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Weapons of Armizare
Within the general curriculum course, classes will be focused on three main forms of combat.
Grappling (Abrazare)
Abrazare (Italian; to embrace) is the art of unarmed combat aimed at disabling an opponent as fast, and efficiently as possible.
What you will not find in Fiore’s abrazare is a focus on a lot of hand striking, punches, etc. “Knowing how to strike to the most vulnerable points” is only a portion of Fiore’s unarmed combat. As the art is an inter-related system, the lessons learned in abrazare must also apply to earnest combat in armor and punching a fully armored knight is not very useful. Any striking is used as a prelude to a throwing/binding/breaking technique to definitively end an engagement.
Dagger (daga)
Fiore’s dagger (daga) takes the art of abrazare and adds a weapon; the rondel dagger of the military class. The rondel dagger is so named in the modern era by the metal discs that make up the upper and lower portions of the dagger’s grip. Primarily a thrusting weapon used to pierce the heavy textile garments and maille armors of the 14th century. Fiore details four core concepts of ‘Masters’ of dagger combat: disarms, breaks, locks, and throws. The dagger section deals with both civilian and military defense, for combat in and out of armor.
Longsword (spada a dui mani)
Fiore’s longsword art builds on the ground work laid in earlier sections of the manual. Fiore separates the longsword into three main sections: spada dun mano (sword in one hand), spada a dui mani (sword in two hands), and spada en arme (sword in armor) but the weapon itself remains the same. He takes the tactical considerations and bio-mechanical concepts of the abrazare and daga sections then applies them to a wholly different weapon: the 14th century longsword.
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