I've been reading through Fabris, and it's been difficult for me to visualize how so many mutations, cavazione, and countercavazione happen in one tempo. Thank you so much for providing such a useful demonstration!
This is still one of my favorite demonstrations of Fabris' technique done at tempo. In fact, it's one of the only demos at all on RUclips! I hope to fix that soon though.
This is a absolutely gorgeous clip. Watching for the first time in a long while I'm now overthrown about how super great it is. Thank you a thousand times for sharing the video. /Robert Molin Gothenburg Historical Fencing School
I have always practiced and taught Capo Ferro, it being my preference, but I do also read Fabris, I have got to say that this is exceptionally well done, I have intended to do the plays of Capo Ferro in the same fashion for some time, thanks for posting and very well done!
This is one of the most flamboyant fencing styles I've seen. Fun stuff. Is that extreme forward leaning stance really a good idea, though? That's usually one of the things you're told *not* to do.
The leaning forward helps control body weight in the foot position, what would be called in unarmed martial arts a back stance/reverse bow stance. this was a staple of Italian fencing going back to Capo Ferro to permit fast retreats and to allow you to shift your weight forward with a thrust/cut as a subtle way of increasing power/range or shift back to stay out of your opponents range. you're only leaning because it isn't the rigid, equal weight, straight back stance of French Duello/spot fence
This is one of the BEST videos I've seen of Fabris' drills in action. But for the life of me I can't figure out why people love his system so much. I think it's just a matter of publicity. But really REALLY nice work on the drills.
As a rookie fencer with sloppy blade work, it was good to see the slow motion replays to visually reinforce a key point for me personally . . . It is a point that has been discussed in practice numerous times but that I still fail to consistently follow . . . and that is the importance of gaining the mechanical advantage of having your forte take control of the opponent's foible.
I'm dedicating some time looking at Capo Ferro. But man does Fabris look like bull fighting. It's that thrust as you rotate/crouch/side-step to avoid the opponent's blade that's so fascinating to me as a style. And I agree with others, this vide captures that energy we want to see from a demonstration.
This is really good!! Awesome maybe. These attitudes! :) I would like to know how much time you practice to gain this level! I'm a young HEMA practitioner.
@TheWoodenKnight hello, getting the center of the body little bit backwards allows you to push your upper body forward as requested by Fabris. Without that your position would be unstable and you would be probably pulled forward.
I don't practice Fabris, but I do practice Destreza which is a somewhat similar style (loosely speaking). I can tell you from experience that the style will definitely not work with foil or epee, because the blades are just too fast. By the time you can take a volte-style step, the foil guy has hit you six times. It's designed for rapiers, which are MUCH slower, and which actually require some commitment to do damage (as opposed to modern fencing weapons, which just need to touch).
Have you fenced against any good Capo Ferro fencers and if so, how did it go? How would you describe the differences in style? I myself practice Capo Ferro but after seeing this video I'm tempted to shift techniques.
RelativelyBest - interesting question. Who says that? Sport fencers? Yes, because their weapon is light that you can easily cover whole your body with light and fast parries. In rapier you are advised by Salvator Fabris to hold stance like this to minimize targets on your body and to "hide" behind you rapier. Then you need only small motions of the hand to cover. So, yes according to Fabris it is a good idea.
Thank you. In connection to your question, honestly, no I am not able to use all techniques in free sparing. Reason is simple. I am not trained as well as giocatore from 17th century was. I am sure they had to be trained much more in tempo, misura as we are nowadays. They trained much more; therefore they were able to analyze the opponent and to react much better than we are.
Does the legs seem a bit unstable in these positions? Still thank you for uploading, old world fighting techniques may have limitations, but their appeal is that they really did use them in actual fighting back then.
