2.3 Pressure

Overview

A pressure is one of the chief methods for controlling the opponent's blade. It is performed by making a firm but subtle contact of opponent's blade with your own blade, to close the line for a direct attack from your opponent. The point of your opponent's sword should be pointing to just outside your body (either side). Contact should ideally be with your forte against your opponent's foible. The key principle here is to have the contact point on your sword closer to the base of the forte than the same contact point on your opponent's blade.

The footwork deployed depends on the applicable tactical situation. In general you should step away from the blade. In a defensive situation this is typically done with a left or right step. In an offensive situation this is typically an inside or outside step. This step voids the body off the line of engagement, whilst the sword closes the line, providing for a surer defence.

Exercises

Defensive Pressures:

Instructor	Student
Present to the high inside and step forward.	Step right turning the hand into 4th with the point up. The forte section of the student's blade should contact the foible section of the instructor's blade. At the completion of the step, the instructor's blade should be pointing to just outside the student's left arm
Present to the low inside and step forward.	Step right turning the hand into 4th with the point down. The forte section of the student's blade should contact the foible section of the instructor's blade. At the completion of the step, the instructor's blade should be pointing to just outside the student's left arm
Present to the high outside and step forward.	Step left turning the hand into 2nd with the point up. The forte section of the student's blade should contact the foible section of  the instructor's blade. At the completion of the step, the instructor's blade should be pointing to just outside the student's right arm
Present to the low outside and step forward.	Step left turning the hand into 2nd with the point down. The forte section of the student's blade should contact the foible section of the instructor's blade. At the completion of the step, the instructor's blade should be pointing to just outside the student's right arm

The above exercise teaches how to defend yourself against an attacking thrust.

Teaching Note:
For each of the 4 separate drills, they need to be repeated several times to teach awareness of how far the opponent's point must be deflected. A good rule to remember is 5 good repetitions is a minimum number. Ensure you reset to wide distance each time the drill is repeated. Call the drill to initially teach the action, and reduce the verbal instruction once the student starts to demonstrate some competency. The final iteration is use no verbalisation, and to randomly present to one of the 4 target areas.

Some students find it very difficult to execute the drill coordinating footwork with the hand movement. While not specifically detailed above, when first teaching the drill it is beneficial to have the student only practice the voiding footwork, before you have them also perform the covering action with the sword.

Offensive Pressures:

Instructor	Student
Present to the high inside.	Step inside turning the hand into 4th with the point up. The forte section of the student's blade should contact the foible section of the instructor's blade. At the completion of the step, the instructor's blade should be pointing to just outside the student's left arm
Present to the low inside.	Step inside turning the hand into 4th with the point down. The forte section of the student's blade should contact the foible section of the instructor's blade. At the completion of the step, the instructor's blade should be pointing to just outside the student's left arm
Present to the high outside.	Step outside turning the hand into 2nd with the point up. The forte section of the student's blade should contact the foible section of the instructor's blade. At the completion of the step, the instructor's blade should be pointing to just outside the student's right arm
Present to the low outside.	Step outside turning the hand into 2nd with the point down. The forte section of the student's blade should contact the foible section of the instructor's blade. At the completion of the step, the instructor's blade should be pointing to just outside the student's right arm

The above exercise teaches how to control the opponent's sword when coming into distance.

Teaching Note:
The same comments from the Defensive Pressure drills apply here as well. Make sure the arm is extended before the step occurs.

Distance drills with pressures:

Exercise

Student and instructor both on guard in terza facing each other at perfect distance. Instructor moves using simple steps, student must use simple steps to maintain the distance. Swords should be in contact. Instructor pressures the student's weapon (moving into high seconde or high quarte only) when instructor moves forward, student should turn their hand into seconde or quarte to close the line and maintain contac as they step off the line to void the blade.

Instructor should turn hand into seconde or quarte to create a new line of threat when moving back to trigger student into moving their blade to close the new line while maintaining contact.

Exercise

As above, but this time instructor disengages when moving forward or back. Student should close the new line with a pressure when they feel the sword leaving their blade, maintaining contact as they step off the line.

Teaching Note:
These exercises are to get the student used to seeing a threat, and closing the line while maintaining contact and controlling the distance. The exercise will also help teach the student sentiment di fer. Steps should be clean and not too wide or too long, torso should not bob up and down. Arm should be extended so student's forte is against instructor's debole, student's point a little above instructor's hand so as to maximise target in range - point too high leads to misses. Instructor's point about a hand's width above the student's hand, as this helps trigger the student to move correctly and place their blade properly. If the Instructor's point is too high, the student can't easily make the pressure using the correct part of the blade without lifting their hand too high.

Discussion Notes

It is important:

1. to have the contact point closer to your hilt than the contact point on your opponent's blade
2. to have the true edge turned towards your opponent's blade, as this aids control
3. to have the opponent's blade pointing outside the body, so that they can not hit you with a direct thrust

It is not essential:

1. to have the base of the forte against the tip of the foible, this is the ideal situation only (see point 1 above)
2. to step a certain set distance - only step far enough that the opponent's blade can not hit you with a direct thrust
3. to have your blade turned completely horizontal. It is however preferable to have your blade edge as close to perpendicular to your opponent's blade edge as possible.
4. to push your opponent's point very far. It only has to be moved enough that it can not hit you with a direct thrust, especially when married with the lateral footwork.

---

Previous Page | Next Page