Italian martial arts
Encyclopedia
Italian Martial Arts focus on the use of weapons (swords, daggers, walking stick and staff). Each weapon is the product of a specific historical era. The swords used in Italian Martial Arts range from the gladius
of the roman legionaries to swords which were developed during the renaissance, the baroque era and later. Short blades range from medieval daggers to the liccasapuni Sicilian dueling knife. Only Greek martial arts are more ancient than Italian Martial arts. The Shaolin monastery in China was founded in 497 AD (after the fall of the Western Roman Empire) and there are no written records of kung-fu until the 16th century AD. The Takenouchi-ryu
school of Japanese jiu-jitsu was founded in 1532 AD (by which time firearms had already been employed on several battlefields in Europe). With over 120,000 practitioners worldwide, Italian Martial arts are being practiced in Italy, the United States of America, The United Kingdom, Australia, Argentina, Brazil, France, and Germany. The foreign schools in the United States and England have done much research of historical fencing manual and their work was invaluable in reconstructing some of the fencing techniques.
Characteristics of Italian Combat Styles
A trademark of the Italian styles of fence is the emphasis on the point over cutting, which has been stressed since the time of the roman legions: the legionaries used to laugh at enemies who cut or slashed with their swords. The base of most Italian Systems is fencing and many methods of stick fighting use the same techniques and movements used when fencing with swords. Therefore if a practitioner trains with the stick or baton, he would also become proficient with the sword. Examples of this are Canne Italiana which uses the moves and techniques of the duelling sabre (sciabola da terreno)and Bastone Italiano, where the moves comes from fencing with the two-handed sword (Spadone a Due Mani). Most methods have one thing in common: practitioners don protective sport fencing masks and padded clothing and practice with blunt training blades, since live sparring is of critical importance in the training routine. A very important characteristics of Italian Martial Arts is that they originated from battlefield or gladiatorial combat experience. They were not created by monks but by soldiers and there is no religious or spiritual influence in their practice.
The main historical periods that influenced the development of Italian weapons were:
were trained in special schools and were armed according to the roman standard or like some of Rome's enemies. This allowed for experimentation with different weapons and styles of combat.
Roman writers described methods and techniques for training and using the gladius
, for example Vegetius
in his De Re Militari
. Thanks to this wealth of information the art of gladiatorial combat has been resurrected and the discipline of “Gladiatura Moderna” is being practiced by numerous praticants in Italy and abroad.
The group "Ars Dimicandi" teaches Gladiatorial combat in the style of ancient Rome. This group has led a meticulous research on gladiatorial combats. Other schools which teach the same art are
Scuola Gladiatori Sacrofano, Ludus Magnus.
(14th to 17th century AD) saw frequent warfare on Italian soil and mercenary armies were formed by the Condottieri
, refining and improving weapons and techniques. One soldier of fortune, Master Fiore dei Liberi
wrote a manual Flos Duellatorum or "the Flower of Battle" in 1410, illustrating a repertoire of techniques for many different weapons and for unarmed combat, and thus originated the Italian school of swordsmanship
. After Fiore, the Italian school of swordsmanship was continued by Filippo Vadi(1482–1487) and Pietro Monte
(1492). The techniques and skills taught by the Italian school were successfully tested against the Landsknecht
and the Swiss Pikemen at the battle of Calliano
in 1487, against the Landschnecht at the Battle of Ravenna
in 1512 and against the Swiss pikemen at the Battle of Arbedo
where Lombard Knights massacred the famed swiss pikemen in hand to hand combat. What follows is the account of the Battle of Arbedo, narrated in the The Art of War (Machiavelli)
:
Philip Vicecounte of Milaine, being assaulted of
18 thousande Suizzers, sent against theim the Counte Carminvola,
whiche then was his capitaine. He with sixe thousande horse, and a fewe
footemen, went to mete with them, and incounteryng theim, he was
repulsed with his moste greate losse: wherby Carminvola as a prudente
man, knewe straight waie the puisaunce of the enemies weapons, and how
moche against the horses thei prevailed, and the debilitie of the
horses, againste those on foote so appoincted: and gatheryng his men
together again, he went to finde the Suizzers, and so sone as he was
nere them, he made his men of armes, to a light from their horse, and in
thesame mane, faightyng with them he slue theim all, excepte three
thousande: the whiche seyng them selves to consume, without havyng
reamedy, castyng their weapons to the grounde, yelded.
