Cooperative Drill: The Void (29-July-06)

Description
The fencers start in guard, in measure. The Defender will either gain the Attacker's sword to the inside or outside, or make an invitation to the inside or outside. The Attacker makes a feint by cavazione if the Defender has found his sword, or a straight-line feint if the Defender has made an invitation. The Defender feints an attempt to parry the feint, at which point the Attacker performs a cavazione and attacks the open line. To counter this attack, the Defender performs the correct void to strike the Attacker in contratempo.

Prerequisites
The lunge, the cavazione, the feint and the voids.

Goal
The Defender should learn how to feint a parry so that he can attack in contratempo.

Notes
Which voids are used on which line is determined by the system being studied. For example, Fabris uses a Girata of the Right Foot or a Girata of the Left Foot against attacks to the inside, and a Pass of Seconda or a Lunge of Seconda against attacks to the outside.

Variations
The attack in contratempo (i.e. the attack by the Defender) does not necessarily have to include a void, so long as the Defender can gain the attacker's debole with his forte or hilt. This drill could be combined with The Sword and Hand Parry Drill so that the Defender has the option of either voiding or using a hand parry. This drill can also be performed from one step out of measure, with the Attacker performing the feint with an advance.

List of Drills