Excellent video, his Style is so different, elegant, deadly... The bits I know of his System are in a class of their own in the HEMA World, but require deep stances, which I have done since Childhood in TMAs, so I am able to accomplish these... I hear Rob Rutherford is the top Fabris Rapier practitioner in the English-speaking World? Loving this video either ways, Cheers Lads... Derek Diablo Marxbruder Historical Fencing/MBHF
Nevertheless I am able to apply some with my current skill in a free play. Each upgrade requires further training. If the opponent tries to do some feint and is in stretta, I will probably counter. If it would be in larga I will not attack until he moves his feet. I think all plays presented by Fabris are very functional. We just have to be skilled enough and we have to use weapons similar with their weight and proportions to original period weapons.
@iPood523 I never fenced against the modern fencer by this way, because in my experience fights with modern fencers were always fought with modern light blades which are not appropriate for is method of fencing. Therefore I had to adapt my fencing nearer to French school or younger periods.
Very nice. I especially liked the camera angles and slow motion to help show the action. I do have one small critique for you. I noticed that the gentleman in black usually brings his left hand fully back in a lunge, so that the end result looks closer to Capo Ferro than Fabris. Because of this, at 2:43 your dagger lost contact with your partner's sword, and it was free to strike as well. Again, that is a minor point. I liked the video and happily await more in the future. Cheers
Salvator Fabris recommended this hand position because it restricts a line of attack to the head. If necessary the off-hand can be employed to intercept the blade (hopefully on the flat) and deflect it from the face. It is better to risk a little hurt to the hand than incur a known risk of skewering the brain.
Beautiful! Serious stesso tempo. Brillaintly executed! Paul--you absolutely CAN use Stesso tempo in competition, but the opponent has to be really comitted to the attack. Don't worry about the stance so much, just get the parry and riposte in a single tempo. Ask your coach. Epeeists still do this frequently. As for the first stance, with hand drawn back, I do know how Fabris intended it, but to me it looks like an invitation--to get the opponent to get too close.
@iPood523 Hi, it would depend on if the match would be for the points gathering or if it would simulate real dangerous fight. In second case, I think it would be very effective Also it is important to know what types of the weapons would be used (rapier/rapier, foil/foil, rapier/foil?). Each combination would change chances on both sides.
@iPood523 No, definitely not. Olympic fencing is optimized as a sport, not as a martial art, which means that the participants can get away with a lot of stuff that would lead to the imaginatively named 'double-kill' scenario. Additionally, Olympic fencing blades are extremely (unrealistically so, in fact) light and fast, whereas the true rapier is bloody hefty in comparison. It's less a matter of one being better than the other and more of being optimal for different scenarios.
Of course you can cut with a rapier! The thing is that, being a one handed weapon and so large, it would be difficult to accomplish some feats, e.g. lascerating an oponents arm with one single cut. You can still do a lot of damage to joints, soft parts of the body (like the neck, where a rapier cut is still pretty much death), fingers, ears, legs, arms...etc.
I certainly hope he was being sarcastic. George Silver called the rapier "the worst weapon, an imperfect and insufficient weapon, and not worth the speaking of". As a rapier fencer, I only bothered reading Paradoxes of Defense for comedy value.
Honestly, I find it very difficult to take seriously, someone who is not wearing gloves, and leaves his lower legs exposed. Simple, proper personal protection and you instantly become more credible. Think about it for your next video please.
Additionally back in the day where they did this to the death and they did not wear any armour, just google Renaissance fencing clothes. Hell, the manuscripts show them being naked! lol. So much for armour making you credible. It's about the content, not what you look like. This isn't Olympic fencing with uniform rules, it's life and death swordsmanship that was used regardless of uniform. Observe the technique. It would be like not taking a gun tutorial seriously because the guy isn't wearing an army or police outfit.
