Hello Everyone! There has been a lot of talk about time and tempo recently. About right of way, priority, etc. The following is a working document, copy pasted in its latest format, which aims at a general resolution of timing terminology - chiefly between Fiore, Dallagocchie, Cappo Ferro, and Silver. Beyond what each historical master meant (and what that was IS important...), I am more interested in what Time and Tempo are ACTUALLY. Full stop. Id like a way to understand it universally; systematically, and to see that accurately reflected in each manuscript. Maybe you feel the same. This is not the only doc. out there about Time and Tempo - so let it lie with the rest of them out there. You may find it useful, and your mileage may vary. On Tempo The purpose of this document is to lay the groundwork for the solution to a persistent problem that we experience at Aemma everyday. This problem is inherited; it is not of our making, but it is up to us to attempt a solution; however inadequate. The problem is the following: the use, understanding, and articulation of the word and concept of “Time” among the various masters and their respective documents. These usages are neither uniform nor consistent; and yet an accurate understanding of precisely what they mean and how they are used is critical. Beyond what each individual master truly meant by their usage of time; since we study more than one system and document, Aemma needs a common and useful way – for us - to understand and reconcile the various usages. The following is an attempt to reconcile each usage of Tempo between the Anonymous, Dal’Agocchie, Cappo Ferro, Fiore Dei Liberi, and George Silver. Tempo Definition: First, we hold that a ‘Tempo’ is a moment in time. The exact duration of every individual tempo is relative; though every tempo is identical in its parts. Most simply, each tempo has a beginning, a middle, and an end. The beginning and end are defined by the intention of the one who is moving, and therefore the duration of each tempo is also defined that way. For example: A change of guard has a beginning, middle, and end. It begins when the guard change begins, it ends when the desired destination has been reached, and its middle is the midpoint (in duration) of the intended action. The same may be said of any action: step, attack, defence, parry, grapple, whatsoever. When two individuals fight, we may describe that fight by noting the important actions and events that occur while both individuals tempo’s interact. We most often reference a moment in one individuals tempo or the other. Most often, we are interested in articulating the moment of the defence/parry, and the moment of the hit. We may therefore use the following terms to describe either the moment of the defence or the moment of the hit; though some will tend to have exclusive usages. Mezzo Tempo: The middle time, the midpoint. An action takes place in the mezzo tempo when it occurs in approx. the midpoint of the action. Most common Aemma usage: Defence in the mezzo tempo: A defence in mezzo tempo is just that; a defence/parry that has occurred in the midpoint of the opponant’s action. Example –Fiore dei Liberi - the moment of the parry in first play of Longsword. Hit in the Mezzo tempo: A hit in the mezzo tempo is just that; when you have hit the opponent in the middle of his action. Example – Dall’agocchie – The patient lies in boar’s tooth, the agent lies iron gate. The Agent throws a fendente reversie to the patient’s right shoulder; the patient puts their right foot behind their left and cuts the agent’s arms or hands off with a reversie or an imbrocata. Single Tempo: “in un tempo” A term used to describe the engagement of two tempos where both tempo’s end at the same time. Most common Aemma usage: A Hit in Single Time: When two tempos meet, and they both conclude at the same time – one tempo has produced a hit, and the other has not. A double hit could also happen in single time (most do, by nature), but we do not often describe them this way. Example – Fiore – the moment of the hit in the first play of Longsword. Contra Tempo: Counter Tempo Used to describe the nature of one individual’s tempo, as a direct response to another’s tempo. The action of this tempo runs directly against – contrary – to the action of the opponent. This notion of contrary is in the strong sense; that is, not merely in response to, but often directly toward and against the opponent – usually resulting or intending to directly interfere and alter the opponent’s intention. Examples: Fiore – 1st play of longsword – both singe tempo and contra tempo Fiore – exchange of point – both single tempo and contra tempo Dall’agocchie – any direct response using a thrust in opposition – contra tempo, most (if not all) in single tempo. The above are examples of HITS generated in the contra-tempo. Dui Tempi: Double time, the second time Used to describe an action that takes place in the second moment in an engagement of tempos. This second moment occurs when the duration of the first moment ends. It is not necessary that both moments have an equal duration; if one opponent is quicker than the other, he/she will complete two actions quicker than the other can complete two- and therefore their