Francais

A data-first look at the "Left Foot Forward" stance in 15th-Century Zettel Glosses*

Introduction

It seems most of the advice and pieces of the glosses of 15th century Liechtenauer tradition are describing a left foot forward stance, however fencers studying those sources seem to predominantly use a right foot forward stance both in sparring and competition. This research investigates the written tactical preference for right or left foot forward stance in the glosses.

Is the "left foot forward" instruction a consistent tactical doctrine throughout the texts, or merely an occasional suggestion?

As part of a larger ongoing study, I have performed a quantitative lexical analysis of the "Lew" gloss. By isolating references to feet, shoulders, and side mechanics, I aim to map the text's latent tactical preferences. What follows is a preliminary overview of the raw data.

Methodology

The analysis utilized a RegEx search pattern to categorize occurrences of specific indicators within the Lew text (Augsburg version, 1460s, by Dierk Hagedorn). The search was divided into three categories:

  1. Foot: explicit mentions of left and right foot.
  2. Shoulder: explicit mentions of left and right shoulder.
  3. Side: references to left/right side and entity assignment.

Preliminary Findings

The initial data presents a nuanced picture: strong focus on right-side occurrences, but a more balanced distribution for foot mentions.

1. The Feet: A Balanced Occurrence

The text contains 56 explicit mentions of foot placement.

  • Left Foot: 32 occurrences
  • Right Foot: 24 occurrences

The 32-vs-24 split suggests that while left foot is prevalent, right-foot movement remains significant. Without additional context, this does not alone prove a strict prescriptive stance.

2. Prescriptive Foot Placement

A focused analysis of explicit stepping commands reveals 26 prescriptive references to placing a foot forward.

  • Left Foot Forward: 21 occurrences
  • Right Foot Forward: 5 occurrences

This 21-vs-5 split strongly favors left foot forward in explicit instruction patterns.

3. The Shoulder: A Clear Dominance

  • Right Shoulder: 12 occurrences
  • Left Shoulder: 0 occurrences

The absence of left-shoulder instructions in this search context is a strong signal of dominant-side action.

4. Side of Action

General side references reach 121 occurrences and represent the most frequent tactical vocabulary.

  • Right Side: 72 occurrences
  • Left Side: 49 occurrences
  • Unspecified Side: 32 occurrences

Protagonist

  • Right Side: 27
  • Left Side: 17
  • Unspecified Side: 1

Antagonist

  • Right Side: 26
  • Left Side: 18
  • Unspecified Side: 4

Unspecified Entity

  • Right Side: 19
  • Left Side: 14
  • Unspecified Side: 27

Discussion

These initial numbers suggest primacy of right-side initiation (via shoulder occurrences), paired with left foot-forward prescriptive language in explicit stepping instructions.

Looking Ahead

A full article is in development and will further contextualize foot and side targeting patterns.

  • Contextualize "Right Foot" occurrences
  • Contextualize "Right Side" occurrences by actor/target
  • Analyze strikes tied to side-specific references

*Stay tuned for the complete analysis.*