Wide Play - Verse 42
Drop hilt inside arm, grip blade, strike face
Translation
This technique follows directly from the Breaking of the Thrust play (verse 41). After you break your opponent's thrust by striking upward, if he raises his sword to cover against your strike, immediately drop your hilt inside his right arm near his right hand. Then grasp your own blade near the point with your left hand and strike him in the face with your sword. Alternatively, you can drive the edge of your sword into his neck to cut his throat.
Fiore's Words
From the play before, I enter swift and sure: I broke your thrust, you lift to cover high. I drop my hilt inside your arm, secure. Grab my own blade, and strike you in the eye. Or if I choose, my edge cuts deep and fast, across your throat, this moment is your last.
Combat Context
This technique addresses the opponent's defensive response after you successfully break his thrust. When he raises his sword to cover against your upward strike, his arm becomes vulnerable and extended. You exploit this opening by trapping his sword arm with your hilt while simultaneously controlling your own blade for a finishing strike. This is a close-quarters binding action that transitions from wide play into a more constrained wrestling range.
Training Notes
- ✦ This technique requires breaking the opponent's thrust first, drilling the entry from the Breaking of the Thrust play until the transition is automatic.
- ✦ The key moment is recognising when the opponent raises his sword to cover. This creates the opening for your hilt to enter inside his arm.
- ✦ Drop your hilt inside his right arm near his right hand. This traps his sword arm, preventing him from retracting or redirecting.
- ✦ When grasping your own blade with your left hand near the point, maintain control of the sword and use this grip to drive the blade forward powerfully into the face.
- ✦ The face strike uses the blade itself, not the point. This is a percussion strike using the flat or edge, depending on the angle of impact.
- ✦ The throat-cut alternative requires redirecting the edge to the neck using the same setup; practice both targets to understand the spatial options.
- ✦ Hatcher's footnote 28 notes that this would be ineffective against a closed visor; train awareness of the opponent's armour and adapt targets accordingly.
This is card FL42 from the Fiore dei Liberi Sword In Two Hands deck.
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[27r-b] ¶ Questo e anchora un altro zogho del romper de punta, che si lo zugadore in lo rompere ch'i'o rotta la sua punta, leva la sua spada ala coverta dela mia subito io gli metto l'elzo dela mia spada dentro parte del suo brazo dritto apresso la sua mane dritta, E subito piglo la mia spada cum la mia man mancha a presso la punta, e fiero lo zugadore in la testa. E se io volesse, metteria la al collo suo per segargli la canna dela gola.
This is another play that flows from the “Breaking of the Thrust” play. After I break his thrust, if he raises his sword to cover as I strike upwards, I quickly drop the hilt of my sword inside his right arm, near his right hand, then I grab my blade near the point with my left hand, and then strike him in his face.[28] Or alternatively, if I chose, I could drive my sword edge into his neck, slicing him across his throat.
[21a-d] Del çogho ch'e denançi entro inquesto A taiarti el volto el faço ben presto
From the play that came before, I enter into this one: I make it quickly and cut your face.