Abrazare: Grappling and wrestling.
Accrescimento: advance; an advancing step. May be taken with one or both feet.
Breve: “Short.” An Instabile posta.
Chiave: “Key.” Fiore calls one of his ligadure or lock the “chiave forte” or “strong key.”
Colpo: A blow with a weapon, such as a daga, (dagger), spada (sword) or azza (axe).
Companion: A figure without garter or crown who teaches a method of attack. Also known as the Player.
Counterattack: An attack into an attack that defelects, opposes, or avoids the incoming attack.
Counter Master: A crowned master who teaches a counter to the defensive action of the Remedy Master.
Counter-Counter Master: A crowned master who teaches a counter to the defensive action of the Counter Master.
Daga: Dagger.
Destra: on the right
Decrescimento: retreat: a retreating step. May be taken with one or both feet.
Doppia: Doubled
Filo Falso: False Edge, the edge of the sword facing away from the knuckles of the hand.
Falso: an action employing the false edge of the sword, such as a cut or rebattemento.
Fendente: A descending blow. Fiore’s fendenti are made a sharp downward angle, described as being from teeth on one side to knee on the other.
Fendenti: the plural form of fendente.
Finestra: Window. An Instabile posta.
Filo: Edge. Dritto filo (true edge), falso filo (false edge).
“A Fora di strada:” off the line
Fight Master: Crowned master who teaches martial principles.
First Master: Crowned master who teaches a defensive technique and the principel behind it. Also known as the Remedy Master.
Forte: Strong, in context, the strong of the blade, from the mezza spada to the hilt.
Incrosada: Cross, usually when weapons are bound; also when arms are crossed in dagger guards. Fiore classes the incrosade as breaks, exchanges, and rebattamenti (beats), and demonstrates a “sticky” cross. I find it useful to subdivide rebattamenti into beats and deflections. The incrosada is by its nature an instabile position.
Instabile: Changeable or mutable. Refers to the class of poste that operate either in contact with the adversary’s weapon or in the space between combatants.
Lanza: lance/spear.
Ligadura: a wrestling bind or lock.
Mandritto: literally “right hand,” but used in the sense of “forehand,” as in a forehand swing with the dominant hand.
Meza/mezana: middle or half, depending on context.
Mezano: Any blow which is not a fendente or sottano, both of which which take very specific downward or upward angles.
Parry: A defense made with the weapon.
Passare: To pass. A step where one foot passes the other, but without changing guard position. See Mezza Volta.
Player: A figure without garter or crown who teaches a method of attack. Also referred to as Companion.
Posta: A Guard position.
Poste: The plural of posta.
Posta di Abrazare: Wrestling Guards
- Posta Longa
- Posta Dente de Zhenghiaro
- Porta di Ferro
- Posta Frontale
Posta di Daga: Dagger Guards
- Tutta Porta di Ferro sempio.
- Tutta Porta di Ferro doppia.
- Meza Porta di Ferro, doppia e incrosada.
- Mezana Porta di Ferro doppia.
- Tutta Porta di Ferro doppia
Posta di Spada d’un Man: Single-Handed Sword Guards
- Coda di Lunga la Destraza
- Coda di Lunga la Sinestra
- Dente de Zenghiaro (also cinghiaro or cinghiale): Boar’s Tooth Guard
- Posta di Donna la Destraza
- Posta di Donna la Sinestra
- Posta Breve
- Porta di Ferro Mezzana
- Posta Frontale
Posta di Spada: Two-Handed Sword Guards
- Stabile Posta of the Sword:
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- Posta Breve: Short Guard (also an instabile posta)
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- Dente de Zenghiaro (also cinghiaro or cinghiale): Boar’s Tooth Guard
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- Posta di Coda Lungha: Long Tail Guard
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- Posta Dente de Zenghiaro Mezzano: Middle Boar’s Tooth Guard
- Pulsativa Poste of the Sword
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- Tutta Porta di Ferro: Full Iron Door
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- Posta di Donna Destraza: Woman’s Guard on the Right
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- Posta di Donna la Senestra: Woman’s Guard on the Left
- Instabile Posta of the Sword
- Posta Finestra: Window Guard
- Posta Longa: Long Guard
- Porta di Ferro Mezzana: Middle Iron Door
- Posta Breve: Short Guard (also a stabile posta)
- Posta di Bicorno: Anvil Guard (probably named for “bicorn,” a type of anvil with two horn-like ends; this is sometimes translated as “two-horned guard)
- Posta Frontale ditta Corona: Frontal Guard, sometimes called “crown.”
