The 7th Annual
International Swordfighting and Martial Arts Convention
Hosted by
Art of Combat inc., NDDS & Lansing Community College

August 3 - 6, 2006

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Dagger and Rapier

ROOM: Dart Auditorium

INSTRUCTOR: Steaphen Fick

DESCRIPTION:

The best way for the holding of a Dagger, either to break
blow or thrust, and four ways bad as follows.


  1. if you hold your dagger to high, you may be hit under the Dagger-arm.
  2. and if to low, you may bee hit over the Dagger-arm, either in the arm, shoulder or face.
  3. if you bear your dagger too much towards your rapier-shoulder, then you may be hurt on the out-side of the arms by bearing narrow, for so we call the carriage of him, being borne in this manner before spoken of.
  4. if to side from your body you may bee hurt on the in-side of the arm, face, or breast: if the dagger-elbow joint be crooked, then there is small force in the dagger-arm for the defence of blow, or thrust, but the dagger being borne out stiff at the arms end, defends a blow strongly, as you shall hear by and by.

Four ways not to break a thrust
  1. if you break a thrust down-wards, it may hit you in the bottom of the belly.
  2. if you break him upwards it may endanger you in the face.
  3. if break your enemies thrust towards your Rapier-side, it may hit you in the Rapier-arm.
  4. or in breaking a thrust, if you let the weight of your Dagger carry your Dagger-arm back behind you, then your enemy may with a double thrust hit you before you can recover up your Dagger in his pace again.

The best holding of Dagger is right out at the arms end, and the hilt even from your left cheek, and the point compassing your body, I mean bowing towards your Rapier shoulder, and when you break a thrust, turn but your hand-wrist about, letting fall the point of your Dagger down-ward, but keep out your Dagger-arm so stiff as you can, so shall you be ready to defend twenty thrusts one after another, if they come never so thick, and likewise you are as ready for a blow; whereas if you fall your arm when you break your thrust, your enemy may hit you with a second thrust before you can recover your Dagger
Achille Marozzo; 1558
Jacob Sutorius; 1612
Francesco Ferdinando Alfieri; 1653
Salvatore Fabris, 1624