The Landsknecht and the Swiss were regarded as the finest infantry of the time. In another episode known as the Challenge of Barletta
, in 1503, 13 Italian knights faced and defeated 13 French knights in hand to hand combat. The forces led by Giovanni de Medici were more than a match for the invading Landsknecht under the command of George Frundsberg in 1527. Finally Gian Giacomo Trivulzio
and his men, fighting for the French King, tore through the Swiss Pikemen on the field of Marignano, a feat that earned Trivulzio the rank of Marshall of France, an honor conferred to few foreigners. The utter defeat at Marignano was one of the events that transformed Swiss policy from one of military aggression to one of neutrality.
The swordsmanship tradition was then continued by the Dardi school, with teachers such as Antonio Manciolino and Achille Marozzo
.
The Thirty Years War
When the era of the Condottieri came to a close on Italian soil, military commanders like Ottavio Piccolomini and Raimondo Montecuccoli
placed their soldiers at the disposal of the Austrian Emperor, in a war of religion that devastated Germany and caused the loss of 30% of its people, perhaps the greatest tragedy ever endured by Germany. Italian forces fought valiantly (albeit on the losing side) at the Battle of Lutzen
and helped win a great victory at the Battle of Nordlingen
in 1634 against the Swedes. Ambrogio Spinola and his men meanwhile helped Spain to conquer the Netherlands in battles like the Siege of Breda
. This war was perhaps the last one were swords, daggers and pikes played an important role in battle as firearms technology was now becoming more reliable. Italian swordsmen, armed with short swords and daggers were extremely effective at infiltrating the pike squares of their adversaries and at bringing down the defenseless pikemen armed with the long pikes in brutal engagements. On the battlefield the so called "Spada da Lato" or side-sword
became the dominant sword type. At the same time in the cities of Italy the sidesword evolved into a new type of sword, used in a civilian setting for duelling. this civilian sword is known as "La Striscia" or Rapier
in English. Frenchmen adopted the Italian duelling sword and mastered it, and it is believed that between 1600 AD and 1700 AD well over 70,000 Frenchmen died in duels, many of them mortally wounded by a Rapier. From the late 16th century, Italian rapier
fencing attained considerable popularity all over Europe, notably with the treatise by Salvator Fabris
whose De lo schermo overo scienza d’arme of 1606 exerted great influence not only in Italy but also in Germany. Fabris was followed by Italian masters such as Nicoletto Giganti
(1606), Ridolfo Capo Ferro
(1610), Francesco Alfieri
(1640), Francesco Antonio Marcelli (1686) and Bondi' di Mazo (1696).
In Italy, one of the main organization teaching Italian Martial Arts from the period 1410 to 1900 is Nova Scrimia which promotes the teaching of the Italian School of Swordmanship as described by Master Fiore dei Liberi
in his 1410 treatise Flos Duellatorum in Armis et sine Armis, also known as "Fior di Battaglia" (The flower of Battle). The curriculum includes the basics in the use of renaissance swords, the rapier, the duelling sabre, venetian and bolognese dagger styles, staff and stick fighting, Venetian Cornoler stick fighting and hand to hand combat. The Federazione Italiana Scherma Antica E Storica or FISAS teaches the skills of the Italian School of Swordmanship. The largest organization is Sala D'Arme Achille Marozzo which counts more than 30 Sale D'Armi (armed instruction centers) and more than 400 students spread over northern and central Italy and organizes the biggest championships at national level for Renaissance an Medieval swordsmanship (about 150 participants in the 2011 edition). In the United States the Chicago Swordplay Guild is the leading organization teaching and researching Italian martial arts according to the dei Liberi and Fabris Schools. The Association for Renaissance Martial Arts teaches rapier fencing and has done much to reconstruct rapier combat techniques from the historical manuals of the Italian masters of this art. In England Schola Gladiatoria is an active organization which has done much research and is one of the prominent schools in Europe for Italian martial arts.
World War I
During World War I the Italian army created a unit of assault troops called Arditi
whose task was to storm German and Austrian Trenches. The main weapon of these soldiers was the dagger and 18,000 arditi were trained and sent to the front. Arditi units won numerous engagements against Austrian and German troops in the final year of World War I, armed with daggers which proved very effective in the confined space of a trench, where rifles were too long to be used in close combat. General Rommel wrote about the exploits of the Arditi in the very last page of his book "Infanterie greif an" (Infantry attacks). The successful attack on Col Moschin was a perfect example of Arditi tactics.
