; for if you check the sword in order to disengage or change your line you will not arrive in time. This principle cannot be observed by one who rushes, so that the difference is easily understood.”

– Salvatore Fabris, Scienza d’Arme Book 1, Chapter 6 English translation by A. F. Johnson; emphasis added

The exchange Adam analyzes is a good example of how proceeding with resolution, but without violence, can work.