Masters Through the Ages: Interpretation of a Renaissance Martial Art System and the Foundation of a Modern School

Abstract

This paper aims to describe the modern experience and process of reconstructing a five-hundred-year-old martial art (the Renaissance arte delle armi) from the study of extant sources and materials, mainly treatises and weapons of the time, for the understanding and practice of motions and embodied concepts. The approaches, methods, and praxis will be analyzed, exploring the delicate operation of reconstructing a martial art system from written words. Among the masters of the past, this experience focuses on the teaching of Master Achille Marozzo from Bologna, who published his treatise on fighting, Opera Nova, in 1536. Today, the Opera Nova School brings back to life this art of the past through its ongoing research and teaching, thanks to a complex and syncretic approach that condenses a wide range of information and experiences into contemporary practice. In this paper, I discuss the example of the two-handed sword discipline. The fixed sequences of codified moves, the assalti or forms, are the precious teachings provided by the historical source, which form the basis for modern interpretation. Through cycles of theoretical comprehension and practical application, it is possible to grasp the complexity of a martial art system, giving new life to an ageless art.

1 Introduction

Opera Nova is the title of one of the first printed books on the art of combat, published in Italy in 1536 by the Bolognese master-at-arms, Achille Marozzo (Marozzo, 1536, 2007). The text, one of the most complex and complete of its kind on the art of sword-fighting, offers explanations on different types of armed and unarmed combat, accompanied by illustrations, summarizing the experience and knowledge of a Renaissance master-of-arms. Opera Nova is also the name of the school that now practices, studies, and continues that same art, reconstructed through years of research and experiments by its founder, Roberto Gotti, and his students (Gotti, 2011; Gotti et al. 2019; Gotti et al.). This Italian academy has rediscovered forgotten knowledge thanks to the words of the old masters, allowing a modern practice that can be more than just a sport but to become a tool for self-improvement, expression, and a way to question the past and learn from it.

Interpreting a text and translating its teachings into movements, rediscovering the lessons therein and bringing them back to life, understanding the dynamics of a Renaissance art were—and still are—an endeavor that takes time, huge commitment, and sacrifice. In this chapter, I attempt to provide a summary of this long, laborious, and ongoing path. I set aside personal details, not because they are of secondary importance but because they will be part of future autobiographical narratives.

2 Historical Sources: Masters of the Past

2.1 European Martial Arts

The term “martial arts” is commonly associated with traditional Eastern combat disciplines. An example of this semantic shortfall can be found in many famous encyclopedias, such as the Encyclopedia Britannica, Cambridge Dictionary, and Treccani (in Italian), which apply it solely to Chinese or Japanese contexts. However, a vast sphere of practices and notions, with ample evidence and rising interest, refers to Western history. The word “martial” refers to the Greco-Roman god of war: Mars, which is a Latinized version of the Greek god Ares. At the start of the 1500s, the anonymous author of the manuscript held in the Classense library in Ravenna (usually named Anonimo Classense or Anonimo Bolognese) refers to costumi marciali (martial customs) speaking of the art of fighting with edged weapons (Istituzione Biblioteca Classense, Ravenna).

Social and historical processes led to a progressive erosion and radical transformation of these arts. For example, the evolution of edged-weapon combat disciplines, which became increasingly distanced from the battlefield and shifted more toward a sporting context; or the progressive decline of the duel as a convention, as well as the cultural and technological changes in the second half of the twentieth century. Today, there are some rare exceptions where such traditions have survived, such as certain fighting arts in Southern Italy (for example, the school of the Trimigno family) using a short blade or stick, often of a familiar, ritualized nature that has been handed down orally. These infrequent cases of oral tradition can become useful openings for review and dialogue among scholars of historical martial arts, for whom the value of closeness to the master’s direct words is counterbalanced by the uncertainties of interpreting the moves. Indeed, if the value of living tradition lies in the seamless bond with the past, the study of a written source guarantees solid conformity to the lesson of the master who composed the text.

In Italy, numerous textual and iconographic sources of Western martial traditions have endured through the centuries and are nowadays available to the public. They render technical skills and their transmission, providing precise historical contexts, weapons and methods of their use and, sometimes, the master’s personal approach and vision.

The art of combat, however, includes movement, timing and rhythm, stylistic and motional nuances, which are almost impossible to preserve and communicate through the limited medium of the written word, or the static constraints of images. Apart from the challenge of translating the movements into concrete training, the barriers posed by the passage of time must also be borne in mind, as should the consequent distortions deriving from cultural codes, norms, and settings.

