Atajo 4 is the same as Atajo 1 but made to the outside of the opponent's sword. In other words, Atajo 4 is when you bind on the opponent's sword on the outside, in the Obtuse angle, and step right (if you are a right handed fencer), towards their sword. Figure 1: Atajo 4 is gained by orange Rada describes 8 attacks of first intention. At this point I'm regretting trying to cover all of the attacks, as Rada's explanations of each technique are both extremely precise but also

Atajo 3 is the same as Atajo 2 but made to the inside of the opponent's sword. In other words, we have formed a gain on the opponent's sword, from above, to their inside with a step to your right. Figure 1: Atajo 3 formed by orange fencer Figure 2: Atajo 3 Rada lists 7 first intention techniques from afar. 1 Narrowing From the Atajo, envelop the opponent's sword in a counter-clockwise motion so that their sword ends up on the outside of your sword, on top of your blade. Thr

The Atajo (shortcut, or bind/gain) is one of the core techniques of Destreza, similar to the gain/find/stringer in Italian rapier. At its most basic is a bind of the opponent's sword, but it could also be a potential bind (a virtual Atajos). It is also your parry against both cuts and thrusts. Defense Actually, let's briefly start with how to defend against the opponent's attacks (thrust or cuts). It is commonly said that there are three ways to defend: With the right angle

Introduction This is a practical guide to Destreza, the Spanish art of fencing. There are a lot of articles online about the history of Destreza so I won't go into any detail here, other than to say that the La Verdadera Destreza (the true skill) dates back to around 1569 with two primary authors Jerónimo Sánchez de Carranza and his student Luis Pacheco de Narváez. There were several other authors over the next 150-200 years. I am primarily working from the work of Francis