Controlling with Power

Controlling with Power is the second installment in the First Masters of Battle plays, and teaches the rebattendo (to "beat-back") and redoppiando (to "double-back"), movements that use power to control the enemy's otherwise potent bladework. There are three standard variants of this play illustrated in the original texts:

Rebattendo vs. la Punta: The Zugadore begins in the Posta Breve, and the Scolaro in Tutta Porta di Ferro. The student attempts a punta (thrust), but the master takes an oblique passo a l'traversa step. The master then comes across with his sword, drives the student's sword to the ground, delivers a disconcerting colpo sottano to the side of the student's helmet, and then proceeds to finish him with a winding fendente.

Rebattendo vs. Culpo Fendente: This play is identical to the first rebattendo drill, except that the student begins in the Posta di Donna Distra position.

Redoppiando vs. Culpo Fendente: The Zugadore once again is in Posta di Donna, but now his opponent, the Scolaro, is in Dente di Zenghiaro, the left-side equivalent to Porta di Ferro, and the Scolaro uses the redoppiando to beat his student's sword back from the other side, and simply comes up for a lighting-fast volta stabile della spada to the throat.