Introduction to La Verdadera Destreza

Based on Francisco Lorenz de Rada’s Nobleza de la Espada

Aleix Basullas Vendrell

Instructor at the Central Catalonia and Santpedor Antique Fencing Associations

www.esgrimaantiga.cat

May 11, 2015

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1 Introduction
This article, based on a class imparted during the Barcelona Halbschwert
2015 event, aims to offer a first look at Destreza Verdadera according to the
treatise “Nobleza de la Espada” by Francisco Lorenz de Rada.
As the class was aimed at sport fencers with some experience, the focus is
on providing a wide overview of the system and it’s peculiarities rather than
teaching novice students. As such it’s recommended for fencers with some
experience, be it in sport fencing or other rapier systems.
Destreza has a very detailed repertoire of technical terms, but for the
purpose of the class and this article most of them will be substituted for
plain language, so time is invested in the techniques themselves rather than
first having to learn the terminology.

1.1 Practice
This article includes several practical exercises or drills to practice the de-
scribed actions, which also serve as a more in depth explanation of the action.
As a general rule the one performing the technique discussed will be called
student or diestro (one who practices Destreza), while the one receiveing the
technique or doing any requisite actions will be the teacher or opponent.

1.2 License
This article is provided for free and is free to distribute, share or use for any
non commercial use.

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2 The sword
The first thing to consider is the sword used by Rada. While Destreza au-
thours claim it’s applicable to all weapons, Rada’s treatise is very much
focused on the cup hilt rapier.
Both the cup and straight quillons play a very important part in defending
the fencer, so ideally the weapon used should have a full cup and a one foot
cross (as recommended by Rada).
The weapon length was legislated in Spain at the time, and had been for
more than a century, to a maximum of five quarts of vara from the cross to tip,
giving us a maximum blade length of 105 cm or 41.34 inches approximately.
Rada also recommends a sword based on the user’s height such that the cross
is at navel height with the point resting on the ground, though this might go
past the aforementioned maximum length for taller people.
It’s certainly possible to do Destreza with other kinds of swords, but one
should keep in mind the effect it will have, such as requiring different dis-
tances to wound depending on length, changing how safe binds are depending
on the quillons, or how easily one is able to defend with just the cup.

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3 Grips
There are two recommended ways to grip the sword according to Rada, both
with the index and middle finger on the ricasso over the front quillon, with the
intermediate phalange of the middle finger pressing against it. In practice
there will be several intermediate stages between the two grips, but these
emerge more or less naturally as one gets used to switching between them.
The first grip holds the sword with more open fingers, such that the
middle finger and thumb meet over the cross and the index finger is extended.
The ring and little fingers should grip the handle together with some space
between them and the cross.
This grip allows to easily put the blade in line with the arm for thrusts
and to move the point downwards without turning the hand. It’s used mostly
at longer ranges to work with the point.
The second grip holds the sword with a more closed hand, similarly to
a fist grip. All fingers should be closed together and the thumb should be
extended pressing on the index and middle fingers or the ricasso.
This grip is stronger in the bind and holds the blade at an angle, so it’s
used to take control of the enemy sword or when throwing cuts.

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4 The Right Angle
The only stance used by all Destreza authors is the right angle, and it’s also
the first means of defense.
The stance takes its name from the posture of the feet, forming a right
angle between them, heels in line, feet separated one foot, and that of the
arm and sword, forming a right angle with the body, held straight, with the
sword’s point towards the opponent and quillons vertical as can be seen in
the figure.
While that’s the basic description of the stance and it works if both com-
batants are Diestros and on that stance, a better description is a functional
one: The stance should ensure the point is aimed at the closest target, the cup
is covering the closest target, and the feet are free to walk in any direction.
Thus the stance can’t be very wide, or the movement will become too
linear, and the body and arm may need to be adjusted against people in
lower stances or of different heights.
It’s also important to consider the distance at which this stance should
be taken, as Destreza treatises tell us pretty much nothing about what to
do at long ranges. All actions in Destreza are taught beginning in the right
angle stance at such a distance that, with arms and swords extended, the
enemy point is at or slightly past the Diestro’s quillons.