The oldest known written sources in Italian martial arts, which already offer an organized semantic system, are dated to the beginning of the fifteenth century. These are the manuscripts of the medieval master Fiore dei Liberi.¹ However, it was not until the sixteenth century that sword-fighting manuals began to appear in significant numbers, thanks to printing technologies. Jaquet’s research (2020) identifies seventy-eight texts (in multiple copies) published in Europe from 1493 to 1630 that discusses the art of combat. Twenty-five such titles were printed in Italian cities. Of this considerable literary production, the most outstanding volume in terms of richness of content and variety of teachings is the book written by Master Achille Marozzo, first printed in Modena in 1536 (see Fig. 1). His work is unique and precious, so it is a preferred reference for the delicate operation of reconstructing and understanding of the art of the sixteenth century.

Fig. 1

The frontispiece of Achille Marozzo’s Opera Nova, 1536 edition (collection of Martial Art Museum (BS), Botticino)

2.2 The Writings of Achille Marozzo

Marozzo introduces himself as “General Master of the Art of Arms.” An in-depth analysis of the work leads us to think that the Bolognese master composed the text later in life, condensing the knowledge of a lifetime accrued through practice of his craft, which covers the use of a wide range of arms from the short dagger to pole weapons. This variety of disciplines and weapons is partly explained by the social context, which still provided for the duel as a legal practice, and is common among contemporary authors; at the same time, it reflects the complexity and extension of Marozzo’s teaching.

He presented his work as a selection of teachings he received from his master (cited as Master Guido Antonio De Luca, whose school is said to have contained “more warriors than the Trojan horse”), referring to an earlier tradition, and as the result of merging these transmissions and of personal innovation. We can therefore say with reasonable confidence that Marozzo’s art derived from a long, consolidated tradition (one whose roots could be even traced back through antiquity, if we accept the hypothesis that martial art transmission forms a continuum that goes back to ancient times, and the presence of universal truth in the art of combat). At the same time, we can also state that for the historical period and the type of teachings he imparted, he was one of the last champions of an art still deeply embedded in the reality of war. It is no coincidence that in the ensuing decades we find statements, such as those by Master Agrippa (a later master, born in Milan, who published his book in 1553), criticizing the corruption of the duel––the final vestige of traditional combat practices––which had by then been sidelined by firearms. Also noteworthy is Master Dall’Agocchie’s (whose work was printed in 1572) criticism that the masters of his time lacked skills, and his lament on the loss of gioco largo (wide play, the combat from a large distance) in contemporary swordplay.

Outwardly, Marozzo’s teachings, with regard to both the types of weapon being used (for example, single-handed swords fitting a broad blade, which are perfect for cuts as well as for thrusts) and his martial training (we recall that military leader Guido Rangoni was his fellow student), do not yet seem to distinguish between the fencing hall and actual combat. Nonetheless, the art of combat had also reached the full expression of technical skill and complexity, in the supreme expression that combined beauty with efficiency in the action.

With the exception of Book Five of his Opera Nova which describes the duel, overall, the work is devoted entirely to the different disciplines, addressed in separate sections, with very little space dedicated to general notions, which are scattered throughout the pages. Marozzo describes these weapons in this order: spada e brocchiere piccolo (sword and buckler),² spada e pugnale (sword and dagger), pugnale solo (dagger-alone), pugnale e cappa (dagger and cape), spada e cappa (sword and cape), due spade (two swords), spada e brocchiero largo (sword and broad buckler), spada sola (sword-alone), spada e rotella (sword and rotella),³ spada e targa (sword and targe),⁴ spada e imbraciatura (sword and imbraciatura),⁵ spada a due mani (two-handed sword), partesana e rotella (partisan⁶ and rotella), partisan, picha o lancioto (pike), spiedo (winged spear), roncha (bill). He ends with a discussion on disarming techniques called prese di pugnale (knife disarms). There are also chapters dedicated to the sword and shield, the two-handed sword against pole weapons, as well as stances, footwork, strikes, combat with left-handed opponents, and with opponents on horseback.

