Ask the Audience: Retreating in Italian Rapier   42 comments

So I’ve come across a couple different mechanics for the retreat, in a historic Italian context:

Through the Heel – peel up the toe (dorsiflexion) and straighten the front leg, pushing the front heel into the ground to drive the body back.

Through the Ball – flex the foot in the opposite direction (plantarflexion), using both the ankle flexion and knee extension to push yourself back.

A student of mine is interested in this question, and when I couldn’t give a satisfactory answer I promised to seek a wider array of input. Which do you think more correct for the system (or are both acceptable? Or is something else better?), and why? Please support your answer with text from the primary sources, better-known principles of Italian fencing, anatomy/kinesiology, or physics. Personal anecdote is weak but acceptable.

Posted August 22, 2015 by Ruairc in Italian Rapier

42 responses to Ask the Audience: Retreating in Italian Rapier

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