Actually we Italians historically didn't had opposable thumbs, only Germans did. After ww2 we became mixed and created what we now call HEMA

One thing that people don't realize, or maybe they don't put it into words, is how your own physiology should influence how you hold your sword. I've had a few coaches tell me that "you should hold the sword this way" or "that way" only because that's how they've been taught, and that is how it is comfortable for them. Since I come from a stick-fighting background, the "most optimal" way to grip your weapon is through the hammer grip. However, once you start handling live blades, you'd find that not all blades are agreeable to the hammer grip. Sure, the short, choppy ones are optimal for hammer grip, but other blade shapes react differently to the hand. One person may find the hammer grip suitable for the way their hand curls, but the same can't be said for everyone. You may have longer or shorter fingers. Your fingers may be wider or thinner. Your palms may have "more meat" than others. Your hands may be bigger or smaller. Many others. Finding the right grip for you can only come with experience, however. Sadly, some people may find instructors who tell them that only one way is correct before they can find what works for them. The correct concepts should be guidelines instead of unchanging rules. Learn how it is optimal to hold a sword, then adjust the said group to what works for you. Little adjustments can impact how comfortable it is to hold a sword.

Underestimated topic.

All amazing with your videos as always, but let's talk for a second about how aesthetically pleasant your backgrounds are always. Truly a beautiful show of North Italian landscape.

I started doing this a month back or so after watching a lot of your sparing footage, and I love it! Give so many options and keeps me well covered in posta longa. I don't see any reason for italian fencers not to do it since Fiore learned from both Italian and German masters, he was probably well aware of this technique.

Great video as always! I always thought it was a bit silly to say you couldn't use thumb grip in Fiore. Especially when you have something like Bicorno which significantly changes the grip on the tool.

I just made a video on this because people had been asking me and I hadn’t seen any on this particular detail haha! Great vid. The old masters don’t tend to talk specifically about what your hands should be doing.

Good video, thanks. Also you have the best backgrounds of all the people who make HEMA videos.

great video!

A good topic and information Federico. Specially for newer people.

Well said Frederico, well said.

It's been a bit since I've watched your videos. You look like you've been putting on some muscle, Federico. Looking good, brother. Thanks for the videos.

My bad jokes aside. Thank you for this video. It puts into words something that I as an inexperienced fencer have slowly come to realize naturally. I haven’t been able to put these concepts into solid words, nor defend my point of view properly when questioned on it.

What about the grips shown by Fiore himself? In first eight masters at the beginning of "Sword in two hands" section ... or rather masters 3-8 (the first two seem to be about footwork and posta variations). I mean, he did not differentiate between thumb grip and handshake, but he had shown several far different ways to hold a sword.

I'm thinking of changing from learning German to Italian Sword techniques due to how well your videos are. Thank you for the wealth of information you present in everything you do.

Honestly I mostly use the hammer grip ( sort of... during the cut when I turn the longsword it transitions a bit into the handshake grip but not all the way ) using my right hand just below the crossguard and I keep the other hand on the Scent stopper pommel of my longsword... that gives me more explosiveness in my cuts and thrusts. I realise not everybody holds it like that and preffers the handshake grip but it is my opinion that for explosive fast cuts it is not the best grip... using the hammer grip below the crossguard makes you hold tye Longsword more secure and the other hand on the pommel using it as leverage let's you stop the cut abruptly...

There is only one Grip... the one that works with our heavy, unmobile Gloves ;)

Ciao, sto iniziando a interessarmi di questa disciplina e volevo chiederti, quanto costa l'equipaggiamento e tutto? Mi interessa la spada da lato tanto che volevo prendermene una sintetica da Black Fencer per studiare un po' di tecnica solo

Great video, but not once did he talk about gorilla grip.

Shout out to my favourite compagno d'arme that says only the thumb grip exists because some maestri in Dijon told him so

I both completely agree and vehemently disagree with this video. One one hand, thumb grip absolutely does make your fencing better if you do Fiore and adds options and tools into your toolbox, posta breva especially works a lot better with it. It's also true that this would be an arguably authentic thing to do, Lichtenauer and Fiore did, after all, live in the same country and there is a good chance at least some of their students were trained in both (although this depends a lot on how widespread their traditions were, which is hard to determine). On the other hand, the H in HEMA stands for historical, and that should mean our arguments are supported by primary evidence. If you are saying that the thumb grip is a part of Fiore's system, you need to have a better proof of than than just "it works better with it" - by that metric, a machinegun is a part of Fiore's system as well. I went and double-checked the illustrations in Fiore's unarmored sword, and there is no thumb grip there. There definitely isn't a mention of it (or any other sword holding detail) in the text. I don't think there is a single technique in the manuscripts that is impossible or impractical to do without the thumb grip either. Therefore, no, thumb grip isn't a part of Fiore any more than using a crossbow is - both exist at the time and are useful for killing people, neither appears in the actual manuscript. What one Federico Malagutti is using to smack people with swords is therefore not Fiore, but a version of Fiore that was altered and got bits added to it - this is nothing new after all, we have a hundred different traditions of karate for the same reason (not to mention Vadi doing the same thing). It is arguably still Fiore in the sense that modern karate and traditional Okinawan karate are both karate, but it isn't FIore in the "this is the best attempt at recreating at what Fiore the man had in mind when writing his book". And then there is the really interesting question: *why* is there no thumb grip in Fiore? Wasn't it widespread enough at that point to be seen by Fiore yet? Did armor get in the way so Fiore dropped it? Did Fiore teach it as a secret addition to his actual personal students?