[David Black Mastro]

Does such an implement exist?

[Bill Grandy]

Do you mean are there smallswords that have the ability to withstand parries from non-smallswords? Most certainly. Many colichemardes have robust fortes that could certainly handle the cut of a broad sword or saber.



Truth be told, though, even a modern foil can parry a heavier cutting weapon. Granted, I would rather void than parry in such a situation, but it certainly can be done. While I'm not saying the smallsword was specifically designed to handle heavy parrying, I think it'd be unrealistic to assume a well made one can't do it: Even Sir William Hope showed the smallsword against a hanger and a lochaber axe. Ideal situations? Maybe not, but not impossible ones, either.

[David Black Mastro]

Bill,

I'm familiar with the colichemarde, and, while it clearly has more parrying potential than other smallswords, I still question the idea of a smallsword that can parry any other type of sword, let alone a polearm. With all due respect to William Hope, parrying a lochaber axe sounds like downright wishful thinking. Ditto for, say, a two-handed sword. IIRC Thibault, in his section regarding rapier vs. two-hander, mentions that parries must not be resorted to by the rapierist. If this is a problem for a rapier, I would imagine it would be a problem for a smallsword as well.

Thanks,

David

[Bill Grandy]

I know this is kind of an old argument, but it has to be addressed: What exactly is a smallsword? It's a very broad term (much like the term rapier). A quick flip through A.V.B. Norman's The Rapie and Small-Sword will show that there isn't one specific type, and there were narrow, thrust only blades as well as blades that were more geared to the cut and thrust. Some blades I could imagine snapping if you parried anything bigger than another blade of it's size, others I think could parry a longsword if necessary.

I think a Thibault's advice about not parrying with a rapier has more to do with the leverage of two hands against a weapon held with one, though I'll be the first to admit that Thibault (nor any part of Destreza) is not my area of expertise. Fabris talks in detail about parrying a cut, and while one might assume he is obviously talking about against another rapier, I have experimented with these parries against a longsword and found them to work without any problems at all. But this is off topic (as these threads always tend to go. ).

I think the issue about parrying comes down greatly to the definition of a parry. For instance, Hope isn't depicting a static block against a lochaber axe, he's showing his hanging parry against a downward cut or thrust. A metal curtain rod can do this. Can the smallsword take the lochaber axe full force in a static parry? Possibly, possibly not. But then again, I wouldn't even do that with a heavier broadsword, either. My overall point is that, for whatever it's intended purposes, there are definately smallswords that can handle many of the things larger cut and thrust swords can handle, even if they aren't ideal for the situation.

[Benjamin H. Abbott]

Hmm. According to both Silver and Swetnam, sword and dagger together can parry a blow from a staff, at least if the feet are firmly planted.

But then, according to di Grassi, a heavy blow from a polearm will cut through just anything you put in its way, including a sword. And there is that 17th century battle in which broadswords supposedly cut pikes and smallswords like willows...

I imagine a smallsword, if used properly, could parry a light longsword well enough, though I really doubt it'd be of much use against a greatsword.