Destreza

La Verdadera Destreza is a Spanish system of fencing. The word "destreza" literally means "skill." However, the full name is perhaps best translated as "the true art."

While Destreza is primarily a system of swordsmanship, it is intended to be a universal method of fighting applicable to all weapons. This includes sword and dagger; sword and cloak; sword and buckler; sword and round shield; the two-handed sword; the flail; and polearms such as the pike and halberd.

Its precepts are based on reason, geometry, and incorporate various other aspects of a well-rounded Renaissance humanist education, with a special focus on the writings of classical authors such as Aristotle, Euclid, and Plato. Authors on Destreza also paid great attention to what modern martial artists would call biomechanics.

The tradition is documented in scores of fencing manuals, but centers on the works of two primary authors, don Jerónimo Sánchez de Carranza and his follower, don Luis Pacheco de Narváez. The system of combat is tied to an intellectual, philosophical, and moral ideal.

History and Development
The origins of this system of swordsmanship date as far back as 1569, when Jerónimo Carranza began reducing it to writing. There is some evidence indicating that the sixteenth-century fencing theorist Camillo Agrippa's work was the inspiration for the Carranza's work. Pacheco makes the claim that Carranza based his text on the work of Camillo Agrippa in a letter to the Duke of Cea in Madrid on May 4, 1618. This claim is reinforced by a common use of geometry and circular movement in both systems.

Whatever its inspiration, Carranza's work represents a break from the older tradition of Spanish fencing, the so-called esgrima vulgar or esgrima común (vulgar or common fencing). That older tradition, with roots in medieval times, was represented by the works of authors such as Jaume Pons (1474), Pedro de la Torre (1474) and Francisco Román (1532). Writers on Destreza took great care to distinguish their "true art" from the "vulgar" or "common" fencing. The older school continued to exist alongside la verdadera destreza, but was increasingly influenced by its forms and concepts.

After Carranza laid the groundwork for the school with his seminal work (published 1582), Pacheco de Narváez continued with a series of other books which expanded upon Carranza's concepts. While Pacheco originally clung closely to Carranza's precepts, he gradually diverged from them in significant respects. This divergence eventually caused a split between followers of Carranza ("Carrancistas") and those of Pacheco ("Pachequistas"), essentially resulting in the existence of three different schools of fence in Iberia.

Spanish fencing methods quickly spread to Spain's colonial empire in the New World. Originally, this was the esgrima común, but eventually included destreza as well. Carranza himself was governor of Honduras for a time. Destreza authors and masters can be documented in Mexico, Peru, Ecuador, and the Philippines. Some degree of influence on the Philippine martial arts is highly likely, although this is an area that requires further research.

Over time, Spanish fencing came to be increasingly influenced by Italian and French fencing methods. Pressure became particularly intense in the 18th century, and destreza began a decline in popularity in favour of the dominant French school. This resulted in technical changes which become increasingly apparent by the beginning of the 18th century. By the 19th century, fencing texts in Spain begin to mix destreza concepts with ideas and technique drawn from French and Italian methodology.

While destreza underwent a kind of revival in the late 19th century, it appears to have largely disappeared by the beginning of the 20th century.

Technical Characteristics
Technical hallmarks of the system are the following:


 * Visualization of an imaginary circle between the opponents to conceptualize distance and movement
 * Use of off-line footwork to obtain a favorable angle of attack
 * Avoidance of movement directly toward the opponent
 * Extension of the sword arm in a straight line from the shoulder to obtain maximum reach
 * Profiling of the body to increase reach and reduce target area
 * Use of an initial distance that is as close as possible, while remaining out of reach (Medio de Proporcion)
 * A conservative approach, using the Atajo (bind) to control the opposing weapon
 * Preference for downwards motion (Movimiento Natural) in all fencing actions
 * Use of both cut (Tajo, Reves) and thrust (Estocada)
 * Use of a particular type of closing movement (Movimiento de Conclusion) to disarm the opponent

Distinguished from Italian Rapier Schools
Perhaps the most important distinction between the Italian and Spanish schools is their approach to footwork. Over time, the Italian school increasingly moved towards linear footwork, similar to modern fencing. In contrast, Spanish doctrine taught that moving directly toward the opponent was dangerous, and specialized in off-line footwork to either the right or left side to gain a more favorable angle of attack.