Marozzo’s description is far from straightforward. The teachings are often confusing and not presented in a logical order; terminology is used without clear explanations, with definitions appearing too late, and general advice is scattered throughout the entire book. This may be because most of the books were intended as supplements for face-to-face learning with the master himself. Master Marozzo’s work appears—perhaps deliberately—to be drafted with the intention of unveiling its contents gradually. The study of it requires continuous correction and adaptation, and patient revision of previously constructed and supposed knowledge. The apparent paradox is that it appears crucial to know the work in full in order to understand any single lesson set out in a sentence or paragraph.

A peculiarity that Marozzo’s work shares with very few other fight books are the presence of long sequences of formalized actions. The master calls such formal sequences assalti or abbattimenti (literally “attacks” and “takedowns”) and they have much in common with Japanese kata and Chinese taolu traditions. These forms condense and enclose different nuances of their author’s understanding and indeed contain vast technical, tactical, and even educational and conceptual values. Unlike the individual sequences of single actions from much of other fencing literature, the forms represent entire swordplay phrasings, lessons unchanged over time, which hundreds of years later students can still repeat and experience.

3 Interpreting the Source: Today’s Masters

3.1 Modern-Day Martial Arts

Nowadays, there is an increasing number of historical martial art practitioners who are seeking to interpret European treatises of the past starting from the middle ages. In general, the intention is to translate them for modern sports practice for rapid circulation, primarily in Europe and North America. This multifaceted movement is often inexperienced and vague, having begun only in the last decade of the twentieth century. It was not until 2019 that it was introduced in an international sporting event—the Minsk European Games Cultural Program––while only in the last few years did interest in historical works start to be combined with modern practice, materials, and regulations.

The Opera Nova School stands as a leading player on the Italian stage, as it pursues a vision and method of study and practice of the discipline through numerous projects that range from sport to culture (see Fig. 2). Its approach stems from a deep respect for the teachings of the masters from the past, and a wish to build a reality that is able to comprehend, collect and finally hand down those teachings, so that we may once again grasp them intuitively, expressing them autonomously and personally.

Fig. 2

The Opera Nova School logo

“Il rispetto degli antichi,” the deep respect for people from the past, means starting from the premise that the words of the masters are not random, or the expressions of backward, outdated abilities, but rather an example of extreme technical competence and an essential guide to the use of edged weapons in combat. Our limited theoretical interpretations will require burden of proof, showing itself to be on a par with the legacy of the past. In this way, we avoid the risk of adjusting historical sources to our own models, deforming, or ignoring them to find reassuring confirmations.

3.2 The Need for a Syncretic Approach

The understanding and reconstruction of an art, especially one that is historical and overlooked, would be impossible without the constant effort to immerse ourselves in the world that produced the art. Failure to understand this premise explains many of today’s limited experiments which, all too often, are eager to capture an aspect but, taking it out of context, accept partial and distorted versions. In such contemporary efforts of appropriation, historical swordplay runs the risk of losing all insights and meaning, while the discipline loses its function as an instrument of inner analysis and dialogue with the past and, reduced to infantile play, stands in pale comparison with other sports which have attained a mature development.

In this respect, Roberto Gotti’s experience stands as an attempt to unite and connect impressions, information, and fields of study sometimes perceived as distant. In order to implement this demanding operation, it was necessary to gather extremely diverse examples and link them: from the heroic inspiration of knightly epics to the molecular study of blade sections, carried out with the support of academic metallurgy specialists (Tonelli et al. 2016). Every possible source of understanding has contributed to the creation of a journey within the Western martial art world.

Gotti’s multifaceted experiences offer numerous examples. His personal interest as a collector and museology puts a spotlight on material aspects and raises awareness of tangible history embodied in the object (see Figs. 3 and 4). The in-depth study of real tools, archaeological finds, and weapons (from the original production techniques to the chemical–physical–mechanical characteristics of the weapons, and the cultural context to which they belong) certainly provide valuable insights into their use. Knowing how to read the life story of an object such as a sword develops the ability to restore life to the object itself and makes it part of a narrative that links it to the past. In this process, every detail is crucial and requires examination: a partial Latin inscription on the blade, the gunsmith’s punch, the grouping of notches left by use, even the signs of instrument maintenance implemented by the actual user. Grasping that bond permits an in-depth analysis of everything that surrounded the world of weapons and swords, a world made up of artisanal, scientific, and artistic wisdom, both explicit and secretly transmitted.

