The Steel Marginalia

Primary groupings by finishing guard

Each play in Book I concludes in one of the four canonical guards. This grouping shows the distribution: quarta is by far the most common finishing position, reflecting its structural primacy for inside-line thrusting actions. Seconda is the natural terminus for low evasive plays.

First (Prima)

3 plays

[39][43][53]

Second (Seconda)

6 plays

[45][52][58][59][62][63]

Third (Terza)

4 plays

[40][42][46][61]

Fourth (Quarta)

14 plays

[41][44][47][49][50][51][54][55][56][57][60][64][65][66]

Cutting plays

1 play

[48]

Cross-cutting mechanical families

A second axis of analysis groups plays by the mechanical class of their primary action. Many plays appear in multiple families: a passing play is also typically a low-line play; a blade-finding play may also involve disengagement. The families overlap and that overlap is itself analytically significant.

Passing plays

8 plays

[55][56][57][58][59][62][64][65]

Turning plays

6 plays

[49][50][54][57][59][66]

Under-the-sword / low-line plays

9 plays

[42][51][52][54][55][57][58][63][65]

Blade-finding and disengagement plays

16 plays

[40][41][42][44][45][49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56][57][58][59]

Left-hand assisted plays

7 plays

[60][61][62][63][64][65][66]

Note on overlap

Plays appearing in multiple families are analytically important: they demonstrate that Fabris' method is not modular but integrated. A passing quarta is not a "passing play" plus a "quarta play" — it is a single coherent action in which footwork, line, and guard are unified. The overlap between families reflects this unity.

Technical Groupings

Primary groupings by finishing guard

Cross-cutting mechanical families