Posta di Spada en Arme: Armoured Sword Guards
- Posta Breve la Serpentina: Short Serpent Guard
- Posta di Vera Croce: True Cross Guard
- Serpentino lo Soprano: High Serpent
- Porta di Ferro la mezana: Middle Iron Door
- Posta Sagittaria: Archer’s Guard
- Posta de Croce Bastarda: Bastard Cross Guard
Posta di Azza: Axe Guards
- Posta Breve la Serpentina: Short Serpent Guard
- Posta di Vera Croce: True Cross Guard
- Posta di Donna: Woman’s Guard
- Dente di Cinghiaro: Boar’s Tooth
- Mezana Porta di Ferro: Middle Iron Door
- Posta Coda di Lungha: Long Tail Guard
- Posta di Finestra: Window Gaurd
Posta di Lanza: Spear Guards
- Tutta Porta di Ferro
- Mezza Porta di Ferro
- Dente di Cinghiaro
- Posta di Vera Croce
- Posta di Finestra
Pulsativa: Striking. Refers to Poste whose dominant characteristic is a strong blow (but note that all poste can make blows).
Punta: The point of a weapon; also a thrust.
Punta Sopramano: overhand thrust.
Punta Sottomano: underhand thrust.
Rebattere: To beat aside, specifically an incoming weapon.
Rebattemento: A beat.
Remedy: A defense against an attack. The defense might be a parry or another action, such as a void.
Remedy Master: Crowned master who teaches a defensive technique and the principel behind it. Also known as the First Master.
Rompere: To break.
Rompere di punta: To break an incoming thrust with a cut.
Riverso: Literally “reverse,” but used in the sense of “backhand,” as in a backhand swing.
Scambiar: To exchange.
Scambiar di punta: Exchange of thrust.
Scholar: A figure with a garter on his leg who teaches plays that stem from the action of the Remedy Master or the Counter Master.
Sempia: Single/Simple.
Sinestra: on the left.
Sopramano: Overhand.
Sottano: A rising blow, taken at the same angle as the fendente but terminating at the level of the forehead.
Sottomano: Underhand.
Spada: Sword
Stabile: Stable. Refers to Poste where the sword is low and well suited for waiting and defending.
Strada: way, line. Specifically the line between two fencers.
Tornare: to pass backwards.
Tutta: whole or full.
Void: Negate an attack by stepping out of its reach.
Volta: turn.
- Mezza Volta: Half Turn. A movement of the body that changes the facing from one side to the other (e.g. left to right and vice-versa); also a movement of the sword or other weapon that changes direction of the blade in the same manner; or a turn of the hand in the same manner.
- Tutta Volta: Full Turn. A movement of the body that reverses the facing of the body: one foot remains in a fixed or stable position and the other travels around it; also a movement of the sword or other weapon that travels around another weapon to the other side.
- Volta Stabile: A movement of the body where the feet remain stable or fixed in position, while the body changes facing to a degree, powered by the action of the hips; also a movement of the sword or other weapon where one point of the sword (or other weapon) remains fixed while the punta or filo is redirected.
Zogho: Play. Also “giocco,” an intervocalic for “zogho.”
Zogho Largo: wide play. Specifically actions with weapons that occur at wide measure.
Zogho Stretto: close play. Specifically actions with or without weapons that occur in close measure.