Fig. 3

The room of the smith inside the MAM, Martial Art Museum built by Roberto Gotti in Botticino, Brescia, Italy

Fig. 4

The room of the master inside the MAM, Martial Art Museum built by Roberto Gotti in Botticino, Brescia, Italy

The same applies to paper-based sources: written, handwritten, or printed, but also in the form of illustrations and images. Indeed, technical knowledge, terminology, and understanding of conceptual systems would be impossible to glean and organize without texts (written with the more or less obvious intent to pass on information). At the same time, textual descriptions are often enriched by aesthetic and stylistic elements. Elements that stem from a broader study of the artistic and humanist world as a whole that was everyday life for the Renaissance period. Oftentimes, observations of a painting—not necessarily of combat scenes—or a pose rendered by a master sculptor make it possible to grasp extensive clues to the position of the body, while those depicted movements afford further meaning to the words of martial art masters. Conversely, this resonates perfectly both with the role that the art of weapons played in the formation of men of culture and art and with the very words of the masters themselves when they use words like polito and attilato (neat and streamlined) when describing elegant movements.

3.3 “Solve et Coagula”

This Latin motto, used to define the knowledge of alchemists, is also well suited to the long course undertaken by Roberto Gotti’s school. Two divergent approaches were needed to conduct these studies. On the one hand, it was necessary to sort through all possible sources of information. This includes assimilating concepts drawn from fencing masters of all eras (ranging from the symbolic knowledge of the medieval masters to later visions), collecting precious ideas from paintings and sculptures, enriching studies through analyses of tools and material finds, also exploring the socio-cultural context, and encompassing the biomechanical understandings of East Asian martial arts such as kendō and aikidō, as well as modern sport disciplines.

At the same time, it was equally necessary to condense and limit the field of practice first to a text, and even more than this, to start with one of the weapons, that of most interest to the master, and make it our starting point. The choice was in part casual but over time was well justified. The chosen discipline was the two-handed sword, contained in Book Three of Opera Nova, one of the only two weapons to which Master Marozzo dedicated up to three assalti.

In the final analysis, we must maintain both an overview and a focused view, just like the mythological Irish warrior, Cuchulain, who embodied this important ability when he was transfigured by the fury of combat and widened one eye out of proportion while narrowing the other, knowing how to keep his vision broad but simultaneously focused.

3.4 Interpretation and Practice

For seventeenth-century authors, the art of sword-fighting was learned through the study of “theory” and “practice,” but “experience” was also important: the continuous application of the first two overtime. Gotti expertly identifies and manages different elements: the respect for the master, which consists in studying with humility, dedication, and the desire to plunge the depths of understanding; and the acceptance of initial and intermediate stages of partial and imperfect understanding, necessary for further improvements through practical experience, which allows one to gradually refine and arrive at a complete understanding. Lastly, the value of transversal research for identifying those teachings general to and shared by all masters, because they are essential and universal.

The process of learning and understanding Marozzo’s art is fundamentally attributable to a cyclical path, which moves from reading the source to making the moves, then returning to the text, but seeking increasingly deeper levels of understanding. The complexity of the lessons in the text prevents a direct, linear, and conclusive relationship between reading the written information (such as describing a series of movements) and understanding and immediately executing the content. The only possible tool is continuous repetition that makes the movement automatic and personal while leaving sufficient room for correction and improvement of the same gesture.

It is possible to analyze the different levels at which this cycle is repeated. In the first step, information is gathered from the source. The text is read and studied using the master’s instructions for developing a first, hypothetical concept of the indicated movements. Such notions are still abstract mental representations of the movement dictated by the master and will guide the first practical executions. Repetitions of the gesture will make the movement increasingly natural, building interconnection with the person performing it. Practical execution will also provide important information, in the form of sensory feedback and understanding from a dynamic perspective. This information will assemble the collection of experiences, leading to a deeper evaluation of the wisdom found in the source, and eventually possible re-modulation of technical interpretation.

While this is a circular pathway, the point of return is not the same starting point, because each new repetition brings new awareness and knowledge. The practice is therefore necessary, but we should be aware that it is limited and must be a tool for improvement. Usually, the correct interpretation will be the one that seems consistent and comfortable during execution: we proceed by subtraction, eliminating everything that is superfluous: pauses, breaks, and absence of protection.

