Medieval Beat-down. What are firere?

Hand to hand striking in the medieval context.

https://youtu.be/EXzvNpZagtA 

(Here is the attendant video you all love so much, but you will need to read on.)

Fun stuff, but dangerous stuff. I was asked to give my take on this, and so I will.

First, lets start with some of Fiore's words on the topic.

First, there are two kinds of Abrazare, one for sport, and one for defending life. If you are defending your life, you will employ anger, cruelty, and every trick and device you have at hand.

If you are not in harness (aka armor), you should strike to places most painful and dangerous, such as the eyes, nose and temples, under the chin and into the flanks. Be ready for what grapples and binds this gives rise to.

So, right out of the gate, before a single picture is drawn, he tells us these things. So I follow these instructions. Now, many of my newer students have asked, "How do we do that, Boss?" I am forced to respond "The old man did not tell us." I smile when I say that though, as this is a half truth.

Fiore left us a strong tactical doctrine, and the link of this section to it is very strong. His list of targets only includes targets near to us, and no center line body targets. Every target he lists can be hit from an acressere step off line and to the left, however.

So even here, Fiore is asking us to stay out of the inside unless we own it. So, step one, follow the over all tactical doctrine we Fiore-folk already know. The only difference is that at very close range, moving left will not bring you to the inside every time.We don't really want to be on the inside anyways, as the inside is where the bigger player wins. So don't have a punching match from a position where you have to absorb return fire.

Moving off line is also vital be cause it forces our opponent to play catch up. a moving target is harder to hit. Since the old man says to hit only after we've tried to shut down the opponent by gaining an advantageous prese (Grip) and trying to break him, we have to assume that we are striking because the opponent is free to move. So move in return, before he smashes your head.

Now, What kind of punches do we use?

I like the hammer fist for in-close work. It's easy to form, easy to employ if you hands are high, hits hard, and has low risk to your own hand. It's flaws are low range, and short target list.

I also like the open hand jab and cross strikes. These open of range, still have knock-down power, and give you a chance to gain that advantageous prese that we want so very badly. Not a lot of flaws there either, as they shut down the return lines to your neck and head, and have low risk of hand breakage.
Really, the only flaw is that you fingers can get grabbed and broken (Does not hurt as bad as you'd think, but I've been there and do not recommend allowing it to happen to you.)

There are lots of other strikes, and if you want an exhaustive list, well, pound sand. that would take a long time.

Lets focus on what strikes DO. They hurt the enemy.  What are the elements of hurting some one?

Target. Hit'em where it hurts. Fracture their jaw, knock'em out, stun their liver, and break bone. Hit bony areas, and make sure you transfer energy well. The temple, side of the jaw, front of the neck, collar bone, floating ribs and kidneys are all great for this. Fiore leaves off the classic solar plexus and the German heart punch, but to land those, you need to be fully inside the enemy's arms. Bad Plan.

Power. Hit'em hard. If you are serious about striking, you should work on you mechanics until you love your punch. Other people should dislike holding pads for you, and you should be able to throw 6-10 hits in a row with that same consistent level of power. This does not mean plow in at 100% output, but rather make you 70% output a threat. follow through. This is overlooked a lot. Remember, you are trying to punch the other persons organs, not their skin.

Follow-up. After contact, either hit'em again, or attach and switch to a break, bind, or throw. As a famous grappler once said, "Hit him 2-3 times, submission is more easy". If you do not gain attachment, kept the pain faucet running, and hit the opponent 3-4 more times. if they block you in some way, they have either handed you and arm to break, or are now open some where else. Hit them in that new open spot. Keep them from recovering initiative.


I'll follow this with a second blog of the body mechanics, but I hope this helps, gang. Again, please leave me comments, so I can address your feedback.