Post by Dante di Pietro on Sept 14, 2020 16:02:15 GMT -5
Capoferro's manual is the one that I have mostly based my fencing around, though Fabris has been a strong influence as well. Capoferro's manual gives very good, straightforward directions that make a consistent and coherent system. Many of the criticisms leveled against this manual don't hold water (e.g., he says that feints are a "vanity" and then appears to advocate for them later) upon careful reading and application.
What makes this manual a potentially challenging read is that, in my opinion, the manual was dictated and not read. I strongly suspect that Capoferro may have been illierate; I have no evidence for this beyond my extensive education and career in writing. His prose style is that of someone speaking extemporaneously, organized in a way unlike those accustomed to the paragraph as a core unit of thought.
However, the manual is fully decipherable, although it does have a weakness in that it will tell you what to do without fully developing why you should do it. For example, he'll tell you which shoulder to point your sword at and when, but the why of it (finding the sword) is not fully explained. One substantial advantage to this system is that it is very streamlined and doesn't offer the plethora of variations present in some of the other contemporary manuals.
Capoferro's description of the guard terza is perhaps the most thorough of the era, describing exactly where each major section of the body should be placed.
I have used this manual and taught it for 14 years. I can attest to its depth and effectiveness firsthand-- and, importantly, I have found success for myself and my students even when needing to make individualized adaptations from the work. The underlying application of theory is very effective.
There are several Capoferro translations. Having worked from all of them, I believe the Leoni version is the best. Kirby's translation, which was the one I learned from, has very frustrating glossary and translation choices (defining cava as a form of cavazione, for example). Wilson/Swanger is just less clean, but also free and serviceable.
Leoni's Capoferro
Kirby's Capoferro as both a physical copy and e-book.
Wilson/Swanger's PDF.
Additionally, Guy Windsor has a reasonable interpretation of this manual that may be easier to study.
My own work, On Historical Fencing with the Rapier and Dagger, is also based on Capoferro's work and is written for someone just beginning in historical fencing.
What makes this manual a potentially challenging read is that, in my opinion, the manual was dictated and not read. I strongly suspect that Capoferro may have been illierate; I have no evidence for this beyond my extensive education and career in writing. His prose style is that of someone speaking extemporaneously, organized in a way unlike those accustomed to the paragraph as a core unit of thought.
However, the manual is fully decipherable, although it does have a weakness in that it will tell you what to do without fully developing why you should do it. For example, he'll tell you which shoulder to point your sword at and when, but the why of it (finding the sword) is not fully explained. One substantial advantage to this system is that it is very streamlined and doesn't offer the plethora of variations present in some of the other contemporary manuals.
Capoferro's description of the guard terza is perhaps the most thorough of the era, describing exactly where each major section of the body should be placed.
I have used this manual and taught it for 14 years. I can attest to its depth and effectiveness firsthand-- and, importantly, I have found success for myself and my students even when needing to make individualized adaptations from the work. The underlying application of theory is very effective.
There are several Capoferro translations. Having worked from all of them, I believe the Leoni version is the best. Kirby's translation, which was the one I learned from, has very frustrating glossary and translation choices (defining cava as a form of cavazione, for example). Wilson/Swanger is just less clean, but also free and serviceable.
Leoni's Capoferro
Kirby's Capoferro as both a physical copy and e-book.
Wilson/Swanger's PDF.
Additionally, Guy Windsor has a reasonable interpretation of this manual that may be easier to study.
My own work, On Historical Fencing with the Rapier and Dagger, is also based on Capoferro's work and is written for someone just beginning in historical fencing.