The various cycles essential to the study of text require constant review of the meaning of terminologies used by the master in the light of extensive descriptions scattered around the dissertation, to allow identification of connections with information presented at different points of the written source. A further cyclical path leads from detailed to general information and vice versa: from the technique to the understanding of the fundamentals of sword-fighting and the general system; and from these to a new, stronger interpretation of the technique itself.

3.5 Basics, Techniques, System

The progression of system reconstruction moves from understanding how every single technique functions within the whole to grasping the facets and dynamics of each part. From this reciprocal process emerges the conception of the rules and geometries that command combat. The acquired knowledge can be organized and structured, and after observing recurrent dynamics, redundancies, and exceptions, it will be possible to build a martial art system that permits creative use of the technical expertise thus acquired. Indeed, it is necessary to move from the plane of techniques to that of the structured system that organizes the techniques, then to the geometric and biomechanical fundamentals regulating each movement.

An essential part of the interpretative task is to define what is fundamental and to determine the unique ground upon which to build complexity. For various reasons, which range from providing these written works to trained swordsmen, to the desire to guard the secrets of the teaching methods of their respective schools, historical manuals usually do not provide instructions on basic movements, except with limited, partial descriptions. An example is the extreme conciseness with which Master Marozzo writes about the use of the segno del passeggiare (footwork diagram), the geometric pattern needed for understanding and learning how to take up stance in his type of sword-fighting (see Fig. 5). In just three lines, the master sums up all possible alternatives of using the geometric pattern of two circles and an eight-pointed star.

Fig. 5

Printed image of the Segno del passeggiare, Achille Marozzo, Opera Nova, 1536 (collection of Martial Art Museum (BS), Botticino)

Concrete training methods have been developed in the Opera Nova School, transforming the result of across-the-board research into daily practices. Thanks to those key instruments of the training system, it is possible to embody the gestures that make up the letters of an alphabet or the notes on a pentagram. Moreover, herein lies the extreme value of that ability to expand one’s vision and then focus it on a single detail, finally capturing the essence of the most important notions that the masters suggest. Knowing how to grasp the importance of nuances and elevate them to principles, to rules, was one of the critical insights into the development of training tools. The Renaissance master’s cuts delivered on the Roman legionary’s wooden pole, the thrusts through Master Marcelli’s ring, the steps on the Stella (star) transferred from the illustration on the page to tangible raised stakes, then enriched with understanding through the study of Master Fiore’s (J Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles) and Master Vadi’s (Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Roma, Roma) symbols that become embodied concepts, as an example (see Figs. 6 and 7). Furthermore, to seek the extreme gesture in Master Di Grassi’s expression derompere (to almost break), namely to push arm joints to the limit and aim beyond, summing up and embracing triangular and circular figures, achieving the awareness of a dynamic sphere—felt in aikidō—that explodes, and perfectly expressed in the words of Master Agrippa.

Fig. 6

The physical reconstruction of the Segno del passeggiare diagram as training tool, designed and built by Roberto Gotti, Botticino (BS), Italy

Fig. 7

The symbolic representation of the warrior virtues in the De Arte Gladiatoria Dimicandi, Philippo Vadi, ca. 1485, fol. 15r (collection of Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale, Sez. Manoscritti e Rari, Roma)

Only through the quest for these kinds of awareness and continuous and conscious practice, can we move from the formal rigidity of exercise to the gestural freedom and spontaneity of a trained body. Supported by basics, techniques acquire value and solidity, a real applicability that is otherwise unattainable. A body, liberated by exercise and enabled to manage energy flows, can therefore handle complex gestures, and drop them into the dynamics of timing and distance, coming to understand the peculiarities of the technique in progress. It is then possible to understand how it connects to the previous action, and how it prepares for the subsequent one in a correct manner. The understanding of a historical master’s system lies not only in identifying the relationships among techniques but the reconstruction of an organic and structured model of approach to combat, which both underpins and makes such techniques possible, unifying them in the process. This model is built on formalized lines but at the same time, once truly grasped, allows for improvisation and creativity, leaving space for new architectures.

Lastly, the written source does not always present the system in a complete way, as is the case for many medieval masters or fragmentary sources, and oftentimes that system is not explicit but requires a long, complex reconstructive process.

4 Case Study: Marozzo’s Two-Handed Sword

Often mentioned as a preferred weapon in the learning and practice of the art of sword-fighting, the two-handed sword was used for a span of just over two centuries (from the mid-1300s to the end of the 1500s). It is a weapon that requires both hands on the grip (with exceptions of specific wrestling, disarming, or thrusting actions) which imposes certain limitations when using the body, but it is also the origin of a wealth of moves and figures and offers the possibility of unique expression of power and dynamism.

