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This past Monday we wrapped up “Interpreting the Masters” month in my online Beyond the Basics of Italian Rapier program. We finished the month by looking at the use of Prima in Fabris’s single rapier section. One of the chapters we looked at was Plate 25, which is a strike in prima against a terza (as well as a seconda). One thing we pointed out that was lacking in the text was the illustration that clearly shows the wounder stepping to their inside line, so they’re delivering the shot with a cross-line step. As a group, we discussed the possible reasons for this but since we’re all stuck indoors for the pandemic, none of us had partners to experiment with. So, I set up Rochefort (my fencing pell) to compare this strike with a regular lunge as well as with a cross-line lunge. As the videos show, the cross-line lunge allows for an easier time to shoot around the opponent’s guard while still maintain leverage control over their blade. I think this would be even more important if Rochefort was, y'know, a live and trying to really push back. One thing to keep in mind is Rochefort is unable to get into a proper Fabris stance and has limited lateral pressure ability. A straight on lunge in prima with the opponent pushing back in terza or seconda while in that more forward Fabris posture could make it harder to strike the opponent in the torso or even at all. The cross-line step (or even a passing step to our inside line) seems to help a lot with that. SLIDES: #slide= Rochefort (My fencing pell) is available through The Armorer's Store. If you snag one, let them know I sent you! DONATIONS: If you found this video useful, please consider a small donation so I can continue to produce rapier & other historical martial arts content. Donate at ⚔️ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR⚔️ Justin Aucoin (aka Remy) has been fencing since 2006, first as a foilist and then joining the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) in 2010. For the past eight years, he has studied Italian rapier, going through the works of Giganti, Capoferro, Fabris, and most recently, Alfieri. As a competitor, he has won numerous rapier tournaments in the SCA -- both in singles and in group melee -- including Carolingia's Baronial Champion, East Kingdom Crown Champion, and named 6x to the Pennsic Champs team. He is also a former general of the East Kingdom Rapier Army, is a member of the SCA's Order of Defense, and holds a Silver Broach for his historical martial arts research. He's also a member of the Company of St. Jude in the SCA. Outside of the SCA, Justin has taught rapier at Athena School of Arms, one of Boston's premiere HEMA schools. He is a Level One student guide & apprentice instructor through Academie Duello and a certified personal trainer through NASM. You can follow his historical martial arts, military, and fashion research at
