Monte teaches three main areas of fighting, from which his approach to all other weapons are derived:
- Wrestling, outside of the scope of this workshop, tho› it will inform the footwork and some fighting principles.
- The poleaxe , the exemplar for all long weapons.
- The two-handed sword , the exemplar for all ’short› weapons.
In this workshop you will learn the weapons in the order that Monte teaches them in his Collectanea, starting with the poleaxe and other polearms and then moving to the Two-Handed Sword on Day 2.
Saturday 13th April:
The Polearms of Pietro Monte
The Levata of the Poleaxe
The Levata is the set of fundamental blows of the weapon, ‹the first blows which we learn or which we teach›.
Other Polearms: The Partisan Halberd and Roncha (Bill)
Sunday 14th April:
The second day starts with the fundamentals of the two-handed sword, and therefore, the basis for all short weapons. This also applies to ‹longswords› and single-handed swords, so
participants can use full two-handed swords or longswords, it’s just better to match weapons when training.
We then proceed to tactical actions that show us how Monte thinks about fighting. Finally, at the end of the day, we will wrap up with a discussion of his tactical mindset, what he thinks about how to approach and win a fight.
The Levata of the Sword
Monte’s fundamentals for the two-handed sword and all shorter weapons.
The Guards of the Sword and their main parries and ‹remedies› (counters to them).
Other Principles and Tactical Actions
Including, for instance:
- ‹Why, in delivering two blows, three should be made.›
- Blows to use when entering or joining with your opponent.
- Principle blows for any kind of weapon
- Contrapassare or stepping to the sides
- Blows that are ’sufficiently covered›, including defending the legs.
The Tactical Mindset of a Professional Condottiere:
- How to prepare for a contest.
- ‹How each should proceed above himself at the beginning.›
- ‹How useful it is for a man to become accustomed to working with his left hand.›
- Temperantia versus Furia: when to apply Moderation and when Swiftness and Fury are good.›