In the Italian scene, Master Marozzo was the last author to deal with the use of the two-handed sword in an expert and highly varied manner (see Fig. 8). After him, this weapon received far less treatment and progressively turned into a heavy combat or physical training tool, the vestige of a past no longer fully understood. Equally, the masters who came before him often presented martial art systems linked to a more elitist or fragmentary diffusion of knowledge, making it difficult to rebuild a real and applicable system. In this sense, therefore, Marozzo can be considered the best master from whom to learn this discipline, but also the most demanding given his enigmatic complexity.

Fig. 8

Two guards with the spada a doi mane, the two-handed sword, from Achille Marozzo, Opera Nova, 1536 (collection of Martial Art Museum (BS), Botticino)

The teachings related to the use of this weapon are divided into three assalti. In the forms the master describes first separately, then together, and then skillfully alternated the two main attitudes to combat: what the master defines as gioco largo (wide play) and gioco stretto (close play). Simply put, one approach seeks ample movements and distance from the opponent, while the other tends to condense moves and bring combatants closer together. There is a third kind of play, gioco delle prese (wrestling play), which may arise from short distance, with combat and disarming moves. The three approaches should be perceived as dynamic options dictated by blade and step actions, always aiming to develop a pattern of moves that lead the swordsman to defend himself while seeking to strike safely or dominate the opponent.

The assalti can be described as containers, swordplay phrasing patterns, within which the master unfolds his system using examples of application. The assalti last for different lengths of time, with elaborate movement dynamics between two opponents in which both technical (each move) and tactical (the master’s combinations) content is expressed. The practice of forms, combined with the exercise of basics (as explained above), has been the method for refining interpretation and, equally, individual learning and teaching. The assalto is therefore like a forge, able to refine the awareness and understanding of both the school and the trained bodies of those who attend it.

The assalto is an individual exercise, with or without a weapon: it is also a team exercise, standardizing the pace of execution; and it is an exercise in pairs, sharing complementary passive and active roles. It can be performed at different speeds, from the extreme slowness required for understanding, to the explosive speed of masterful execution, homogenous or paced according to the natural combat breaks. The assalto is also the container from which to extrapolate the technical units that become the subject of specific training or the guide for the creative construction of alternative movements. Lastly, those who have learned the lesson so well they can overcome it, achieving free, spontaneous combination of gestures (see Figs. 9 and 10).

Fig. 9

Solo execution of Achille Marozzo’s Assalto, performed by Jacopo Penso during the first federal competition of forms in Vercelli, 2019 (photograph by Sally Ruth, given to Opera Nova)

Fig. 10

Paired execution of Achille Marozzo’s Assalto, performed by Moreno dei Ricci and Jacopo Penso, during a public demonstration in Lausanne, Switzerland, 2018. In this particular case, protections such as masks are not required since the execution is well trained by expert partners (photograph by Daniel Jaquet)

Free combat, if practiced by sufficiently trained experts, is a topic for further analysis and understanding of the art, since it tests and validates the quality of interpretations devised. Infeasible interpretations, with excessive abstractions, can be discarded while at the same time, correct understanding can be extended and confirmed. The free sparring, as usually called, offers an impromptu, non-cooperative context, in conditions of increased speed of performance and uncertainty. Here basics, techniques, tactics, and strategies merge into a form of dialogue where both swordsmen try to “touch without being touched,” where reading and hearing the opponent combine with trying to overcome them (see Fig. 11).

Fig. 11

Example of action in a sparring match between Moreno dei Ricci and Jacopo Penso, during a public demonstration in Lausanne, 2018 (photograph by Daniel Jaquet)

The next test bench is the sport, the competition, where the expression of a martial art may take place in a field that displays certain aspects while limiting and distorting others. By maintaining awareness of weapons through regulations, and limiting technical content for safety reasons, the competitive context becomes an opportunity to experiment the variables and compare different systems and approaches. The study of a martial art within a competitive context has its limits. However, the latter can and must be used as an opportunity for the swordsman’s assessment and growth, as well as for testing and building theoretical models and training practices (see Fig. 12).