Professor Merendoni has created a style of military combat Sistema SAL - Sistema D'assalto del Leone
inspired by the Arditi of the first world war and incorporating techniques from historical fencing and regional styles. Alpini
mountain troops units dispatched to Afghanistan in recent years were trained by the Merendoni school.
Regional Styles and Schools
1) In Sicily and organization called "Liu-bo" has codified the techniques of traditional Siclian Staff Fighting known as "Paranza Lunga" and now organizes competitions at the regional level. This school is rapidly expanding.
2) Istrumpa, the wrestling style of Sardinia is also growing in popularity. The association promoting this sport is participating in European championships for celtic wrestling stiles (such as Gouren
), which has showcased the skills of Istrumpa wrestlers
3) The Manusardi family from Milan modified the French art of Canne de combat
and created Canne Italiana. According to Mr Italo Manusardi the French style sacrificed power to achieve speed. Canne italiana is slower than the French style but more powerful in its blows. Most moves and techniques are similar to those used in the handling of the dueling sabre (Sciabola da Terreno) hence Canne Italiana represents useful training for those interested in the dueling sabre. The Manusardi gym also teaches "Bastone Italiano" a form of staff fighting similar to Baton francais
.
4) Several other regional styles of knife and stick fighting remain in existence. These are kept alive by individual Masters at Arms who teach their techniques privately. Amongst the knife styles we should mention Paranza Corta (Sicilian Knife Fighting) and Scherma Di Coltello Pugliese (Apulian Knife). Disciplines focusing on staff fighting include Bastone Siciliano (Paranza Lunga), Bastone Genovese (Genoese Stick Fighting), Bastone Calabrese (Calabrian Stick Fighting), Bastone Pugliese (Apulian Stick Fighting), Taccaro and Bordone
Gladius
Gladius was the Latin word for sword, and is used to represent the primary sword of Ancient Roman soldiers. Early ancient Roman swords were similar to those used by the Greeks. From the 3rd century BC, the Romans adopted swords similar to those used by the Celtiberians and others during the early...
of the roman legionaries to swords which were developed during the renaissance, the baroque era and later. Short blades range from medieval daggers to the liccasapuni Sicilian dueling knife. Only Greek martial arts are more ancient than Italian Martial arts. The Shaolin monastery in China was founded in 497 AD (after the fall of the Western Roman Empire) and there are no written records of kung-fu until the 16th century AD. The Takenouchi-ryu
Takenouchi-ryu
is one of the oldest jujutsu koryū in Japan. It was founded in 1532, the first year of Tenbun on the twenty-fourth of the sixth lunar month by Takenouchi Chūnagon Daijō Nakatsukasadaiyū Hisamori, the lord of Ichinose Castle in Sakushū...
school of Japanese jiu-jitsu was founded in 1532 AD (by which time firearms had already been employed on several battlefields in Europe). With over 120,000 practitioners worldwide, Italian Martial arts are being practiced in Italy, the United States of America, The United Kingdom, Australia, Argentina, Brazil, France, and Germany. The foreign schools in the United States and England have done much research of historical fencing manual and their work was invaluable in reconstructing some of the fencing techniques.
Characteristics of Italian Combat Styles
A trademark of the Italian styles of fence is the emphasis on the point over cutting, which has been stressed since the time of the roman legions: the legionaries used to laugh at enemies who cut or slashed with their swords. The base of most Italian Systems is fencing and many methods of stick fighting use the same techniques and movements used when fencing with swords. Therefore if a practitioner trains with the stick or baton, he would also become proficient with the sword. Examples of this are Canne Italiana which uses the moves and techniques of the duelling sabre (sciabola da terreno)and Bastone Italiano, where the moves comes from fencing with the two-handed sword (Spadone a Due Mani). Most methods have one thing in common: practitioners don protective sport fencing masks and padded clothing and practice with blunt training blades, since live sparring is of critical importance in the training routine. A very important characteristics of Italian Martial Arts is that they originated from battlefield or gladiatorial combat experience. They were not created by monks but by soldiers and there is no religious or spiritual influence in their practice.
