Foundations of Rapier: the Mechanics of Ridolfo Capoferro

Advanced techniques are basic techniques done really, really well.

Ridolfo Capoferro’s Gran Simulacro (1610) is one of the greatest rapier treatises ever written. It provides a wealth of detail about how to move, how to control the sword, and above all how to strike without being struck.

This course builds those mechanics from the ground up.

Beginning with guard position, footwork, and grip, we work through the fundamental actions that make Capoferro’s system work, and applying the distinctive body mechanics that make his fencing so effective.

Capoferro’s mechanics are physically challenging for most people, so the goal is not to force yourself immediately into a perfect imitation of the pictures. Instead, we work our way towards perfection, understanding what each mechanical choice is for and adapting the exercises to your current abilities.

Everything can be practised solo. That makes this an ideal introduction to rapier for complete beginners, while also giving experienced fencers the opportunity to go back to first principles and refine the foundations of their practice.

What’s included

The package includes two complete Foundations of Rapier training sessions, originally taught live, together with the Q&A discussions that followed them.

We cover:

• Who Ridolfo Capoferro was, and why his work still matters
• Drawing the sword
• How to establish a stable, effective guard position
• Holding the rapier correctly
• The mechanics of the lunge
• Stepping and passing
• The guards of prima, seconda, terza, and quarta
• Thrusting in every hand position
  
• The mechanical differences between attacks on the inside and outside lines
  

The Q&A sessions go further into the practical details: how Capoferro’s mechanics translate into actual fencing, how to train them without exhausting yourself, how to adapt them for different bodies and experience levels, and how to make these movement patterns automatic.

Bonus training session

The package also includes a 15-minute follow-along training session showing how I actually practise the fundamental Capoferro mechanics myself.

This came directly out of a question in the second session: how should I practise Capoferro’s mechanics regularly?

Rather than just telling you, I recorded a section of my own training. You can follow along with it as a short practice session, or use it as a template for building your own regular Capoferro practice.

What you’ll need

A training rapier is ideal, but any practice sword will do. If you don’t have a sword, a stick about 120cm (4 feet) long is perfectly adequate.

If possible, have a longer stick of about 180cm (6 feet) available for some of the body-mechanics exercises, though this is optional.

No fencing partner is required.

Your purchase includes

Lifetime access to:

• Both complete Foundations of Rapier training sessions
• Both Q&A sessions
• The bonus 15-minute follow-along training session
• The illustrated 33-page workbook, including extracts and plates from Capoferro’s Gran Simulacro
• Downloadable video recordings so you can train at your own pace

This is not a live webinar: the complete package is available immediately, so you can work through the material whenever you like and return to it whenever your fencing needs a tune-up.

Whether you’re completely new to rapier or have been fencing for years, the aim is the same: get the fundamentals right, understand why they work, and practise them until they become simply the way you move.

Advanced techniques are basic techniques done really, really well.