Fig. 12

Roberto Gotti’s winning action at the finals of the Italian two-handed sword championship held by national sport body CSEN in the Tempio di Adriano, Rome, 2016 (public photograph from the tournament, anonymous creator. Photograph sent by the organization of the tournament, Accademia Romana d’Armi SSD)

4.1 Tools

The sword, which in individual practice can just be a simple stick (or even without the use of any instrument), is certainly the first and fundamental tool. The exercise will integrate the tool increasingly with the user, to the point where the separation between the object and the user’s body disappears. The sword will become not only the tool for implementing the attacking action, projecting the impulse of force launched at a distance by the body, but also the tool for probing, collecting, and feeling the stimuli that come from the opponent and their weapon (see Fig. 13). Supported by the study of the historical sources and exploring the history contained in the sword, a huge contribution today comes from the willingness of manufacturers (or those attentive to the needs of the historical fencing community) to provide replicas of historical weapons suitable for safe practice, whose quality comes from characteristics as close as possible to those of originals. Over time, the development of protective equipment has also made possible free combat practice, which simulates the speed and intensity of real combat, while excluding or minimizing the risk to the athletes.

Fig. 13

Example of the blade flexibility in modern replica’s designed for sport, courtesy of Caino swords (http://cainoswords.com)

Finally, and importantly, practice locations. We must not forget the importance of an appropriate setting for the study of the art (in terms of wide, anthropological practices) and the experience of it. In this sense, building dedicated space(s) able to elevate the art of fencing is one of Gotti’s great insights. His school has a dual nature––originating in sacred, domestic, and natural spaces like that of the Bosco delle Fare (Wood of the Fare), it is flanked by a place of fusion of historical art and modern sport, full of light and aesthetical inspiration such as the Gairethinx gym (see Figs. 14 and 15). In these places, the practice is enriched with grace and human depth and broadens the horizons of those lucky enough to enter it.

Fig. 14

A lesson in the Wood, Opera Nova summer camp, 2018

Fig. 15

Fencing lesson in Gairethinx, Opera Nova summer camp, 2018

4.2 Comparative Studies

From the original intuition that made it possible to grasp ideas from various masters, hypothesizing the points of contact and a shared thread, it is now possible to observe other masters, in the light of a mature understanding of one of the authors, and using this as a lens to analyze and compare. An example is the study conducted on the art of the two-handed sword of the military leader Pietro Monte,⁷ which led to a simplified, different version, but consistent with the teachings of the Bolognese master (Monte, 1509).

The same can and will be said in the future on the subject of two great medieval Italian masters, Fiore dei Liberi and Filippo Vadi, previously misunderstood for their limited, partial essays, but whose technical background may enrich the current understanding of the art. Future studies will hopefully be able to break down linguistic—but certainly not technical or conceptual—barriers to weave a dialogue with the study of European traditions at first (like German and Spanish masters) and later to geographically and culturally distant martial arts.

The same comparative value also exists in observing the different disciplines indicated by the same author. Benefiting from being part of the one coherent system, useful differences and similarities can be found in the study of the weapons that Marozzo outlines. This is valid both as regards the analysis of the text overall, finding internal confirmations of the terminology used and better identifying the recurring elements of the work, but also as regards the identification of precise moves and sensations, better understood thanks to their presentation in different contexts. An example of this is the importance of studying wrestling techniques against knife, essential for learning the close play of the two-handed sword.

5 Conclusion

In the void left by the loss of the historical art, those intending to become masters first had to become students in a candid and complete way. It was necessary to connect with the masters of the past, listen by every possible means, even to the faintest whispers of their teachings, to the point of creating an intimate, continuous dialogue.

The merit of contemporary masters like Mr. Roberto Gotti, who has succeeded in this feat, is to prove that such task is possible, and show the way and share it with those interested in pursuing it. So, it is possible to study the art of the swordmasters while remaining faithful to their teachings, constantly trying to approach the real and original expression of this art, despite the historical distance, restoring its dignity and its role among other, far better-known, valued expressions of human transcendence. Today, experienced students such as Moreno dei Ricci and Jacopo Penso pursue this commitment and support their master in the construction and diffusion of a school, seeking constant improvement and growth.

Much more can and should be done to make this art flourish, no longer forgotten, no longer just “historical” and relegated to a buried, obscure past. Today this art is alive, planted in the bodies of those who practice it, no longer to destroy an enemy but as an instrument of self-discovery and growth, preserving its sublime nature of artistic expression.