second time might begin sooner than the others. Common Aemma Usage: A hit in the Dui Tempi: A hit occurs when two tempo’s meet; one full individual’s tempo sets up the opening, and a second full tempo takes the opening and hits. Example: Fiore – the Second play of Longsword. Dall’agocchie – any hit generate immediately after a successful provocation; ie, both agent and patient are in Coda lunga stretta, agent gives a false edge sottani to the patients sword, then passes to the right and strikes the patient. In Tempo: Used to describe any action that occurs during an engagement of two tempi. If one opponant acts, in distance of approx. hand-body-foot, while another is acting, both are acting In Tempo. Example: Agent and Patient stand at the distance of hand-body-foot. Both change guard. Each guard change occurred In Tempo. Fuori di Tempo: Out of Tempo, Outside of Time. Used to describe an tempo what occurs without any relationship to another tempo. There are two basic situations where this can occur. 1. Both agent and patient are not in distance – they are farther than hand-body-foot away from each other. This means that, within reason, their actions and resulting tempi occur outside of any relationship. The two are so far apart, neither agent nor patient is at risk of being hit or wasting the tempo (that they won’t get right back) they need to defend themselves. 2. Both agent and patient are In Distance of at least the hand-body-foot. By nature of this proximity each action they take has a tempo to tempo relationship. However, since tempo only occurs when an action occurs, if one or the other opponent is still – while the other moves – the one who moves is moving ‘Outside’ of time. Both Cappo Ferro and Dall’agocchie warn, very strongly, not to attack Fuori di Tempo. They do so because there is usually a confident and sure single-time response available to the patient against the agent. This response, if done properly, will either hit the agent immediately or force them to abandon their initial intention and therefore begin to respond to the patient. At worst, the agent is hit, at best, the agent loses the initiative immediately; it is therefore cautioned against. Throwing a committed attack, without any sort of provocation, against a still opponent who knows their art and is lying in an appropriate guard, may be known as acting Fuori di Tempo. Di Tempo: “Of Time”, “Your Time”, “Of Your time” This is used as an additional tempo descriptor (like Contra-Tempo). Used by Dall’agocchie and Cappo Ferro to describe an action (most often an attack) that has occurred in a moment created by the opponent. Capoferro - cavazione di tempo – The agent steps in when he/she ought not, and in that moment that the agent made the patient may cavazione and strike the agent in single time opposition. This cavazione occurred di tempo, and hit in un tempo. Dall’agocchie – He states 5 occasions when one ought to launch an attack. These occaisions appear to be all cases of di Tempo, as long as the Agent and Patient are in distance: 1) When he moves injudiciously from guard to guard 2) When he moves his front or rear foot 3) After his blow goes past your body 4) After youve parried 5) When he raises his hand to attack you Early, Middle, Late: In concept, one may divide up the duration of a tempo into parts. In practice, if actions can occur in the middle of tempos, they could also occur at any point between their beginning and their end. We may therefore use terms that do this; The Spanish and the Germans have such terms including, but not limited to: the before, the beginning, the early, the middle, the late, the end, and the after. The Place: George Silver’s concept of The Place is explicit: “…The place being won or gained you have time safely either to strike, thrust, ward, close, grip, slip or go back, in which time your enemy is disappointed to hurt you, or to defend himself, by reason that he has lost his place, the reason that he has lost his true place is by the length of time through the numbering of his feet, to which he is out of necessity driven to that will [of the] agent…” (Brief Instructions Chapter 1) It bears mentioning then that, if there is no time to do any of those things, the Place has not been gained. Therefore the instance of the mezzo tempo hit, and also the instance of the a well and roundly won second action in a dui tempi hit – are more like the Place than any other. Most certainly, the place is not, and cannot be, a single time hit, nor a contra tempo hit – for there is no time or opportunity in those cases except for to hit. George Silver’s Times: It also bears mentioning that, while it is generally true that George Silver’s times are accurate and each one must logically be longer than the next; it is not strictly true at all. A well trained and athletic fighter, who moves with proportion and a command of Celeritas may move hand-body-foot- as fast as another’s mere hand. This therefore, emphasizes the need to train and instill Celeritas; for the power to move hand-body-foot in the time it takes another to move simple their hand is enormous, and is a condition that should not be tolerated.
Posted on: Fri, 17 Oct 2014 04:49:59 +0000
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