The main historical periods that influenced the development of Italian weapons were:
Ancient Rome
Gladiatorial Combat was a popular spectator bloodsport in roman times. GladiatorsGladiators
Gladiators is a British television series produced by LWT for ITV on Saturdays nights from 10 October 1992 to 1 January 2000. It is an adaptation of the United States game show American Gladiators. An Australian spin-off and a Swedish one followed...
were trained in special schools and were armed according to the roman standard or like some of Rome's enemies. This allowed for experimentation with different weapons and styles of combat.
Gladius
Gladius was the Latin word for sword, and is used to represent the primary sword of Ancient Roman soldiers. Early ancient Roman swords were similar to those used by the Greeks. From the 3rd century BC, the Romans adopted swords similar to those used by the Celtiberians and others during the early...
, for example Vegetius
Vegetius
Publius Flavius Vegetius Renatus, commonly referred to simply as Vegetius, was a writer of the Later Roman Empire. Nothing is known of his life or station beyond what he tells us in his two surviving works: Epitoma rei militaris , and the lesser-known Digesta Artis Mulomedicinae, a guide to...
in his De Re Militari
De Re Militari
De Re Militari , also Epitoma Rei Militaris, is a treatise by the late Latin writer Vegetius about Roman warfare and military principles as a presentation of methods and practices in use during the height of Rome's power, and responsible for that power...
. Thanks to this wealth of information the art of gladiatorial combat has been resurrected and the discipline of “Gladiatura Moderna” is being practiced by numerous praticants in Italy and abroad.
The group "Ars Dimicandi" teaches Gladiatorial combat in the style of ancient Rome. This group has led a meticulous research on gladiatorial combats. Other schools which teach the same art are
Scuola Gladiatori Sacrofano, Ludus Magnus.
The Renaissance
The RenaissanceRenaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
(14th to 17th century AD) saw frequent warfare on Italian soil and mercenary armies were formed by the Condottieri
Condottieri
thumb|Depiction of [[Farinata degli Uberti]] by [[Andrea del Castagno]], showing a 15th century condottiero's typical attire.Condottieri were the mercenary soldier leaders of the professional, military free companies contracted by the Italian city-states and the Papacy, from the late Middle Ages...
, refining and improving weapons and techniques. One soldier of fortune, Master Fiore dei Liberi
Fiore dei Liberi
Fiore Furlano de Civida d'Austria delli Liberi da Premariacco was a Medieval master of arms and the earliest Italian master from whom we have an martial arts manual...
wrote a manual Flos Duellatorum or "the Flower of Battle" in 1410, illustrating a repertoire of techniques for many different weapons and for unarmed combat, and thus originated the Italian school of swordsmanship
Italian school of swordsmanship
The term Italian school of swordsmanship is used to describe the Italian style of fencing and edged-weapon combat from the time of the first extant Italian swordsmanship treatise to the days of Classical Fencing ....
. After Fiore, the Italian school of swordsmanship was continued by Filippo Vadi(1482–1487) and Pietro Monte
Pietro Monte
Pietro Monte was a Spanish master of arms who lived in Italy in the late 15th century. He was a contemporary of Leonardo da Vinci, and is said to have taught da Vinci to play darts. Monte was versed in many fields; he was a warrior, a scholar, and a theologian who wrote numerous books,...
(1492). The techniques and skills taught by the Italian school were successfully tested against the Landsknecht
Landsknecht
Landsknechte were European, predominantly German mercenary pikemen and supporting foot soldiers from the late 15th to the late 16th century, and achieved the reputation for being the universal mercenary of Early modern Europe.-Etymology:The term is from German, Land "land, country" + Knecht...
and the Swiss Pikemen at the battle of Calliano
Calliano
-Places:Italy* Calliano, Piedmont, a comune in the Province of Asti* Calliano, Trentino, a comune in the Province of Trento...
in 1487, against the Landschnecht at the Battle of Ravenna
Battle of Ravenna
There have been several battles near the city of Ravenna in the Italian Peninsula:*Battle of Ravenna , between the Roman Empire and the Ostrogoths.*Battle of Ravenna , between competing factions in the Western Roman Empire....
in 1512 and against the Swiss pikemen at the Battle of Arbedo
Battle of Arbedo
The Battle of Arbedo was fought on June 30, 1422 between the Duchy of Milan and the Swiss Confederation.In 1419, Uri and Unterwalden bought the Bellinzona stronghold from the Sacco barons, but were unable to defend it adequately...
where Lombard Knights massacred the famed swiss pikemen in hand to hand combat. What follows is the account of the Battle of Arbedo, narrated in the The Art of War (Machiavelli)
The Art of War (Machiavelli)
Art of War is a treatise by the Italian Renaissance political philosopher and historian Niccolò Machiavelli.The format of Art of War is a socratic dialogue...
