Posts: 84 Location: Northern VA
Mon 13 May, 2013 10:45 am
Hello Tim, the difference between pike/front lines swords and montante was one of the first things Steve Hicks told me about when I joined NoVA assalto. I sent him a message asking about the name difference since I can neither remember it or find it anywhere in my montante notes, it hasn't come up much since then at practice.
The best use I've found for the parrying hooks is using them without gripping to help keep rapiers away by artificially shortening the space down my blade they can thrust/wind around. One of the rapier guys from VAF calls them the most irritating thing about the sword because I can move him offline or thrust forward without being in danger. The ricasso likewise shortens the part of the blade that flexes the most, when you swing, this shortening helps the blade move with little more authority and decreases torque from flex in directional transitions. I don't know if that's its function or a side effect of whatever else it was used for. It's what I've noticed
Quote: |
Montante - seems to be defined as a sword not intended for war - but civil functions. |
As I understand it there are multiple accounts of montante being used by marines and explorers as well as continental troops in battle. Off the top of my head I remember one account of two men with montante on a ship holding off a Thai pirate boarding party while everyone else was arming below deck. There are also accounts of its use in Africa and south east Asia.
Marozzo defines his guards for the spadone by hip position as well as the plane of the sword. Shifting your hips with your arms is supposed to power most of the movements in the primo assalto, otherwise if done with speed you get tired very quickly.