Although not having had a major war in observable history and generally unlikely to hold prolonged grudges, focco are sufficiently pugnacious on face to face basis, and more than one known culture used to have elaborate duel law (which often was introduced to supercede the less House-friendly tradition of vendetta). The modern Houses actually do have a duel law, but duels are rare, because of the wide popularity of martial art. Hand to hand fighting is a favorite sport and a means to discipline the mind; by learning how to fight, one also learns when not to fight. The idea is not dissimilar to the sense of security which many people experience when they carry a sidearm, in a sense, only with no adverse consequences of arrogance and feeling insecure without one. Focco fighting styles tend to be straightforward but elegant, with more focus on improvisation than repetition, and aimed at disabling, rather than hurting, the opponent. Fighters traditionally spar naked, but in official competitions they are identified with color ribbons or sashes.

The focco in the picture demonstrates a typical general-purpose combat stance, suitable for both attack and defense.

2001
Graphite pencil

Look at preliminary sketch to this picture here