:
Philip Vicecounte of Milaine, being assaulted of
18 thousande Suizzers, sent against theim the Counte Carminvola,
whiche then was his capitaine. He with sixe thousande horse, and a fewe
footemen, went to mete with them, and incounteryng theim, he was
repulsed with his moste greate losse: wherby Carminvola as a prudente
man, knewe straight waie the puisaunce of the enemies weapons, and how
moche against the horses thei prevailed, and the debilitie of the
horses, againste those on foote so appoincted: and gatheryng his men
together again, he went to finde the Suizzers, and so sone as he was
nere them, he made his men of armes, to a light from their horse, and in
thesame mane, faightyng with them he slue theim all, excepte three
thousande: the whiche seyng them selves to consume, without havyng
reamedy, castyng their weapons to the grounde, yelded.
The Landsknecht and the Swiss were regarded as the finest infantry of the time. In another episode known as the Challenge of Barletta
Challenge of Barletta
The Challenge of Barletta was a battle fought in the country of Trani near Barletta, southern Italy, on 13 February 1503, on the plains between Corato and Andria....
, in 1503, 13 Italian knights faced and defeated 13 French knights in hand to hand combat. The forces led by Giovanni de Medici were more than a match for the invading Landsknecht under the command of George Frundsberg in 1527. Finally Gian Giacomo Trivulzio
Gian Giacomo Trivulzio
Gian Giacomo Trivulzio was an Italian aristocrat and condottiero who held several military commands during the Italian Wars.-Biography:...
and his men, fighting for the French King, tore through the Swiss Pikemen on the field of Marignano, a feat that earned Trivulzio the rank of Marshall of France, an honor conferred to few foreigners. The utter defeat at Marignano was one of the events that transformed Swiss policy from one of military aggression to one of neutrality.
Achille Marozzo
Achille Marozzo was an Italian fencing master teaching in the Dardi or Bolognese tradition.Marozzo was probably born in Bologna. His text Opera Nova dell'Arte delle Armi was published in 1536 in Modena, dedicated to Count Rangoni, then reprinted several times all the way into the next century...
.
- Antonio Manciolino (1531)
- Achille MarozzoAchille MarozzoAchille Marozzo was an Italian fencing master teaching in the Dardi or Bolognese tradition.Marozzo was probably born in Bologna. His text Opera Nova dell'Arte delle Armi was published in 1536 in Modena, dedicated to Count Rangoni, then reprinted several times all the way into the next century...
(1536) - Angelo Viggiani (1551)
- Camillo AgrippaCamillo AgrippaCamillo Agrippa was a noted fencer, architect, engineer and mathematician of the Renaissance. He is considered to be one of the greatest fencing theorists of all time.-Biography:...
(1553) - Giacomo Di GrassiGiacomo di GrassiGiacomo di Grassi was an Italian fencing master who wrote the fencing manual Ragione di adoprar sicuramente l'Arme, si da offesa come da difesa in 1570. The text was later translated into English and published again in 1594, as DiGrassi, His True Arte of Defence...
(1570) - Giovanni Dall’Agocchie (1572)
- Henry de Sainct-DidierHenry de Sainct-DidierThe history of fencing in France begins in the 16th century, with the adoption of Italian styles of rapier fencing.There are medieval predecessors, such as the Burgundian Le jeu de la hache of ca...
(1573) - Frederico GhislieroFrederico GhislieroFredrico Ghisliero was an Italian fencer and soldier who wrote his text Regole di molte cavagliereschi essercitii in 1587.-Biography:Ghisliero was from an upper class Bolognese family. He listed his profession as "soldier," not master-at-arms. He died at Turin in 1619 after a distinguished military...
(1587) - Vincentio SavioloVincentio SavioloFencing master Vincentio Saviolo , though Italian born and raised, authored the first book on fencing in the English language.He arrived in London from Padua in 1590...