Another distinction is their approach to the relative value of cut versus thrust. The Italians showed a clear preference for the thrust, relegating the cut to a distant second place. The Spanish, on the other hand, refused to make such a distinction, maintaining that the cut was as useful as the thrust, depending on the situation.

Italian bladework focused on the use of four primary hand and blade positions (prima, seconda, terza, quarta), with an emphasis on the latter two. Destreza, on the other hand, focused almost exclusively on a hand position similar to terza (thumb at 12 o'clock).

Italian masters generally taught a much wider variety of guards than Spanish masters, who focused on the so-called "right angle", a position with the arm extended directly from the shoulder, forming a straight line from the point of the sword to the left shoulder.

Although the Spanish developed a reputation for using very long weapons, the weapons used in Destreza were generally shorter than the rapiers used by the Italians.

Unlike the Italian school, the Spanish system recognizes a greater number of degrees of strength in the blade. The Italian school generally recognized two degrees of strength in the blade (forte and debole), sometimes expanding this to three or four parts. On the contrary, Spanish authors on Destreza use 9, 10, or even 12 "degrees" or sections on the blade, counting them from the point of the blade.

Spanish masters paid close attention to the methods of their Italian counterparts. Pacheco specifically rebuts the works of many Italian authors in his text, Nueva Sciencia (The New Science). Likewise, Thibault's work includes a section aimed at countering the techniques of Salvator Fabris. Francisco Lórenz de Rada's work also contains substantial coverage of how a Spanish diestro should oppose an Italian opponent when using sword and dagger.



Authors on Destreza
Carranza and Pacheco were followed by a series of other authors. One of the most notable was Girard Thibault of Antwerp whose manual, Académie de l'Espée (1630), was strongly based on the Destreza system.

16th century
 * Jerónimo Sánchez de Carranza (written 1569; published 1582)

17th century
 * Luis Pacheco de Narváez
 * Diogo Gomes de Figueiredo (Oplosophia, 1628)
 * Gerard Thibault (Académie de l'Espée, 1630)
 * Luis Méndez de Carmona Tamariz (ca. 1639)
 * Miguel Pérez de Mendoza y Quijada (1672, 1675)
 * Francisco Antonio de Ettenhard (Tenarde) y Abarca
 * Alvaro Guerra de la Vega (1681)
 * Francisco Lórenz de Rada (1695)
 * Nicolás Tamariz (Cartilla y Luz en la Verdadera Destreza, 1696)

18th century
 * Manuel Cruzado y Peralta (1702)
 * Francisco Lórenz de Rada (1705)

19th century
 * Manuel Antonio de Brea (Destreza del Espadin, 1805)
 * Simon de Frias (Tratado Elemental de la Destreza del Sable, 1809)
 * Jaime Merelo y Casademunt (Esgrima del Sable Español, 1862)

English translations
An English translation of Girard Thibault's text was done by John Michael Greer and published in 2006 by The Chivalry Bookshelf.

Popular culture

 * The film The Mask of Zorro (1998) featured Don Diego, the original Zorro, teaching Alejandro Murrieta, the new Zorro in the Destreza style.
 * The television series Queen of Swords features the use of the rapier in the mysterious circle, Destreza style favoured by the first swordmaster of the series Anthony De Longis who studied the Spanish swordfighting technique and wanted a unique style for the heroine. He had previously used it in the episode, "Duende", of the Highlander TV series where he co-choreographed his fight scenes with series Swordmaster, F. Braun McAsh.
 * The film Alatriste, based on the novels by Arturo Pérez-Reverte, features various characters fencing in the Destreza style, including the protagonist Diego Alatriste portrayed by Viggo Mortensen.

DVD
Anthony De Longis and PALPABLE HIT PRODUCTIONS has produced an instructional video La Verdadera Destreza: The True Art and Skill of Spanish Swordsmanship

It features the most fundamental elements of the Spanish School of Swordsmanship. Based upon the texts of Spanish masters Don Jeronimo Sanchez de Carranza and Don Luis Pacheco de Narvaez, and other masters of the period, La Verdadera Destreza is a two-volume DVD instructional guide gleaned from over twenty years of research and study of the historical Spanish treatises by Maestro Ramón Martínez. Maestro Ramón Martínez teaches these skills in short, sequential lessons which include simple drills that illustrate the fundamentals of La Verdadera Destreza. It also features Maestro Jeannette Acosta-Martinez and Anthony De Longis.