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Discipline of the Sword Introduction - Dictionary of Terms - Guards - Footwork (Please note: The following is for information purpses only. Chivalry-Now does not accept responsibility for anyone who is harmed in the performance of these exercises.) Footwork The Fighting Stances The
placement of the feet provide your foundation for defense and attack.
A clumsy stance ruins your stability and makes you vulnerable and unable
to avoid getting hit or attacking properly. The basic stance that will be used by most of your guard positions is as follows. Stand with your feet about shoulder width apart. Imagine that they are on train tracks. Slide the left foot forward on its imaginary track until the heel is about 12 inches, or a little more, from where the toe began. The right foot should pivot to point slightly outward, from 45 to 90 degrees. Although early illustrations show the right heel up, most of today's teachers insist that it stay down, with the ball of the foot bearing the weight. Your posture should be straight for most guards, neither too high of too low. You can lean slightly forward for the Boar's Tooth position, as a wind-up for a thrust, or the Back position (Coda Lungo), where you want to pull the blade quickly forward. The back stance is similar to the basic, except you pivot both feet so that the heels are facing your opponent. You see this sometimes in the Woman's Guard and the Guard of Wrath. This contributes to the wind-up of powerful blows, but it is also helpful when fighting several opponents who surround you. You can instantly face in different directions. The lunge results in a wide stance that gives you reach but handicaps mobility. You should use it sparingly, and quickly transition to something safer. Mobility It is important to move the feet in conjunction with offense and defense. This makes you a moving target, adds to your power, breaks your opponent's line, and creates new angles of attack. It is good to switch your guard constantly, so that your opponent has no time to take advantage of it. The importance of good footwork and proper stances is balance and mobility. You should be able to move in any direction quickly and with confidence. If you trip over your feet, or do not align yourself well in relation to your target, you are in a strong disadvantage. The pass is a simple step. With your left foot in front, simply step forward with the right, as if sliding along a train track. One foot passes the other, which is why it is called a pass. You should end in reverse position from that with which you started. You can also use the pass for stepping back. The Italians call this passing back a tornare. The sliding step, or adjustment step is simply extending either the lead foot forward, or the rear foot back, sort of like a boxer's shuffle. The other foot then places itself to reclaim its proper position. In Italian, the adjustment step forward was called an acresare. To the rear it was called a decresare. The sliding or adjustment step can also be used for stepping to the side or in any direction. If you move to the right, move the right foot first. If you move left, the left foot goes first. A variation of the adjustment step, what we call the reverse adjustment step, works in quite the opposite manner. To step back, the lead foot moves back, and the rear then adjusts. This gets the lead leg out of the way of an attack. Likewise, stepping forward would begin with the rear foot moving forward, with the lead then stretching out. This makes for an surprising reach if done properly. Try to hide the movement, one leg behind the other. Do not bob the head. The double step is a side step in which your back foot ends up in the lead position. Starting with the left foot forward, the right foot moves forward and to the right, breaking your opponent's line. The left foot then adjusts so that you are facing your opponent at a new angle. This is a very important move that should be mastered through endless repetition. One can double step to the left as well. With the left foot forward, slide it forward and to the left, turning so that you still face your opponent. The right foot then adjusts. To do these moves from a stance that begins with your right foot forward, simply reverse the above. If you need to attack from long distance, take an adjustment step with the front leg first, and then make your pass with the other leg.. Occasionally what seems to be a dangerous maneuver is employed called the cross step. It is actual two steps which you can use to circle your opponent. If your left foot is forward, the right foot steps in front of it and toward the left. The left foot then passes behind it so that you are now facing your opponent from a new angle, with your left foot forward. During the moment when your legs are crossed, your ability to respond to changes is weakened by less than ideal balance, leaving you vulnerable. Proper timing, and having your sword pointing at your opponent at the same time offers the protection to allow for this. The lunge is a sudden and long step forward, usually with the lead foot, arms stretched forward to deliver a thrust or downward strike. It is very committed to its own completion, which leaves you somewhat vulnerable in reaction time. The legs can be quite far apart, the front bent with the back straight. It is possible to do a backward lunge by sliding the front foot all the back (with a pass) while delivering an attack. This is used to hit an opponent who is rushing in. The triangle step keeps you exactly where you are, but changes you foot position for maximum flexibility and power of a strike or defense. Stand in a basic stance, left foot forward. Bring the right foot forward and slightly to the right so that it is parallel with the left, shoulder width apart. Bring the left foot back to where the right foot began. In effect, you have switched from a right guard to a left. This is an important maneuver and requires a lot of practice to become instinctive. It is good to practice from in limited space, moving from one side to another while delivering strikes and parries. By stepping more to
the side and compensating with the rear foot, even more variety of positioning
is achieved, even though the triangle is broken. This provides excellent
footwork for practicing the Zwerchhau (Thwart Strike), switching from
left to right Ox in repeated strikes. Also good practice for Krumhau
(Off-line Strike), switching from left to right Shrankhut positions.
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