Destreza

Destreza

Carranza

Carranza
Also known as La Verdadera Destreza, Spanish Swordsmanship, Spanish Fencing, Geometrical School of Swordsmanship
Focus Weaponry
Country of origin Spain Spain, Portugal Portugal
Creator Jerónimo Sánchez de Carranza
Famous practitioners Jerónimo Sánchez de Carranza, Luis Pacheco de Narváez, Girard Thibault, Anthony De Longis, Ramon Martinez
Parenthood Allegedly derived from teachings of the Italian author Camillo Agrippa
Descendant arts Modern Fencing
Olympic sport No

La Verdadera Destreza is an Iberian system of fencing. The word "destreza" literally means "skill." However, the full name is perhaps best translated as "the true art."

While Destreza is primarily a system of swordsmanship, it is intended to be a universal method of fighting applicable to all weapons. This includes sword and dagger; sword and cloak; sword and buckler; sword and rotella; the late-renaissance two-handed montante; the flail; and polearms such as the pike and halberd.

Its precepts are based on reason, geometry, and incorporate various other aspects of a well-rounded Renaissance humanist education, with a special focus on the writings of classical authors such as Aristotle, Euclid, and Plato. Authors on Destreza also paid great attention to what modern martial artists would call biomechanics.

The tradition is documented in scores of fencing manuals, but centers on the works of two primary authors, don Jerónimo Sánchez de Carranza and his follower, don Luis Pacheco de Narváez. The system of combat is tied to an intellectual, philosophical, and moral ideal.

History and Development

The origins of this system of swordsmanship date as far back as 1569, when Jerónimo Carranza began reducing it to writing. There is some evidence indicating that the sixteenth-century fencing theorist Camillo Agrippa's work was the inspiration for the Carranza's work. Pacheco makes the claim that Carranza based his text on the work of Camillo Agrippa in a letter to the Duke of Cea in Madrid on May 4, 1618. This claim is reinforced by a common use of geometry and circular movement in both systems.

Whatever its inspiration, Carranza's work represents a break from an older tradition of fencing, the so-called esgrima vulgar or esgrima común (vulgar or common fencing). That older tradition, with roots in medieval times, was represented by the works of authors such as Jaime Pons (1474), Pedro de la Torre (1474) and Francisco Román (1532). Writers on Destreza took great care to distinguish their "true art" from the "vulgar" or "common" fencing. The older school continued to exist alongside la verdadera destreza, but was increasingly influenced by its forms and concepts.

After Carranza laid the groundwork for the school with his seminal work (published 1582), Pacheco de Narváez continued with a series of other books which expanded upon Carranza's concepts. While Pacheco originally clung closely to Carranza's precepts, he gradually diverged from them in significant respects. This divergence eventually caused a split between followers of Carranza (Carrancistas) and those of Pacheco (Pachequistas), essentially resulting in the existence of three different schools of fence in Iberia.

These new fencing methods quickly spread to the New World. Originally, this was the esgrima común, but eventually included Destreza as well. Carranza himself was governor of Honduras for a time. Destreza authors and masters can be documented in Mexico, Peru, Ecuador, and the Philippines. Some degree of influence on the Philippine martial arts is highly likely, although this is an area that requires further research.

Over time, Iberian fencing came to be increasingly influenced by Italian and French fencing methods. Pressure became particularly intense in the 18th century, and Destreza began a decline in popularity in favour of the dominant French school. This resulted in technical changes which become increasingly apparent by the beginning of the 18th century. By the 19th century, fencing texts in the Iberian Peninsula begin to mix Destreza concepts with ideas and technique drawn from French and Italian methodology.

While Destreza underwent a kind of revival in the late 19th century, it appears to have largely disappeared by the beginning of the 20th century.

