For our limited purposes I have made no distinction between broadsword and rapier techniques. The careful application of the same actions can be used for both weapons, and I make the assumption that the director and actors will endow the weapons with the weight and speed that would be appropriate for each weapon. Naturally, within the choreography there will be fewer thrusts and parries in a broadsword fight, mainly because the very width of the battle blades make them very ineffective thrusting tools. [To be blunt, a thick, wide blade gets held up by the victim’s bone and connective tissue.] And of course all of the fancy compound attacks are only meant for fencing weight weapons and are completely inappropriate for heavy battle weapons. But a cut is a cut, a thrust is a thrust, and the blocks are performed in the same way as the rapier.
The shortsword fight, on the other hand, will have a very different feel to it altogether. Here we’re talking about using the swords of ancient Greece or Rome [or perhaps combatants of WWI fighting with their long bayonets?], pirate cutlasses and machetes. For all of these the blade length will be between 18 inches to 24 inches long. With such short blades, the actors are going to be right on top of each other, so it’ll look strange to have them fight in a prolonged cut and thrust of a rapier or even broadsword fight. Some major modifications have to be made in the fight.
First, many more unarmed techniques should be included, since punches, kicks, grabs and throws will be easily possible and even obvious at such short distances. Secondly, the regular thrust coming from solar plexus level now makes no sense at all. These short blades of the bronze and early iron ages were very thick, and it is unlikely that sufficient force could be generated by a standard fencer’s thrust to do much more than knock back an opponent. Instead, it seems clear from archeological evidence that the successful thrust was performed by swinging a straight arm from the shoulder, usually as an upthrust into the belly. We can approximate this by holding the sword down by our side with an arm held straight at the elbow, and then pointing the blade tip to either the left or right flank of our opponent.
Arcing thrusts were also performed with a straight arm held high and off to the side, thrusting parallel to the ground at the flank. This simple move should be considered an advanced technique for stage combat. This move brings the arc of the weapon from outside to inside, and the attacker cannot follow the track of the tip with enough certainty to keep his partner safe. This type of move should only be performed under the direct supervision of a competent instructor.
Machete blades make fine weapons for a theatrical fight, but they are more wobbly than standard stage combat weapons. A lighter hand during cuts is crucial, and augmenting the blocks with the second hand supporting the back-edge near the foible helps considerably. But because of the weight of the blade, that second hand should arrive to provide support a split second after contact is made.
Military Sabre
Whereas the civilian weapon of the 18th and nineteenth centuries was extremely light and exquisitely balanced to rest as easily as a feather in one’s hand, the military sword was heavy, brutal and cumbersome. With a heavy cutting blade and no counterbalancing pommel, the sword once in motion is very difficult to stop or re-direct. These are purely practical design elements, for the weapon is designed for use in the maelstrom of battle, where there is no stand-off between two equally matched opponents in an honorable duel. The sabre is built for maximum damage on the first swing, with absolutely no thought given as to trying to use the weapon for defense.
And yet, it was used at times for “fights of honor” between military officers. And in many Shakespeare plays that have been set in more modern periods, fighting with the military sabre is going to be the only option. But the sword simply will not handle the way that does, say, a rapier. Instead, it should be treated as a single hand broadsword, with allowances made for its special characteristics.
First, the sword does not rest easily in the hand. With all of the weight on the blade and no counterweight, the blade pulls down strongly, requiring more hand strength throughout the fight simply to keep the weapon from drooping. So the first change will be in the en guard. Instead of a fully extended arm, the fighter will find it easier to drop the arm somewhat, letting the hand remain at about waist height. The blade tip should lift up so that it is at shoulder level. This allows the hand to rest in a natural position while keeping the entire blade length ready to defend the full torso.
An alternate en guard is to raise the sword arm completely overhead, elbow pointed back and sword tip pointing towards the opponent. This position threatens a downward thrust while still providing some protection to the body by simply allowing the blade to drop down if need be.
Assuming that the sabres you are working with have curved blades, you’ll soon find that thrusts with the tip are somewhat impractical, as the tip will not strictly align with the path of the hand. One can still thrust, but great care must be taken to track that tip, for it can easily get away from you and pop up to a spot much higher than intended. Turning the hand slightly so that the blade comes in a flat path parallel to the floor can help, but that puts the fighter at a higher risk of having the tip arc in towards the opponent’s body or foolishly away from the opponent. Besides, in a real fight a failed thrust with a heavy blade leaves the attacker completely open to counter attack.
The stance for the sabre needs to be rather wide, in an effort to stay underneath the momentum of the cut and not get thrown forward.
Most of the defensive moves will be hard absorption blocks rather than deflections. Because of the inertia of the sword, moving the weapon for multiple blocks may prove difficult to control. Some little shortcuts may prove useful. For example, when blocking high line attacks from one side of the body to the other, you might find it easier to leave the tip of the sword hanging in space about six inches above head level on the center line, and let the hand swing back and forth. The sword will look like a giant suspended pendulum, and the hand will be able to move much more quickly than if you had to shove the whole weapon from side to side. The unfortunate trade-off is that it weakens your block. I would say to get good instruction from a choreographer who has a lot of experience working with military sabres, but there are very few out there.
Moulinet
A strong cutting attack is difficult from either opening stance, so a move particularly suited for the sabre was developed, known as the moulinet (French), molinello (Italian), or windmill (English). With the sword held out in front, and gravity tugging strongly on the blade, the hand is allowed to relax its grasp for an instant. The blade tip will immediately drop toward the ground. Even as this happens the hand will begin a tight outside turn and then quickly regrasp the handle, so that the tip of the sword swings closely by the knee and then continues a grand circle past the right ear and then forward toward the opponent, building up momentum on the way. By strongly pushing the hand forward at the end of this circle, the sabre can deliver a cut as powerful as any from a broadsword, without having to pull the arm back in a big prep. No need to move the elbow. As a matter of fact, if the elbow drops during the execution of the moulinet, your really doing just a big cut and not a moulinet at all. And no matter what, the blade has to stay very close to your body and head as it rises behind you.
The moulinet can be delivered from the left or the right side, and choreographers love to link these in a series for some very flashy filler moves, either multiple circles staying on one side of the body or back and forth circles. I myself like adding moulinets when the character is going to fight with a sword in each hand, fighting multiple attackers. By having him do chasing moulinets or parallel moulinets, it gives the audience a chance to anticipate the fun fighting to come.
Of course, choreographers throw in moulinets not only with sabres but more commonly with rapiers and broadswords. This has led to a minor controversy amoung fight directors. Many insist that the move is only appropriate for the sabre for it is only in the nineteenth century that it is first described. Others point out that it cannot be proved that it was not performed before that time, and that there exists at least some (extremely weak) evidence that it plausibly occurred in medieval times. I for one would like to have both sides remember that all of stage combat exists to please the audience, not to create a documentary on military practice. Do what works for the play.