(1590)
The Thirty Years War
When the era of the Condottieri came to a close on Italian soil, military commanders like Ottavio Piccolomini and Raimondo Montecuccoli
Raimondo Montecuccoli
Raimondo, Count of Montecúccoli or Montecucculi was an Italian military general who also served as general for the Austrians, and was also a prince of the Holy Roman Empire and Neapolitan Duke of Melfi....
placed their soldiers at the disposal of the Austrian Emperor, in a war of religion that devastated Germany and caused the loss of 30% of its people, perhaps the greatest tragedy ever endured by Germany. Italian forces fought valiantly (albeit on the losing side) at the Battle of Lutzen
Battle of Lützen
Two major battles were fought at Lützen:*Battle of Lützen *Battle of Lützen...
and helped win a great victory at the Battle of Nordlingen
Battle of Nördlingen
The term Battle of Nördlingen refers to two battles during the Thirty Years' War .*Battle of Nördlingen *Battle of Nördlingen...
in 1634 against the Swedes. Ambrogio Spinola and his men meanwhile helped Spain to conquer the Netherlands in battles like the Siege of Breda
Siege of Breda
The Siege of Breda is the name for two major sieges of the Eighty Years' War and Thirty Years' War. The Dutch fortress city of Breda fell to a Spanish army under Ambrosio Spinola in 1625; it was retaken by Frederick Henry of Orange in the 1637 Siege of Breda.-The Battle:Under Spinola's orders the...
. This war was perhaps the last one were swords, daggers and pikes played an important role in battle as firearms technology was now becoming more reliable. Italian swordsmen, armed with short swords and daggers were extremely effective at infiltrating the pike squares of their adversaries and at bringing down the defenseless pikemen armed with the long pikes in brutal engagements. On the battlefield the so called "Spada da Lato" or side-sword
Side-sword
The spada da lato or "side-sword" is the Italian term for the type of sword popular during the late 16th century, corresponding to the Spanish espada ropera....
became the dominant sword type. At the same time in the cities of Italy the sidesword evolved into a new type of sword, used in a civilian setting for duelling. this civilian sword is known as "La Striscia" or Rapier
Rapier
A rapier is a slender, sharply pointed sword, ideally used for thrusting attacks, used mainly in Early Modern Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries.-Description:...
in English. Frenchmen adopted the Italian duelling sword and mastered it, and it is believed that between 1600 AD and 1700 AD well over 70,000 Frenchmen died in duels, many of them mortally wounded by a Rapier. From the late 16th century, Italian rapier
Rapier
A rapier is a slender, sharply pointed sword, ideally used for thrusting attacks, used mainly in Early Modern Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries.-Description:...
fencing attained considerable popularity all over Europe, notably with the treatise by Salvator Fabris
Salvator Fabris
Salvator Fabris was an Italian fencing master from Padua. During his life he taught in various European countries, most notably in Denmark where he was the fencing instructor of King Christian IV. It was during his time in Copenhagen that he published his treatise on rapier fencing, Lo Schermo,...
whose De lo schermo overo scienza d’arme of 1606 exerted great influence not only in Italy but also in Germany. Fabris was followed by Italian masters such as Nicoletto Giganti
Nicoletto Giganti
Nicoletto Giganti was a fencing master in the city of Venice who published a rapier fencing manual in Italian in 1606, entitledThis manual was reprinted in 1608, with 3 additional reprints in both German and French between 1608 and 1619...
(1606), Ridolfo Capo Ferro
Ridolfo Capo Ferro
Ridolfo Capoferro or Capo Ferro of Cagli was a fencing master in the city of Siena best known for his rapier fencing manual published in 1610....
(1610), Francesco Alfieri
Francesco Alfieri
Francesco Ferdinando Alfieri of Padova was a 17th century master of the Italian school of swordsmanship and “Maestro D’Arme” to the Accademia Delia in Padua in 1640.-Works:Several manuals by Alfieri are known:...
(1640), Francesco Antonio Marcelli (1686) and Bondi' di Mazo (1696).
Fiore dei Liberi
Fiore Furlano de Civida d'Austria delli Liberi da Premariacco was a Medieval master of arms and the earliest Italian master from whom we have an martial arts manual...
in his 1410 treatise Flos Duellatorum in Armis et sine Armis, also known as "Fior di Battaglia" (The flower of Battle). The curriculum includes the basics in the use of renaissance swords, the rapier, the duelling sabre, venetian and bolognese dagger styles, staff and stick fighting, Venetian Cornoler stick fighting and hand to hand combat. The Federazione Italiana Scherma Antica E Storica or FISAS teaches the skills of the Italian School of Swordmanship. The largest organization is Sala D'Arme Achille Marozzo which counts more than 30 Sale D'Armi (armed instruction centers) and more than 400 students spread over northern and central Italy and organizes the biggest championships at national level for Renaissance an Medieval swordsmanship (about 150 participants in the 2011 edition). In the United States the Chicago Swordplay Guild is the leading organization teaching and researching Italian martial arts according to the dei Liberi and Fabris Schools. The Association for Renaissance Martial Arts teaches rapier fencing and has done much to reconstruct rapier combat techniques from the historical manuals of the Italian masters of this art. In England Schola Gladiatoria is an active organization which has done much research and is one of the prominent schools in Europe for Italian martial arts.