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5 The Five Tretas
Destreza has five tretas or wounding actions. While it’s certainly possible to
move the sword in other ways, they aren’t used and are considered inferior
by the masters.
The five tretas are as follows:

• Thrust

• Tajo

• Reves

• Medio tajo

• Medio reves

Thrusts can be delivered in many ways, which will be explained in the

specific techniques. As a general rule, if it’s possible they will be delivered
while maintaining control of the enemy blade.
The other four tretas are cuts. Cuts are done mostly from the wrist, with
some help from the forearm as strictly necessary. For all of them except
purely vertical cuts extra power should be generated by rotating the body
appropriately with help from the footwork.
Since cuts must be done without blade contact, they will only be done
with the enemy sword away from the center line as they would offer the
enemy a chance to attack otherwise.
Tajos are delivered from the right vertically or diagonally with a full
circular motion centered on the wrist. The point begins moving down and
to the left and describes a full circle passing behind the body and over the
head to be delivered on the left side of the opponent’s head.
After cutting the point should continue until the arm is again in the right
angle position or close to it. It’s generally advisable to hold the hilt quite high
to more easily avoid hitting the head when passing over it without having
to move the sword in a less efficient trajectory, which could also cause poor
edge alignment on top of being slower and delivering a less powerful impact.
Reveses are done in the same way, but with sides reversed, starting the
movement downwards and to the right and being delivered in the opponent’s
right side of the head.

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 Medio tajo and reves (literally half tajo and reves) are delivered on the
same side of the head as their full counterparts but are horizontal or close to
it and have roughly half the trajectory, hence their name. They’re executed
by moving the sword away from the center line and then back in at head or
neck height, so a medio tajo begins by moving the point to the right, a medio
reves begins by moving the point to the left, then they are delivered in the
opposite direction.

5.1 Practice of the four cuts

To practice these four cuts we will use an exercise from the treatise, though
adapted to take advantage of modern gear.
In pairs, one will act as teacher, who will provide the opportunity for the
cuts, and the other as a student, who will deliver them.
Both starting in the right angle stance, points near the opponent’s quil-
lons, the teacher will bind on the inside or outside as he sees fit and push the
student’s blade away from the center line, also bringing his point off line.
The student will then deliver one of the four cuts to the teacher’s mask
with a diagonal step with the right foot, turning the body to power the cut
as he brings the rear foot close to the front one to end again in the stance.
If the bind is on the inside the student should deliver a reves or medio
tajo, if on the outside a tajo or medio reves.
After the cut has been delivered the teacher should step back, take the
stance again, and the exercise repeats, varying the cuts as they see fit. For
more novice students the exercise might be restricted to a single cut, while
more experienced students could use all four with the teacher creating situ-
ations where they should choose one over the other and correcting mistakes.
After some number of repetitions (or when a wall or other limit is reached)
the roles should be switched and the exercise continues, now moving in the
opposite direction.
While doing the exercise one should pay attention to a few things:

• Edge alignment should be maintained.

• The cuts should be delivered with the last third of the sword.

• The sword should describe a disc or part of it in the air, not a cone or
some other non-flat shape. For half cuts that is only for the returning
path.

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• The sword should stop at or near the right angle position to provide
defense if the cut didn’t end the fight. For half cuts this is not strictly
possible, but one should quickly recover to right angle and step well
away from the enemy blade.

• The sword should provide cover against a possible half cut from the
master for the first half of the movement and, in the case of the full
cuts, should fall such that it provides cover. As before, since half cuts
cannot do this, the defense will come from stepping away while cutting
and going back to right angle as soon as possible.

• When doing the more advanced variation, half cuts should be done only
when the master’s hilt is somewhat low, so it’s not easy to bring it up
to defend the head with the cup or quillons.

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6 The First Atajo
To demonstrate the concept of atajo we will use the first of Rada’s eight
atajos, which is made binding on the inside and over the enemy blade and
stepping to his inside.
Putting atajo on the enemy blade aims at creating an opportunity to
attack safely by ensuring the enemy requires more and bigger movements to
wound than the diestro. This is done by taking advantage of several things:

• The stronger position above the enemy blade

• Binding slightly closer to the diestro’s strong and the patient’s weak

• A turn of the body so that the stronger squared position is opposed to

the longer range profiled position or viceversa

• A step away from the original center line

• The cup and quillons covering the body and making it harder to release
the blade underneath

• Presenting the threat of the point, so any attack from the patient will
offer a chance to attack to the diestro unless he takes other actions
beforehand

Atajo can be used on offense or defense. We will begin with the offensive
variety.

