These simplified Italian principles give junior-level fighters a way to process the chaos of melee, to focus their limited Attention in the right places, and to interpret the fight from the sidelines. However, to build up from individual swords and individual actions to a full melee, we’re going to have to add more people.
Principles in 2v1
Everyone who has practiced 2v1s (that’s everybody, right? If not, why haven’t you?) will recognize the basics here. Let’s view a few maxims through the lens of the above principles. A and B shall be our allied fighters, opposed by X.
The 1 wants to turn it into a 1v1 – If A and B both have Range, Readiness, and Opening, X will need to look solely to his own defense (so he can respond to an attack). It is impossible for X to attack safely – as he attacks one, he’ll be stabbed by the other. X needs to deprive one or both of them of Range, Readiness, or Opening (while keeping these things for himself on the opponent).
Approach from 45 degrees – also sometimes called “60 degrees”. If A and B are too close in space, it is easy for X to take away Opening (because they are on the same line, or near it). When X maneuvers to put his opponents in a line, this is what he is doing – reducing their angle to him.
If A and B are too far apart (or much wider than 60 degrees), it is easy for X to take away Range, simply by stepping laterally.
Move Together – This applies, obviously, to Range, but is more central to Readiness. If A and B are not coordinated – they are moving in different directions, one is stopped and ready while the other is still running, etc – X can exploit the lapse in Readiness. If X feints at A, and A flinches, X can attack B safely (and if the feint is small enough, he’ll still be ready to counter B’s simultaneous attack).
There is also an application to Awareness here. A and B have an advantage in numbers. They lose that advantage if they do not maintain Awareness of each others’ positions, or if one is too aggressive, etc. This is the first time we see the value of communication (talking) for maintaining Awareness.
Sweep/Stab – “Shut down your opponent’s Readiness and Opening/Exploit your opponent’s lack of Readiness and Opening”.
Attrition Is Okay – again, if A dies but takes away X’s threat to B in the same moment (most probably because X is not Ready), then B has an easy kill, and the pair wins.
Kill Him Fast – this segues into the next step up. You’ll see in my next post.
It’s important to remember that these principles are absolute. No matter how skilled X is, he does not get to cheat the laws of Range, Readiness, and Opening (particularly once they are fully realized as measure, tempo, and line).
Now there’s lots to talk about for the 1 as well:
Maneuver – take away Range by moving laterally (moving backwards just makes your opponents safe). Take away Opening by forcing them to “cross” (the line of attack of one is blocked by the line of attack of the other), most easily done by lining them up. Take away Readiness by staying balanced and ready to change direction quickly if your opponents commit too hard.
Use the Off Hand – whatever’s in it can frustrate Opening for A while you kill B. In the worst of circumstances, you have another tool to parry with.
Move While Parrying And Attacking – whether it’s a simple parry or a parry-riposte or an attack, you lack Readiness on A while dealing with B – so you have to take away something from him, or you’ll die. Ideally he’s already been closed out via Range/Readiness/Opening; if not, you have to close him out at the same time. Range is the obvious candidate (make a passing attack to take you out of range of A, or step away from A as you parry B). Opening can also be done, particularly with an offhand.
In its advanced form, this means that a right-handed X will be more defensive when moving to the right (his dagger hand is forward, the foible of his sword can be used to parry but not to attack) and more offensive when moving to the left (a passing attack with the sword withdrawn can close one opponent’s line while attacking the other, possibly as a compound attack including the offhand).
Take Advantage of Lapses in Cohesion – Although this reduces down to Range/Readiness/Opening, it’s really about exploiting poor Awareness.
All of this stuff will arise naturally in 2v1 free-sparring, particularly if X is the most skilled by a significant margin. It just takes a little bit of guidance to interpret it.
2v2 is 2v1
Now we get to the hard part. This requires a very different way of thinking about things, but it is consistent with the principles. Bear with me.
Consider A and B vs X and Y, all at standard line-fight range:
X is still in a 2v1 against A and B – there are two people wanting to kill him, and he has to take Range/Readiness/Opening/Awareness away from them before he can be safe.
But A is ALSO in a 2v1 against X and Y for the same reasons. Which means that X and Y are in a 2v1 against A.
Yep. Everyone is simultaneously on both ends of the 2v1. And all the rules still apply.