Technical Characteristics

Technical hallmarks of the system are the following:

Distinguished from Contemporary Rapier Schools

Perhaps the most important distinction between Destreza and other contemporary schools of fencing is its approach to footwork. Over centuries, fencing throughout Europe generally moved towards linear footwork, similar to modern fencing. In contrast, Destreza doctrine taught that moving directly toward the opponent was dangerous, and specialized in off-line footwork to either the right or left side to gain a more favorable angle of attack.

Another distinction is their approach to the relative value of cut versus thrust. The general lengthening of rapiers in Europe showed a clear preference for the thrust, relegating the cut to a distant second place. Destreza, on the other hand, refused to make such a distinction, maintaining that the cut could be as useful as the thrust depending on the situation, adapting their weapons accordingly. Although fencers from the Iberian Peninsula developed a reputation for using very long weapons, the weapons used in Destreza were generally shorter than the rapiers used elsewhere.

Gradually, bladework in Europe was influenced by the works of Camillo Agrippa and successors, focusing on the use of four primary hand and blade positions (prima, seconda, terza, quarta), with an emphasis on the latter two. Destreza, on the other hand, focused almost exclusively on a hand position similar to terza (thumb at 12 o'clock).

Throughout Europe, masters generally taught a much wider variety of guards than Destreza masters, who focused on the so-called "right angle", a position with the arm extended directly from the shoulder, forming a straight line from the point of the sword to the left shoulder.

Generally, Destreza uses a finer graduation on the degrees of strength on the blade. Where other traditions generally recognized two degrees of strength (forte and debole), eventually expanding this to three or four parts, Destreza authors wrote about 9, 10, or even 12 "degrees" or segments on the sword.

Destreza masters paid close attention to the methods of their contemporary counterparts, both within the Iberian Peninsula and outside. Pacheco specifically argues against the works of many Italian authors in his text Nueva Sciencia (The New Science). Likewise, Thibault's work includes a section aimed at countering the techniques of Salvatore Fabris. Francisco Lórenz de Rada's work also contains substantial coverage of how a diestro should oppose an Italian opponent when using sword and dagger.

Académie de l'Espée by Girard Thibault, fig. xiii, 1628

Authors on Destreza

Carranza and Pacheco were followed by a series of other authors. One of the most notable was Girard Thibault of Antwerp whose manual, Académie de l'Espée (1630), was strongly based on the Destreza system.

16th century

17th century

18th century

19th century

English translations

An English translation of Girard Thibault's text was done by John Michael Greer and published in 2006 by The Chivalry Bookshelf.

DVD

Anthony De Longis and PALPABLE HIT PRODUCTIONS has produced an instructional video La Verdadera Destreza: The True Art and Skill of Spanish Swordsmanship.

It features the most fundamental elements of the Spanish School of Swordsmanship. Based upon the texts of Spanish masters Don Jeronimo Sanchez de Carranza and Don Luis Pacheco de Narvaez, and other masters of the period, La Verdadera Destreza is a two-volume DVD instructional guide gleaned from over twenty years of research and study of the historical Spanish treatises by Maestro Ramón Martínez. Maestro Ramón Martínez teaches these skills in short, sequential lessons which include simple drills that illustrate the fundamentals of La Verdadera Destreza. It also features Maestro Jeannette Acosta-Martinez and Anthony De Longis.

References

  1. ↑ es:wikisource:Historia de la vida del Buscón: Libro Segundo: Capítulo I, Francisco de Quevedo
  2. ↑ Behind the scenes Destiny page 1 http://www.webcitation.org/5xGLPijWW

Destreza, manuel d'escrime, by Sébastien Romagnan. Available in French (2013). http://www.sport7.fr/fr/librairie/224-destreza.html

Destreza, historical fencing, by Sébastien Romagnan. Available in English (2015). The book is about the Verdadera Destreza. Available directly by mail to Sébastien Romagnan or on Amazon website. http://www.amazon.fr/Destreza-historical-fencing-S%C3%A9bastien-Romagnan/dp/2954886218/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1439978602&sr=8-1&keywords=destreza+historical+fencing

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/2/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.