6.1 Practice of the First Atajo offensively

As atajo requires a bind, this exercise must be done in pairs.
Both student and teacher beginning in the posture of the right angle or
close to it, the student will slightly lower the hilt and raise the point so that
he is stronger in the bind, but with care to not go so far that the point can
easily be released. Then the point, not the whole sword, should be moved to
the side, binding the teacher’s sword and putting both points off line with
the student’s sword over the teacher’s as in the first figure of this section.
Care should be taken in the bind that the contact is made with the front
edge and not the flat or back edge.

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 Once this is achieved the student can safely take a step with the left foot
and well to his left, bringing him slightly closer to the teacher. This step
should roughly bring his left foot parallel to his right, which will then follow
the left and turn, ending again in a right angle foot stance but squared to
the opponent. While this step is being taken the blade should apply some
downwards pressure, with care to not go lower than navel height with the hilt
and to keep the point at the height of the top quillon or somewhat higher.
The result of this step can be seen in the second figure.
After this has been done, the student can continue with a step with the
right foot perpendicular to the first step and ending with the foot aiming at
the teacher. While doing this step the blade will continue to apply downwards
pressure, with the hilt ending at belt height and close to the body. The left
foot will follow the right, but this time end with the point in line with the
right instead of the heel, keeping the body farther from the enemy point.
The third figure shows the position of the feet, though the blade is prepared
for a follow up with conclusion instead of the thrust we will be doing here.
After (or while doing) this second step the enemy can be wounded by
extending the arm towards any open target, prefferably the chest, keeping in
mind to maintain blade control while thrusting.
The most common mistakes and things to watch out while practicing are:

• The student should be closer to his strong than the teacher.

• The point of contact between the blades should be roughly the same
for the whole exercise.

• The pressure should be mostly downwards and not to the side after the
first movement.

• The pressure should be done by lowering the whole sword without

changing angle, not by dropping the point.

• The hilt should remain between the bodies so that it provides cover on
the side not protected by the blade.

• After the first step finishes the student’s point should be in line for the
rest of the exercise.

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6.2 Practice of the First Atajo defensively
To use atajo defensively one can take advantage of the opponent’s approach
to skip the first step.
For this exercise, the teacher will begin by throwing a thrust to the stu-
dent’s inside. This thrust can be done by stepping slightly to the student’s
inside or to the outside with some opposition, though this variant will be
harder for the student to put atajo on.
The student will receive this thrust by placing atajo on it as in the begin-
ning of the offensive atajo, then immediately take a diagonal step with the
right foot to his inside as he lowers the enemy blade as before. He should
bring his left foot to his right, ending up in the same position as in the second
step in the offensive atajo, and as before he will be able to thrust safely while
maintaining blade contact.
This variation presents similar challenges to the first one, with the par-
ticular addition of taking care to not step before having the enemy blade
properly off line to avoid walking into the point.

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7 Diversion
Diversion is a defensive movement similar to the beginning of atajo but
performed from underneath the enemy blade and always as a response to
blade pressure.
It can be performed while keeping the back edge in contact at longer
ranges, though the most common variation, which will be explained here,
is done by turning the hand so the front edge is in contact with the enemy
blade.
Similarly, after diversion one can continue by taking control of the enemy
blade with any appropriate atajo, or, for this demonstration, simply use it
to maintain cover and prepare a cut.

7.1 Practice of Diversion

Diversion can be practiced similarly to either variety of atajo, though this
time the one performing the technique will be the one receiveing the atajo.
For this exercise the diversion should be done during the second step of
atajo, as the first step would be appropriate for the longer range variety.
When the second step of atajo begins, the one receiveing it should raise
their hilt to face level while turning the hand and moving his point further
off line, such that he ends with a stronger blade position with his front edge
in contact with the enemy blade and the enemy point is aiming over and
possibly to the side of his head. This can be done while turning the body
without stepping to use a stronger squared position and facilitate gaining the
stronger blade position.
Notice that the more extended the arm, the less the hilt needs to raise
and vicecersa, but at the same time the more in danger of being grabbed the
hilt is, so the arm should be extended as far as can be done safely.
After this has been done he should step to his left, moving away from
the enemy point, and throw a reves or medio tajo as was practiced before,
keeping in mind to go back to the right angle position and/or to continue
moving away after delivering the cut.

