Unarmed Combat

THE SCIENCE OF DEFENCE

"Fencing begins with the body"

Hieronimo Sanchez de Carranza

Exploring Saviolo's claim that 'this science' is 'the ground and foundation of the arte Militarie' it is vital that, in order for it to be considered a complete martial system, there lies at its core an unarmed form. To be truly defined as a 'martial art' a system of combat need be adaptable to a variety of forms and circumstances otherwise it must simply be considered a 'martial discipline'.

To begin an exploration into the art of Fence it is of great assistance to learn the basis of the system empty-handed. There are a number of reasons for doing this.

Firstly: it is easier for the Scholar to learn the proportions and co-ordination of the hand, foot and body without having to worry about learning to control a weapon at the same time. As the body mechanics are near identical for armed and unarmed combat then once the basic movements have been mastered empty-handed the student can progress more confidently, and with more safety, to the practice of weapons.

Secondly: we live in a society where most people, thankfully, don't carry swords. Therefore an ability to defend oneself without the use of a weapon becomes rather valid.

MANO DELLA SPADA

Looking at the surviving European treatises on the arts of combat from the sixteenth century and earlier, where, and if, they broach the subject of unarmed combat they are usually an exploration of wrestling or grappling techniques. But what about the art of striking? It is, after all, one of the most natural weapons at our disposal - to lash out with the hand or foot - and styles of 'boxing' (fighting with the fists) are recorded as far back as Ancient Egypt and were known and practised even earlier.

Surely the fighting-men of Renaissance Europe, living in an age where the sword was the principal weapon - and a sword being but a tool to strike with (one that both amplifies the strength of the body and the reach of the arm) - knew how to attack and defend themselves effectively with their bare hands.

We know that they, of course, did. George Silver tells the story of Saviolo being given a 'boxe on the eare' by the English 'Maister of the noble science of Defence' Bartholomew Bramble. Saviolo himself recounts:

"A Certaine quarrel rose betwixt two souldiers which I knew very well, one a Norman of Roan called James Luketo, a man very wel experienced in armes, who falling into some words with the other (being at Geneua) gave him a boxe on the ear…".

So, the question is: did they have a system of combat built around striking and defending with the empty hands? It would seem strange if they did not.

The pugilistic techniques of James Figg, the first champion of England, and his contemporaries did surely not simply spring into existence in the 1700s without some previous background or history. Through an examination of the principles of combat, and in particular body mechanic, to be found in the works of some of the early masters it becomes possible to adapt and apply the principles of martial swordsmanship to a sophisticated and robust ‘empty-handed’ form.