These notes are specifically written for the Dardi Sword and Dagger class held at WMAW 2005. I must stress that it is very important to master the single sword before trying to use another weapon or defensive device in the non sword hand.

Dall’Agocchie specifically states at the outset of the sword and dagger section of his treatise that he is not giving an exhaustive discussion of sword and dagger as a good proportion of the material in the single sword section applies. There are a number of principles that dall’Agocchie gives at the beginning of this section:

Match a proper sword guard with a proper dagger guard (see below)
When parrying with the dagger to the inside use the flats or the true edge, to the outside use the true edge.
When you move the dagger to parry, move also the sword to attack, accompanying always the foot with the hand.
When you want to accompany both the weapons (arms) together to defend, put the dagger behind the sword in the manner that the true edge of it touches the false edge of said sword, which conjoins together to make an X and over it all hold the arms extended to the right of the enemy's face to be most secure.
When having attacked the enemy, and he having responded to the side as above, and you wanting to defend the riposte with the weapons together, do it in the same order as I said above.

The following chart may be used as a guide to matching sword and dagger guards.

Sword	Dagger
coda lunga e stretta	cinghiale porta di ferro alta
cinghiale porta di ferr	guardia di testa
porta di ferro	coda lunga e alta
coda lunga e alta	porta di ferro alta
guardia di alicorno	cinghgiale porta di ferro

Dall’Agocchie sets out a number of drills that work the student through what he considers standard responses to normal attacks. He does this for the various guard pairs. In the initial drill the student will start with the sword in the coda lunga stretta and with the dagger in the cinghiale porta di ferro. Note that the image to the right from Marozzo’s Arte Dell’Armi shows the fencer with the sword in the coda lunga e alta and the dagger in the porta di ferro e alta (description in Arte dell’Armi chapter 36 & 37). Marozzo states that when employinng sword and dagger that you be offensive and be the first to attack. He also suggests opening with a falso to the hand.

Master	Student
Step forward and attack the student with a mandritto to the head	Pass the left foot forward and raise the dagger to the guardia di testa while simultaneously thrusting the master in the chest with a punta riversa

Alternately after parrying with the dagger the student may cut the leg or head. After making the riposte immediately step back with the left foot and raise both weapons into the guardia di testa. The next drill defends against an attack to the leg.

Master	Student
Attack the student’s leg with a mandritto	Turn the point of the dagger down and while stepping forward thrust the master in the face.

Step back in a similar manner as in the first drill. The next drill shows how to counter a riversa to the head.

Master	Student
Step forward and throw a riversa to the student’s head	Parry the riversa with the true edge of the sword and while making an advance forward thrust the master in the flank with an imbroccata

Alternately you may step forward with the left foot and thrust the master in the flank with the dagger. The next drill counters a punta sopramano (thrust).

Master	Student
Step forward and attack the student with a punta sopramano	Step forward and left slightly while parrying down and to the right with the dagger. Immediately throw a riverso to the master’s head

The next drill counters a stoccata.

Master	Student
Step forward and thrust a stoccata to the student’s chest	Bring the left foot close by the right and parry the stoccata to the outside while thrusting the master in the face

Whereas dall’Agocchie has the student start with the right foot forward at sword and dagger, Marozzo has the student start with the left foot forward. Marozzo also instructs the student to be the first to attack and to open with harassing cuts (as a falso to the hand). The instructional play for both masters is similar. The following is a play out of Marozzo, chapter 42.

Master	Student
Start in the guardia alta with the dagger in the coda lunga e stretta	Start in the coda lunga e stretta with the dagger in the guardia di testa
	Attack with a cut to the master’s dagger hand. Make a slight gathering step forward if necessary
Throw a mandritto sgualimbrato to the student’s head	Parry the attack with the dagger and while stepping slightly forward (4 to 6 inches) with the right foot and throw a mandritto to the master’s head.
Step forward to make another attack.	Parry the attack with the daggerr while stepping back with the right foot only. Make a stoccata under your dagger and move out of distance.