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8 Conclusion
Conclusion is a technique where the enemy hilt is grabbed with the off hand
to allow the diestro to disarm, force to surrender, wound, or kill his opponent
as he sees fit. It’s considered the best result for a fight in Destreza.
In the most ideal form, the hilt should be grabbed from the palm side,
putting the fingers inside the cup, pressing the thumb against the exterior
and twisting so the opponent ends up with the palm facing up and the blade
pointing at the ground close to vertical. Care should be taken in friendly
practice or sparring as this could harm the fingers however.
If that’s not possible other grabs can be done, grabbing the quillons,
knuckle guard, strong of the blade, wrist, or even performing an arm lock.
In any case attempting to twist the enemy weapon into a weak position is
advisable.
Conclusion can be done from nearly any position provided that the enemy
hilt is close enough and the diestro can keep his hilt far enough to avoid end-
ing in a messy grapple. For practice we will focus on two specific situations,
against a thrust on the outside and from the first atajo.

8.1 Practice of Conclusion against a thrust on the out-

side
This exercise will generally be done in pairs, but it can also be done by three
people to add speed to it. The student will stand in front of his opponent
(in this case it’s not really important to be in the right angle as long as he
can defend himself) who will proceed to bring his blade to the outside and
throw a thrust, which the student will parry, ideally placing atajo on it.
As he does this, the student will turn his feet and body to give strength
to his parry and bring the left hand forward. Depending on the depth of the
thrust and length of the enemy blade he will proceed to grab the hilt, or do
it with the next step, which will be to the enemy’s outside to get away from
his off hand while aiming at his face or chest with the point.
Note that this means crossing the feet in the case of right handed against
left handed and enemy actions with the off hand can be an issue. Thus, if
the opposite handed opponent has an off hand dagger this action becomes
extremely dangerous and should be avoided.
In the case of three people, the student will then have to quickly get back
in guard against the other opponent who will proceed as before while the first

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one gets ready again. The exercise can continue by alternating opponents.

8.2 Practice of Conclusion after the First Atajo

Conclusion can be practiced after performing the First Atajo as explained
before, but instead of delivering a thrust taking full control of the enemy
blade, putting the body between both blades so that a thrust isn’t possible,
and preparing the left hand to grab the hilt, as in the first figure of this
section or last of atajo.
From that position the student shall proceed to grab the enemy hilt by
passing the hand under his blade or over his blade, but in that case ensuring
the enemy blade ends up with the point close to the ground and well away
from his next step while also turning his blade to push it out of the way.
In either case the next step will begin with the left foot, moving as far as
possible to the opponent’s back, then continue bringing the right foot behind
the left to end in a reversed right angle. While doing this the point should
be moved to threaten the face or chest as before. The result of this step with
the first grab can be seen in the second figure.
As conclusion begins with atajo, the same details should be watched in
particular detail in practice, except in that the point will at certain points
be off line, and adding to not leave the bind until the enemy hilt is taken
good hold of.

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9 Estrechar
Estrechar is a technique where the sword circles or spirals in contact with the
enemy blade, dragging it to an advantageous position. It’s generally done
when the enemy holds the sword high with the point down and/or to the left
or after placing atajo on the inside but feeling no resistance from the enemy
blade, including when the opponent attempts to release the blade by passing
underneath.
For this action it’s important to keep the hilt high and the quillons vertical
without turning the hand much so the head is protected from a medio tajo
to the head, as it places the enemy blade in position to do it.

9.1 Practice of Estrechar

As usual this technique will be practiced in pairs and beginning in the right
angle stance.
The student will begin as with the first atajo used offensively, binding on
the enemy blade with greater strength and bringing both points off line, but
following it by turning the wrist so his sword circles the enemy’s, bringing
the swords off line to the opposite side while raising the hilt to protect the
head.
Once the swords are off line again he will step with his right foot and
to his right with care to turn the foot to end in a profiled position, then
bring the left foot back behind the right and deliver a thrust to the chest.
It’s important that the step be as far to the side as possible, otherwise the
approach will be too straight and it’s likely the thrust will be easily parried
and the point possibly get trapped by the enemy quillons.
If differences in size or swords make it so delivering the thrust in one step
is not possible without taking a too straight step this action can still be used
as a dispositive action to deliver the thrust with another step, this time only
requiring one foot to move.
Again most precepts for atajo must be observed here, although the cir-
cular motion adds new ones:
• Care must be taken when doing the circular motion so that neither
point gets stuck on the opponent’s quillons.
• The hilt should be raised to cover the whole head, so the upper quillon
should end at the height of the top of the head.

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• As this action moves the blades to the outside, more care should be
taken to not open the arm more than necessary.