For Balance, most of it, and if u practice a lot fencing with dagger i think the muscular memory remains on that left hand doing the movements even if u dont have a dagger in that moment
Beautiful! Serious stesso tempo. Brillaintly executed! Paul--you absolutely CAN use Stesso tempo in competition, but the opponent has to be really comitted to the attack. Don't worry about the stance so much, just get the parry and riposte in a single tempo. Ask your coach. Epeeists still do this frequently. As for the first stance, with hand drawn back, I do know how Fabris intended it, but to me it looks like an invitation--to get the opponent to get too close.
Many years later and this is still a great demo!
I've been reading through Fabris, and it's been difficult for me to visualize how so many mutations, cavazione, and countercavazione happen in one tempo. Thank you so much for providing such a useful demonstration!
This is still one of my favorite demonstrations of Fabris' technique done at tempo. In fact, it's one of the only demos at all on RUclips! I hope to fix that soon though.
ЭТО ОЧЕНЬ ЗДОРОВО! СПАСИБО ЗА РЕКОНСТРУКЦИЮ ДРЕВНЕГО СТИЛЯ!
This is a absolutely gorgeous clip. Watching for the first time in a long while I'm now overthrown about how super great it is. Thank you a thousand times for sharing the video.
/Robert Molin
Gothenburg Historical Fencing School
Beautiful work! It is nice to see Fabris in action.
I have always practiced and taught Capo Ferro, it being my preference, but I do also read Fabris, I have got to say that this is exceptionally well done, I have intended to do the plays of Capo Ferro in the same fashion for some time, thanks for posting and very well done!
Excellent demonstration!
I can't wait to see more! :D
Exquisite foot work, excellent waist and hip motion!
Thank you for posting!
High level education.
I totally agree with Lofny... Maybe, the best work on Fabris, and one of the best on Rapier. Thanks for posting. Greetings from Córdoba (Spain)
Very well done video. It does a great job of demonstrating the foundations of Fabris.
This is one of the most flamboyant fencing styles I've seen. Fun stuff.
Is that extreme forward leaning stance really a good idea, though? That's usually one of the things you're told *not* to do.
The leaning forward helps control body weight in the foot position, what would be called in unarmed martial arts a back stance/reverse bow stance. this was a staple of Italian fencing going back to Capo Ferro to permit fast retreats and to allow you to shift your weight forward with a thrust/cut as a subtle way of increasing power/range or shift back to stay out of your opponents range. you're only leaning because it isn't the rigid, equal weight, straight back stance of French Duello/spot fence
This is one of the BEST videos I've seen of Fabris' drills in action. But for the life of me I can't figure out why people love his system so much. I think it's just a matter of publicity. But really REALLY nice work on the drills.
As a rookie fencer with sloppy blade work, it was good to see the slow motion replays to visually reinforce a key point for me personally . . . It is a point that has been discussed in practice numerous times but that I still fail to consistently follow . . . and that is the importance of gaining the mechanical advantage of having your forte take control of the opponent's foible.
Wauw! Very, very cool stuff! Thanks for sharing.
Perfect footwork, great demonstration, bravi! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
This is hotness, thank you for posting this.
I'm dedicating some time looking at Capo Ferro. But man does Fabris look like bull fighting. It's that thrust as you rotate/crouch/side-step to avoid the opponent's blade that's so fascinating to me as a style. And I agree with others, this vide captures that energy we want to see from a demonstration.
Lovely stuff, would love to see Fabris vs Saviolo in a mixed style bout some time ... that would be beautiful to watch.
Good Demo. Thanks for posting.
Looks perfect
A true work of art
Very nice!
Very nice video!
@EgoEgoish Hello, thank you. It was made by two local Slovakian producers. One made the hilt and other one the blade.
Thanks to all. We are really happy you enjoy it.
maeljin: it was made by the local Slovakian producer.
This is really good!! Awesome maybe. These attitudes! :) I would like to know how much time you practice to gain this level! I'm a young HEMA practitioner.
I think spanish rapier fencing (destreza) is better because you can easily reach the opponent using simpler moves
Very cool, guys. Good work.
Nice Work!
Great clip!
Fabris live!