If Y binds B’s blades, hey, X is safe from B (and A is probably safe from Y). If Y and B split off from the main fight, then X is safe from B because of Range. (B’s attention and Awareness might also get focused on Y.)
And, of course, if Y flinches (loses Readiness), or retreats (loses Range), or has his blades bound (loses Opening) – X is in a momentary 2v1 (provided B still has Range, Readiness, and Opening on X), and all the stuff above applies – if only for a moment.
As an aside, 2v2 provides an excellent chance – the first really good one – to illustrate how to use Awareness. If A and B each step out to the flank, and X and Y stay together, then A can see (be Aware of) X and Y. B can also see X and Y. But X can only see A, and Y can only see B. This gap in Awareness, if not very carefully controlled, will spell doom for X and Y. If X, nervous about backing into his partner, takes a moment to glance at Y, he has taken away his Awareness of A – and should be stabbed for it.
Everything Else Is Also 2v1
Or 1v1, I suppose.
2v2 – if they split, it’s effectively two 1v1 fights (A vs X, B vs Y; A lacks Range and possibly Awareness to Y, as does X to B, etc). If they stay together, it’s a Crazy Mutual 2v1 for everyone until someone dies. Then it’s a standard 2v1.
3v2 – A, B, and C are fighting X and Y. This might break down into three 2v1s: A & B vs X; B & C vs Y; and X & Y vs B. If they split, it will be one 2v1 and one 1v1. When someone dies, it will break down to a 2v2 or a 3v1.
3v3 – are we starting to see a pattern here? It can break down into three 1v1s, a 1v1 and a 2v2, or 2v1 and a 1v2 (A & B vs X, C vs Y & Z) – which is the same as two 2v1s. It could also stay as a simple line fight, in which case everyone’s on both sides of a 3v1 or a 2v1, depending on position.
When someone dies, it becomes a 3v2.
What about 3v1?
This is the other mind screw of this framework: 3v1 is the same as 2v1.
No principles change – life just gets harder for X. If he takes Range/Readiness/Opening from one of his opponents, then he’s in a 2v1. And A, B, and C are always in a 2v1 situation – even after one of them dies.
4v1, 5v1, etc all follow the same rules. 2v1 is really just shorthand for “multiple opponents”.
Celric asked this question at Sergeants & Scholars and didn’t seem to like my answer. Eh.
And Line Fights?
Line fights are just Crazy Mutual 2v1 (or 3v1, if you insist) situations for everyone. It’s worth noting that line fights greatly limit your ability to control Range as a means of defending yourself – if you step backwards, some people on your line get stuck on the wrong side of a Unilateral 2v1 and probably die. (If you could get everyone in your line to step backwards at once, you’d be fine. But good luck training up that level of Awareness.)
When you’re in a 2v1 and unable to take away Range, it is very difficult to find a moment to safely attack. In a typical line fight, several (probably three) other people must each be missing one of Awareness/Range/Readiness/Opening, all at the same time, before you can safely go for a kill. That’s tough to process, although it can be done. Some useful heuristics (some of which will sound familiar):
Lacks Awareness – an opponent who is far away, or whose head is turning, or who is getting “tunnel vision”, usually focusing only on the person across from him/her; an opponent whose Attention is overwhelmed.
Lacks Range – a short opponent, or one who has stepped backwards, or is far down the line, or is attacking across his/her body (a righty attacking to his left, etc).
Lacks Readiness – typically, an opponent who is in the process of parrying or attacking elsewhere, or attacking you but without an Opening or Range.
Lacks Opening – an opponent whose blade is bound or covered by your own, especially a secondary, or an opponent behind an obstacle (tree, flag, marshal …)
(We typically tell new fighters not to lunge in a line. Fact is, if every opponent lacks one of these things, you can lunge and be perfectly safe. It’s just hard for new fighters to make that judgement, for reasons I discussed in the previous post.)
Even so, this is a rare situation. So most of the fight should be waiting for a great opportunity, either from your buddies or gift-wrapped to you from the opponent (say, he lunges at the guy next to you while your sword is free). Stay ready, stay vigilant, stay safe, and perhaps bind blades to help your friends with Readiness and Opening, or make very conservative attacks at the opponents’ hands or feet; when an opportunity arises, capitalize.
Incidentally, our foes at Pennsic probably don’t think like this … I wonder how well we’d do, as an army, if we focused on simple “don’t attack unless you’re 100% safe” teachings and wore down our foe that way.
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