Translation
I come against you from the Dente di Zenghiaro (Boars’ Tusk). I am sure to break your grip. And from here I can enter Porta di Ferro. And I will be ready to put you on the ground. And if you defend against me, I will try another way to go on the offensive, namely with breaks, binds and dislocations. In that way I am depicted in the drawings.
Interpretation
This is an extremely versatile posta equally suited to both offence and defence. In practice, I personally hold my elbows in a lot closer than depicted here, rarely letting them stray more than a hands span from the hips.
In a defensive context, your forward arm is able to sweep aside incoming attacks from the belt, up. You can push the elbow forward to jam attacks. You could brace your opponents arm against your body, or grab their hand to roll it either in or out. Your forward arm can also rapidly scoop down to brush aside any kicks, knees, and lower grabs or stabs.
Your rear arm comfortably sweeps aside or jams any incoming attacks from your sternum to your knees. It can also rapidly scoop up to grab an incoming hand, leaving your forward arm perfectly placed to enter into a bind, break or disclocation.
To go on the offensive from here, you can push into your opponent using your forward arm to slide over the their elbow into a ligadura, or use your foward arm to knock their arms out of the way and enter into a grab or throw, or use either hand to shove the opponents elbow across their body and so get behind them, just to name a few. It is easy to begin any of the five things from an attack sequence from this posta. Your options are largely only limited by your imagination.
Medieval fighting stances were also called after animals?! That’s so bad-ass.
I’m writing my bits on medieval wild boars (confronting Age of Empires 2 with history). This is so cool. I’m gonna quote it for sure in my next blog post update.Thank you for your formidable work!
The names have a beautifully poetic imagery to them. It is found throughout the whole book, although it shows up in its greatest density on the segno page. I think a medieval audience would grasp much quicker and deeper the symbolism behind these names and probably gain quite a degree of inspiration in the heat of combat. To take a practical fighting stance is one thing, but to feel that you are moving like the dangerous boar, takes it to a whole new level.