@TheWoodenKnight hello, getting the center of the body little bit backwards allows you to push your upper body forward as requested by Fabris. Without that your position would be unstable and you would be probably pulled forward.
I don't practice Fabris, but I do practice Destreza which is a somewhat similar style (loosely speaking). I can tell you from experience that the style will definitely not work with foil or epee, because the blades are just too fast. By the time you can take a volte-style step, the foil guy has hit you six times. It's designed for rapiers, which are MUCH slower, and which actually require some commitment to do damage (as opposed to modern fencing weapons, which just need to touch).
Vdaka za poriadne vysvetlenie postojou, chlapci!
As a new student of Fabris, this was excellent to watch, esp. the fluidity of the dagger plays. Well done. /salute
Have you fenced against any good Capo Ferro fencers and if so, how did it go? How would you describe the differences in style? I myself practice Capo Ferro but after seeing this video I'm tempted to shift techniques.
RelativelyBest - interesting question. Who says that? Sport fencers? Yes, because their weapon is light that you can easily cover whole your body with light and fast parries. In rapier you are advised by Salvator Fabris to hold stance like this to minimize targets on your body and to "hide" behind you rapier. Then you need only small motions of the hand to cover. So, yes according to Fabris it is a good idea.
Thank you. In connection to your question, honestly, no I am not able to use all techniques in free sparing. Reason is simple. I am not trained as well as giocatore from 17th century was. I am sure they had to be trained much more in tempo, misura as we are nowadays. They trained much more; therefore they were able to analyze the opponent and to react much better than we are.
Does the legs seem a bit unstable in these positions? Still thank you for uploading, old world fighting techniques may have limitations, but their appeal is that they really did use them in actual fighting back then.
Awesome
Excellent video, his Style is so different, elegant, deadly...
The bits I know of his System are in a class of their own in the HEMA World, but require deep stances, which I have done since Childhood in TMAs, so I am able to accomplish these...
I hear Rob Rutherford is the top Fabris Rapier practitioner in the English-speaking World?
Loving this video either ways, Cheers Lads...
Derek Diablo
Marxbruder Historical Fencing/MBHF
@Leondrian Hi, thank you for your kind words. Regards.
We are not naked because we are fencers. Not some exhibitionists.
Most beautifull
Nevertheless I am able to apply some with my current skill in a free play. Each upgrade requires further training. If the opponent tries to do some feint and is in stretta, I will probably counter. If it would be in larga I will not attack until he moves his feet. I think all plays presented by Fabris are very functional. We just have to be skilled enough and we have to use weapons similar with their weight and proportions to original period weapons.
@iPood523 I never fenced against the modern fencer by this way, because in my experience fights with modern fencers were always fought with modern light blades which are not appropriate for is method of fencing. Therefore I had to adapt my fencing nearer to French school or younger periods.
This italian style better than destreza for me that is dynamic
Very nice. I especially liked the camera angles and slow motion to help show the action.
I do have one small critique for you. I noticed that the gentleman in black usually brings his left hand fully back in a lunge, so that the end result looks closer to Capo Ferro than Fabris.
Because of this, at 2:43 your dagger lost contact with your partner's sword, and it was free to strike as well.
Again, that is a minor point. I liked the video and happily await more in the future.
Cheers
It seems that rapier fighting is very minimalist in its movements. Or is it just this type of movement sets?
Sweet.
@littlebadboyph: It is used for intercepting the blade of the opponent in case of need
I come from a different sword fighting system. This clip is very interesting! If I may ask, what is the position of the free hand for?
Salvator Fabris recommended this hand position because it restricts a line of attack to the head. If necessary the off-hand can be employed to intercept the blade (hopefully on the flat) and deflect it from the face. It is better to risk a little hurt to the hand than incur a known risk of skewering the brain.
Beautiful! Serious stesso tempo. Brillaintly executed!