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10 Flaqueza Debajo de la Fuerza
This technique, which translates to weakness under the strength, involves
a circular blade expulsion, ending with the point under the opponent’s hilt
which then continues with a thrust.
Flaqueza debajo de la fuerza also begins from atajo, but in this case it’s
the fourth, which is done binding on the outside and stepping to the outside.
Contrary to most other Destreza actions, this technique involves an expul-
sion, an action where the opposing blade is pushed violently outside without
remaining bound, so the expulsion itself shall be done with a sudden and
strong but controlled movement so that it’s only the opponent’s sword that’s
sent off line.

10.1 Practice of Flaqueza Debajo de la Fuerza

This technique shall again be practiced in pairs, starting in the right angle
stance.
Contrary to the first atajo, the fourth atajo and first part of this technique
begins by dropping the point and raising the hilt slightly, binding under the
enemy blade and then doing a clockwise circle with the point ending in an
outside bind with the blades off line as if performing estrechar in the opposite
direction.
As with any atajo, the bind should be on a stronger part of the blade
against a weaker part of the opponent’s blade without going to any extremes
and care should be taken to remain in the same point of contact.
After the bind is properly placed, the student will take a step to his right
with his right foot followed by his left, identical to the one used for estrechar.
Care must again be taken to remain profiled by turning the feet and body
as necessary, which will help avoid bringing the swords too far off line.
While taking this step the bind must continue with some pressure as with
all atajos, ensuring control and feeling of the enemy blade. At the same time
the point should gradually come in line, while the enemy sword will remain
off line.
At this point the fourth atajo could be finished with a thrust from the
student, but for this technique the teacher will release his blade stepping to
the right for a thrust instead.
The student will react by doing a quick clockwise turn with his point
as soon as he feels no resistance on his blade, hitting the enemy blade and

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bringing his to cover his left side, ending with his point under the enemy hilt.
At the same time he will begin another step to his right, similar to pre-
vious, and as soon as the previous blade action has ended he will extend the
arm to thrust at the opponent’s chest hitting as he brings the left foot behind
his right and keeping the hilt somewhat to the left covering the most direct
line of attack.
While most previous techniques were delivered from the bind and were
thust relatively safe to remain in, this one isn’t and thus stepping out of
distance with a diagonal backwards step to the right while bringing back the
blade to put atajo on any incoming attack is recommended.
For this exercise one should againt keep in mind the same issues as with
the first atajo, with the following additions:

• Passing the blade underneath should be done with care to not offer any
exploitable openings, maintaining good cover from the hilt and doing
as small a circle as possible.

• This technique requires paying good attention to the feeling of the

blade, as it’s not recommended against opponents binding strongly.

• The thrust is delivered without a bind, so care must be taken to create

good cover with the hilt while maintaining as much range as possible.

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11 Conclusions
These few techniques, while not the complete system, should provide a gen-
eral idea of how Destreza approaches a fight and how it compares to other
systems.
The main stance and the five ways to wound have been explained, as
well as several ways to take control of the enemy weapon, most often in a
temporary fashion with atajo, diversion and the related techniques, but also
permanently with conclusion.
Estrechar has served as a nice example of circles or spirals on the enemy
blade as another way to retain control besides the more common atajo.
Finally flaqueza debajo de la fuerza has served to illustrate expulsions
using the previous circles and a possible response to a blade release.

11.1 Further practice

The complete system is too extense and in depth for this document, but
by remembring the main principles behind the actions and combining them
more exercises can be designed, including all atajos, being on the inside and
outside, with steps to the inside and outside, then the same four with a circle
to pass from over the blade to under the blade. The eight atajos and their
numbers are as follows:

1. Binding on the inside, stepping to the opponent’s outside.

2. Binding on the outside, stepping to the opponent’s outside.

3. Binding on the inside, stepping to the opponent’s inside.

4. Binding on the outisde, stepping to the opponent’s inside.

5. From the first turn to bind underneath and on the outside.

6. From the second turn to bind underneath and on the inside.

7. From the third turn to bind underneath and on the outside.

8. From the fourth turn to bind underneath and on the inside.

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 It should be noted that in the atajos moving away from the enemy blade
keeping the point in line might not be possible and they’ll require the oppo-
nent to put some strength in the bind to work.
Cconclusion can also be extended performing it from other atajos, but
will only work well when stepping to the opponent’s outside.
Similarly estrechar and flaqueza debajo de la fuerza can be done with
the opposite spiral and stepping to the opposite side, although with more
difficulty, and flaqueza sobre la fuerza (weakness over the strong) can be
added, beginning with estrechar as usual but finishing with an expulsion and
thrust in place of the normal thrust.

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