As I wrote in a previous post, I’m in the midst of a fun coaching journey with the SSU Fencing Masters Certificate Program (FMC).
If all goes well, I’ll be able to test (and pass🤞) my provost exam this summer. As part of the requirements, I took the SSU FMCP online theory/pedagogy & history class.
One of the homework assignments was to do a 10 minute video on a 19th century Italian fencing master, showing off a few techniques in their book. I chose Rosaroll-Scorza & Grisetti’s “Science of Fencing” (1803) with the smarra, which sort of kicked off a new (second?) Italian fencing Renaissance.
As you can see by the length of this video… I got a little carried away.
What the heck is a Smarra?
The smarra is a heavy foil used for training with a maestro. Unlike the traditional foil, the entire body was a target and Rosaroll-Scorza & Grisetti also demonstrate grapples, etc., so it has a much more martial experience than later “classical foil” systems and modern foil.
It’s somewhere between the rapier and foil, and is sometimes referred to as a “transitional rapier.”
It’s also a good starting point for doing “Italian smallsword”, in my opinion.
I’ve fallen in love with the weapon over the past year, as it’s a weapon that lets me combine my rapier side and my classical fencing side in a way that feels very natural and is a lot of fun. I also got extra energized about the book and weapon thanks to Maestro Ryan Mank’s smarra workshop he did for us last spring.
Video Overview
In this video, we’ll go over a little historical and social context, how the weapon compares to the rapier and lighter Italian foils, standing on guard, and some fun actions that make Rosaroll-Scorza & Grisetti interesting and “unique:
- The molinello (envelopment + flanconade)
- The cartoccio (cousin to the passata sotto)
- The sforzo (a powerful sliding beat).
⚠️ SPECIAL NOTE: I’m not an expert in Rosaroll-Scorza & Grisetti, but I’m not a complete novice in it either. No doubt there’s some mistakes or nuances missing here.
For example, I do the sforzo as a more classical expulsion, but RS&G also describe it as like a strong sliding-beat from detachment, etc. Whoops, 🤷♂️.
Consider this video a starting point to get folks excited about the smarra.
Additional Resources
If you’re as excited as I am about further exploring the smarra, here’s a few places to resources to start.
📕 “The Science of Fencing” Translation by Chris Holzman
⚔️ Build Your Own Smarra via Castille Armory.
🖊️ “Binding the Sword” by Sebastian Seager
🤺 Maestro Ryan Mank of Red Sun Classical Fencing. He taught Boston Academie d’Armes a great workshop on R&G’s smarra.
DONATIONS: If you found this video useful or interesting, please consider a small donation so I can continue to produce rapier & other historical martial arts content. Donate at https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/BostonAcademiedArmes
