Intro to Italian Martial Arts

In this ongoing introductory class, we will be looking at the foundations of Italian martial arts of the 15th and 16th centuries, drawing from two distinct sources: Fiore dei Liberi, who set out a holistic system of fighting unarmed, with a dagger, sword, spear, poleaxe--both in and out of armour--and Giovanni Dall'Agocchie, who provided clear instructions on the "Queen of weapons", the sword in one hand, along with the dagger and cloak.

On Mondays, we will be covering unarmed vs. dagger, which is by far the largest section of Fiore's manuscript, going through the angles of the attack, the basic defences, as well as the four main responses: disarms, breaks, binds and throws.

On Wednesdays, we will focus on the sword in one hand from the ground up: how to the move feet, how the feet and body form guards, and how to attack and defend from those guards.

No experience is required, you just need to wear comfortable workout clothes, preferably flat-soled shoes, and a pair of leather gloves (gardening gloves are great to start).