Vosmyorka
Восьмерка
Literally: figure eight
Vosmyorka, literally figure eight, is flankirovka's basic pattern: the Cossack sabre cuts a figure eight in a horizontal or vertical plane.
Quick Facts
About
Vosmyorka (Восьмерка), literally figure eight, is the basic movement pattern of flankirovka, the virtuoso handling of the Cossack sabre in which the blade traces intricate patterns in the air. Practice consists of writing a figure eight in space with cutting strikes performed in a single plane; the figure eight is trained in both a horizontal and a vertical variant. The term flankirovka comes from the French flanquer and originally denoted close combat with a lance conducted by mounted riders. Modern flankirovka, as a systematic approach to sabre technique, has developed since the late 1990s as part of a renewed interest in traditional Russian combat systems. Figure eights are one of several technical categories, alongside elliptical movements, combined elements with plane rotation, and passing the weapon between the hands. As a competitive discipline, flankirovka is judged on technical execution, coordination, speed, programme complexity and artistic impression; alongside solo competitions there are paired and group contact competitions called Zaruba. For comparison, the 1889 regulations for Cossack service prescribed only three basic sabre strikes: horizontal, vertical and a thrust to the left. We have not been able to document who introduced the figure eight as a separate element.