 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
farter than anie Englishman...
allusions to the lunge proper. Yet this attack is missing from the
repertoire he presents in his book: Vincentio's attacks are
predominantly made on the pass, the point being carried to (and
into) the target with a forward step.
already mentioned the large step with the right foot.
And Marozzo (1536) included punta lunga, an
extension of the arm combined with an additiona;
movement of the right foot after the execution of the
pass. As far as illustration go, Meyer's Gruendtliche
Beschreibung of 1570 (Figs 2 and 3) shows
something very closely resembling the lunge being
executed at a stationary target with a rapier,as well
as during a bout at swords.
Bramble's ticket into a new world of sophistication and innovation? Or did the lunge already belong in the
Maisters' combative repertoire? After all, Bramble felt fit enough to offer Saviolo a chance to play at the
Italian's very own weapons of choice...
find out what its functions were.
In an antagonistic combative scenario, the tactical forte of the lunge is the surprise element it adds to working
with distance.
But it requires full linear commitment to do harm to an opponent: the straight arm is absolutely necessary to
transmit the full force of the lunge into and through the target. Which means that as the body weight is
propelled forward through the straightening of the back leg, it needs to be tightly focused on the miniscule
surface area of the point.
This advantage of the unsuspected strike from distance, however, probably played only a minor role in the
native combative culture of Elizabethan England.
An experienced antagonist would be able to take advantage of the linear commitment of the attack, either by
removing target area (via a volte), or by taking advantage of the wonderful stability of his True Guardant
Ward. (The latter would have provided the opportunity for a powerful and lightning-fast counter-attack against
the wrist or lower arm of the lunging attacker.)
In the English system of the Noble Art, the True and False Times provided a simple but accurate grid of
classifying offensive and defensive actions according to comparative speed. The lunge, by virtue of the body
parts involved in its proper execution, involved the True Times of the hand, the body, and the feet: To reach
the opponent, the arm has to be straightened, and the entire body weight has to be accelerated from a standstill
to the speed necessary for penetration.
By definition, it could be defeated by the action of the hand (a stop cut), the time of the hand and body
(maybe a parry and a leaning back of the upper body), and the time of the hand, body, and foot (a volte). As
such, it would not have played a major role in the Masters' offensive repertoire.
Fencers Quarterly Magazine, 848 South Kimbrough, Springfield, MO 65806
Web design by Turning Records Online – 1999-2008
