Quarterstaff and partisan review

I'm going to take a short break from writing on the duel in thirty days to discuss another pet project we've been working on for quite some time: quarterstaff. I first learned some quarterstaff a few years ago when I was still in Vancouver, and I've been fascinated with it ever since. I've read nearly all the source material (which consists of mostly English authors, such as Silver and Swetnam in particular), and had the opportunity to teach some short workshops over the course of the past year, but recently, I've begun to question how precisely some of the actions ought to be optimally done, and how to practice it safely without dressing up like the Stay-puffed Marshmallow Man. This post is an attempt at consolidating what we have been working on in the past couple of months, in the hopes that we can continue to simplify the system to its essence.

Neither Marozzo, nor Manciolino, nor Swetnam - the former two discussing the use of the partisan and partisan and shield, the latter the shortstaff - have much to say about footwork, other than "then you attack with an increase or passing step." But what about defensive footwork? We've found that you can parry a thrust or blow without moving your feet whatsoever; I just wouldn't recommend it if you value your joints. The force of the impact from parrying a good blow, either high or low, is simply too great to withstand more than a couple of times. Due to my continuing research on Dall'Agocchie's system, which belongs to the same tradition as Marozzo and Manciolino, I thought it would make sense if we make two defenses in one: one with the weapon, one with the body/feet. In other words, every parry is made with a circular step: if the right hand and foot are forward, you will parry with a step to the right side, and if the left hand and foot are forward, the parry will be accompanied with a step to the left. Here are some of the reasons why I think this is a valid interpretation:

1) From personal experience, the parry is mechanically easier to make, and is much easier on the joints.
2) Stepping to either the left or right against any possible attack sets you up for an immediate counterattack to a now very open line. This was not always the case with a static parry.
3) The partisan and rotella sections in Manciolino's and Marozzo's books are full of this kind of footwork, and Dall'Agocchie - although speaking of a different weapon - states in no unclear terms that every parry should take you opposite the blow.

I have much more to say on this topic, but I'd like to have the texts at my fingertips so I can point to specific examples, as well as elaborate on the "best" way to perform certain actions, notably the blows, the false plays, and the defenses against the false plays, in particular the shuttle thrust in reverse, which as we found out last night is very effective.