Short-blade fencing: origins, principles and integration into René Latosa's teaching

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RENÉ LATOSA’S ORIGINAL APPROACH

To understand the role of short-blade fencing within Latosa® Combat Escrima, it is necessary to distinguish Grand Master René Latosa’s original teaching from the technical developments introduced later.

René Latosa had not codified an autonomous knife-fencing discipline. His teaching was based on the idea that the same concepts could be applied to different tools while taking their specific characteristics into account.

Stick, knife, machete and kampilan did not necessarily require separate systems, but technical adaptations linked to weapon structure, distance and the conditions of the encounter.

Lines of attack and defense, timing, balance, power management and distance control were common reference points.

The transferability of these elements did not imply equivalence between weapons. A movement performed with a stick could not simply be reproduced with a blade without considering functional differences and the risks involved.

The principle remained recognizable, while its application changed according to the tool.

THE ORIGINS OF ITALIAN SHORT-BLADE FENCING

Italian short-blade fencing belongs to a broader tradition of fencing practices devoted to smaller weapons, including daggers and knives.

The study of short weapons appears in Italian treatises as early as the medieval and Renaissance periods, both as a specific discipline and in relation to wrestling and the use of other weapons.

Over the centuries, these practices took different forms, influenced by military and civilian contexts and by local customs.

It is nevertheless necessary to distinguish historically documented fencing from popular or family traditions transmitted orally. The latter may preserve significant knowledge, but require an independent reconstruction of their origins and transmission methods.

Italian short-blade fencing should therefore not be regarded as a single method that remained unchanged over time. Rather, it is a set of experiences, techniques and traditions developed in different periods and environments.

INTEGRATION INTO LATOSA COMBAT ESCRIMA

The introduction of a specific short-blade fencing pathway within Latosa Combat Escrima is linked to the work of Grand Master of Weapons Alessandro Fantini, who organized and codified elements of his own experience in Italian short-blade fencing in relation to the teaching received from René Latosa.

This development must be distinguished from the Filipino master’s original technical heritage.

It is not a matter of retroactively attributing to René Latosa a discipline he had not formalized, but of recognizing a later integration developed through specialized knife study.

The pathway explores the characteristics of short weapons, close distances and encounter dynamics, including the areas referred to as de campo and de fondo, whose terminology and historical definition require precise contextualization.

The expression “system within the system” describes this teaching organization: a specialist sector with its own content, placed within a pre-existing teaching structure.

The origin of the two contributions therefore remains distinct: René Latosa’s approach on one side, and the fencing development created by Alessandro Fantini on the other.

STUDY OF DISTANCE AND RECOGNITION OF DANGER

One purpose of studying short-blade fencing is to understand the difficulties that arise in close-proximity situations, where available space and decision time may be extremely limited.

Observing movement lines, changes in distance and the opponent’s reactions is an important part of training.

Through progressive drills with simulators, suitable protection, safety rules and qualified supervision, students can develop greater awareness of their abilities and limitations.

Knowledge of fencing dynamics can help identify certain risk conditions, but it does not make it possible to predict an aggressor’s behavior with certainty.

Moreover, a regulated encounter between practitioners and a real assault differ substantially. The latter may occur without warning, in unfavorable environments and with potentially irreversible consequences.

Knowing the characteristics of a threat means having more elements with which to assess it, not having certainty that it can be neutralized.

THE FUNCTION OF EXPERIMENTATION

In René Latosa’s teaching, practical verification was an important part of learning.

Dynamic drills and controlled sparring make it possible to examine how knowledge is applied in the presence of active opposition, overcoming the limitations of exclusively prearranged sequences.

Experimentation must nevertheless maintain defined teaching objectives and safety conditions proportionate to the experience of the participants.

Using simulators allows certain dynamics to be studied without real blades, but it does not eliminate all training risks or reproduce every condition of a real situation.

Assessment of competence must therefore consider technical execution as well as control, decision-making ability and respect for safety procedures.

SHORT-BLADE FENCING AND PERSONAL DEFENSE

The study of the knife as a fencing discipline and preparation for personal defense should not be considered equivalent.

The first concerns learning the characteristics of the weapon, distances and technical dynamics within a training context.

The second also requires environmental assessment, recognition of danger signals, prevention, the possibility of disengagement and knowledge of the legal consequences of one’s actions.

Technical preparation is therefore one component of training, but cannot replace the ability to avoid or interrupt a dangerous situation.

“Only by knowing what I am facing can I understand how to defend myself in a real way.”

Alessandro Fantini

This statement should be understood as a teaching principle, not as a guarantee of effectiveness: no discipline can ensure a favorable outcome in the face of an armed assault.

CONTINUITY AND DISTINCTION BETWEEN TRADITIONS

The relationship between Latosa Combat Escrima and Italian short-blade fencing can be understood as the meeting of two technical paths of different origin.

René Latosa’s teaching provides the original reference for applying common concepts to different tools.

Italian short-blade fencing, in the forms studied and reworked by Alessandro Fantini, instead represents a later contribution focused on specialized knife use.

Recognizing this distinction makes it possible to describe the evolution of the training path correctly, without confusing the respective origins or attributing one master’s work to another.

The continuity between the two experiences does not depend on identifying them as a single historical tradition, but on the possibility of studying their relationships, differences and fields of application.

Alessandro Fantini
Latosa® Pinoy Combat Escrima – European Academy