Moulinets have been recommended by sword masters since the
days of Giacomo di Grassi, in 1570.
Moulinets, from the French word for ‘little mill’, is an action where
your arm is extended straight and the sword point is whirled around in a
circle. In France, during the 18th and 19th
centuries, the term moulinet was normally applied to the left and the right
circling of the sword around the head, however English masters of the time,
extended the definition to all circling of the point. Moulinets are also sometimes called
Schwingung, Molinellos, Compasses, Circles or Figure-of-Eight’s. And they can be divided into three kinds: horizontal, vertical and diagonal
moulinets, diagonal moulinets describes a sideways figure-eight, Ꝏ. This provides for six moulinets, two horizontals,
right and left, and four vertical or diagonal moulinets, up and down.
made from either the right or left side of the fencer.
Diagonal Moulinets, can be either ascending or
descending and could be made from either the right or left side of the
fencer. A moulinet, which delivers a cut
with the true-edge from above downwards, is a descending moulinet. A moulinet which delivers a cut with the
true-edge from below upwards, is an ascending moulinet.
horizontal or diagonal moulinet.6
In this
movement your wrist exactly performs this figure ∞, which I strongly recommend
to beginners the frequent practice of, as…all the cuts and disengagements are a
part of it; and it will render the wrist pliant and flexible, which is an
indispensable requisite in order to become a master of your weapon.
Captain G. Sinclair, Highland
Officer, Anti-Pugilism, or the science of defences, Lesson XVI (London;
J. Aitkin, 1790)
The purpose
of a moulinet is fourfold:
the performance of the cuts and in leading the edge.
As a means of disengaging prior to a cut.
To gather momentum and “add strength to the cut”.
to stop its forward motion.
From want of habit in the exercise of
the wrist in common occupations of life, the weight of the sword will at first
be found extremely irksome.
Major John Gaspard Le Marchant, Rules
and Regulations for the Sword Exercise of the Cavalry, (London; T. Egerton,
1796) p. 3
AS an EXERCISE
Moulinets will both strengthen and “supple the joints of the arm and
wrist”. Le Marchant, in Rules and
Regulations for the Sword Exercise of the Cavalry, 1796, wrote that every
aspiring swordsman should acquire a “suppleness in the wrist and shoulder,
as without this indispensable requisite, no person can become a good swordsman”.
Additionally moulinets will “give dexterity in handling and whirling the
blade” and will “afford facility in leading the edge”.
For this exercise, the
moulinets should be performed with only the wrist and not with the elbow or the
shoulder.
The moulinets, should be
performed slowly at first, to ensure accuracy of movement and precision in
directing the true edge. After the
movements have become accurate and precise, the speed of the exercise should be
increased and each moulinet should be repeated 10 to 12 times.
After practicing each of
the moulinets separately; moulinets one and two and moulinets three and four
should be combined into two continuous motions: a descending and an ascending
‘figure-of-eight’. These two figures of
eights should be repeated 10 to 12 times each.
After
practicing the two figures of eights, the swordsman should combine all six
motions into one continuous movement.
During this exercise, the point of the sword should continue from the
conclusion of one moulinet to the beginning of the next, following the dotted
lines, as shown on the target above.
The
difference, between executing the six moulinets separately, versus executing
them in one continuous motion “consists in not resorting to any particular
guard after each moulinet”..
Don’t forget to come back next week and read “The Practical
Swordsman’s Compendium, Getting Started – Part Three”, where we will continue talking
about using moulinets, or ‘windmills’ to practice basic movements, control, and
exercise your sword arm.
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Sources
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Hutton, Cold Steel: A Practical Treatise on the Sabre (London; William Clowes
and Sons, Ltd., 1889), p.29
Barbasetti,
Luigi; The Art of the Sabre and Épée, (Ithaca, NY; E. P. Dutton &
Co., 1936) p. 170
Burton,
Richard F.; A New System of Swordsmanship For Infantry [London; William
Clowes and Sons, Ltd., 1876], http://ejmas.com/jnc/jncart_burtonnewsword_0200.htm,
accessed September 20, 2025
Gaspard
Le Marchant, John; Rules and Regulations for the Sword Exercise of the
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Wayne,
H. C.;
Exercise For The Broadsword, Sabre, Cut and Thrust, and Stick,
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