World War I
During World War I the Italian army created a unit of assault troops called Arditi
Arditi
Arditi was the name adopted by Italian Army elite storm troops of World War I. The name derives from the Italian verb Ardire and translates as "The Daring Ones"....
whose task was to storm German and Austrian Trenches. The main weapon of these soldiers was the dagger and 18,000 arditi were trained and sent to the front. Arditi units won numerous engagements against Austrian and German troops in the final year of World War I, armed with daggers which proved very effective in the confined space of a trench, where rifles were too long to be used in close combat. General Rommel wrote about the exploits of the Arditi in the very last page of his book "Infanterie greif an" (Infantry attacks). The successful attack on Col Moschin was a perfect example of Arditi tactics.
Professor Merendoni has created a style of military combat Sistema SAL - Sistema D'assalto del Leone
inspired by the Arditi of the first world war and incorporating techniques from historical fencing and regional styles. Alpini
Alpini
The Alpini, , are the elite mountain warfare soldiers of the Italian Army. They are currently organized in two operational brigades, which are subordinated to the Alpini Corps Command. The singular is Alpino ....
mountain troops units dispatched to Afghanistan in recent years were trained by the Merendoni school.
Regional Styles and Schools
1) In Sicily and organization called "Liu-bo" has codified the techniques of traditional Siclian Staff Fighting known as "Paranza Lunga" and now organizes competitions at the regional level. This school is rapidly expanding.
2) Istrumpa, the wrestling style of Sardinia is also growing in popularity. The association promoting this sport is participating in European championships for celtic wrestling stiles (such as Gouren
Gouren
Gouren is a style of folk wrestling which has been established in Brittany for several centuries.In today's France, Gouren is overseen by the Fédération Française de Lutte .-History:...
), which has showcased the skills of Istrumpa wrestlers
3) The Manusardi family from Milan modified the French art of Canne de combat
Canne de combat
Canne de combat is a French martial art. As weapon, it uses a cane or canne designed for fighting. Canne de combat was standardized in the 1970s for sporting competition by Maurice Sarry. The canne is very light, made of chestnut wood and slightly tapered...
and created Canne Italiana. According to Mr Italo Manusardi the French style sacrificed power to achieve speed. Canne italiana is slower than the French style but more powerful in its blows. Most moves and techniques are similar to those used in the handling of the dueling sabre (Sciabola da Terreno) hence Canne Italiana represents useful training for those interested in the dueling sabre. The Manusardi gym also teaches "Bastone Italiano" a form of staff fighting similar to Baton francais
Bâton français
The Bâton français, French for "French staff", also known as French stick fighting, is a European historical fencing discipline which uses a staff about 1.2 m long...
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4) Several other regional styles of knife and stick fighting remain in existence. These are kept alive by individual Masters at Arms who teach their techniques privately. Amongst the knife styles we should mention Paranza Corta (Sicilian Knife Fighting) and Scherma Di Coltello Pugliese (Apulian Knife). Disciplines focusing on staff fighting include Bastone Siciliano (Paranza Lunga), Bastone Genovese (Genoese Stick Fighting), Bastone Calabrese (Calabrian Stick Fighting), Bastone Pugliese (Apulian Stick Fighting), Taccaro and Bordone
External links
- Nova Scrimia
- Ars Dimicandi
- Ars Dimicandi Gladiators
- Bastone Genovese
- Liu-Bo
- Canne Italiana
- Bastone Italiano
- Bastone Pugliese
- Apulian Knife
- FIS championship of medieval fencing
- FIS National Championship, category Rapier and dagger
- Sistema Sal-from Kung Fu Magazine
- Sicilian Knife (Paranza Corta)
- Arditi in English
- The Flower of Battle
- A Dagger used by Arditi