Paul--you absolutely CAN use Stesso tempo in competition, but the opponent has to be really comitted to the attack. Don't worry about the stance so much, just get the parry and riposte in a single tempo. Ask your coach. Epeeists still do this frequently.
As for the first stance, with hand drawn back, I do know how Fabris intended it, but to me it looks like an invitation--to get the opponent to get too close.
Thank you all for your comments. We will soon post something new.
@iPood523 Hi, it would depend on if the match would be for the points gathering or if it would simulate real dangerous fight. In second case, I think it would be very effective Also it is important to know what types of the weapons would be used (rapier/rapier, foil/foil, rapier/foil?). Each combination would change chances on both sides.
@iPood523 No, definitely not. Olympic fencing is optimized as a sport, not as a martial art, which means that the participants can get away with a lot of stuff that would lead to the imaginatively named 'double-kill' scenario. Additionally, Olympic fencing blades are extremely (unrealistically so, in fact) light and fast, whereas the true rapier is bloody hefty in comparison. It's less a matter of one being better than the other and more of being optimal for different scenarios.
What rapier's do you use?
I heard you could cut with rapiers. If so, where would these cuts be directed, and what would be the desired effect of them?
Of course you can cut with a rapier! The thing is that, being a one handed weapon and so large, it would be difficult to accomplish some feats, e.g. lascerating an oponents arm with one single cut. You can still do a lot of damage to joints, soft parts of the body (like the neck, where a rapier cut is still pretty much death), fingers, ears, legs, arms...etc.
Andres Halabi Thank you
Some duals would end in a draw. Both would get poked, then die from their injuries.
Fail! They didn't do it naked, like in the book.
What kind of rapiers are you using? Who made them?
We were using hanwei or slovakian localy produced rapiers back then. Now we use regenyei.
Wonderful clip. Would you care to upload more ?
Is this from destreza?
Chrominance87 This is Italian rapier.
@janicina Don't thanks, the best reward would be another clip ;-) I'm hopeful, it will not take to long...
Cheers
/Robert
@AREY1000 Ďakujeme a posielame pozdravy do Ruska
é meu parente
One isn't even qualified to pick up a rapier until they've read Paradoxes of Defence by George Silver ca. 1599, which is freely available online.
and why is that?
I certainly hope he was being sarcastic. George Silver called the rapier "the worst weapon, an imperfect and insufficient weapon, and not worth the speaking of". As a rapier fencer, I only bothered reading Paradoxes of Defense for comedy value.
:D I've read he did hold some grudge against italian masters but this takes it to another level. will have to check his book now :)
Honestly, I find it very difficult to take seriously, someone who is not wearing gloves, and leaves his lower legs exposed.
Simple, proper personal protection and you instantly become more credible. Think about it for your next video please.
What the point of wearing full body armor if you are going to do a choreographed zorhau to the head in order to show some technique? Get real dude xd
Additionally back in the day where they did this to the death and they did not wear any armour, just google Renaissance fencing clothes. Hell, the manuscripts show them being naked! lol. So much for armour making you credible. It's about the content, not what you look like.
This isn't Olympic fencing with uniform rules, it's life and death swordsmanship that was used regardless of uniform. Observe the technique. It would be like not taking a gun tutorial seriously because the guy isn't wearing an army or police outfit.
I come from a different sword fighting system. This clip is very interesting! If I may ask, what is the position of the free hand for?
For Balance, most of it, and if u practice a lot fencing with dagger i think the muscular memory remains on that left hand doing the movements even if u dont have a dagger in that moment
Beautiful! Serious stesso tempo. Brillaintly executed!
Paul--you absolutely CAN use Stesso tempo in competition, but the opponent has to be really comitted to the attack. Don't worry about the stance so much, just get the parry and riposte in a single tempo. Ask your coach. Epeeists still do this frequently.
As for the first stance, with hand drawn back, I do know how Fabris intended it, but to me it looks like an invitation--to get the opponent to get too close.