Over the past several blog posts we have discussed how to defeat the opponent’s actions, how to go for one more exchange, and how to recognize what the opponent is doing. Today, we are going to add one more item to the mix – what is possible? There are a…
The postings in the past two blogs have looked at simple tactical choices to defeat the attack and the defense. But what happens when the defeat is in turn defeated? Although this seems like one too many defeats, lets look at the two cases: (1) you attack, and the opponent…
In last week’s blog we discussed how to defeat an attack, and suggested four possible approaches. But defeating an attack and riposting or stop hitting does not guarantee you the score. You still have to get by the opponent’s defense to land. And the same problem confronts you if you…
You are fencing a bout, and your opponent attacks you. There is one way to deal with this – you parry and riposte. Right? And you run into his second intention parry and first counterriposte to become just another V on his line on the score sheet. But, but, but…
What is a remise? Let’s discard what it is not first. You lunge; your opponent parries and immediately ripostes. You barge on through to land on the target. That is not a remise, regardless of what the referee calls it. It is a continuation of the original attack, only…
Today we maintain the fiction that winning is about superior blade actions not intended to score, offense, defense, and counteroffense. We define those actions by the blade work needed to score or avoid the touch: “I disengaged and hit him in 4th” or “I parried and riposted hitting her in…
Sometimes the range of things you can do with your weapon and your feet feels almost infinite. There are so many possibilities. Just looking at combinations of blade work, the Classical Academy of Arms’s list of classical fencing actions runs to 26 pages – and the Academy estimates that it…
Just like attacks can be simple or compound or prepared, parries can be simple or compound (also called composed because they are composed of two or more parts) or prepared. Let’s dispose of everything except simple parries at the start, so that we can focus. Compound parries are parries that…
What is a simple attack? This is something every fencer should know by heart as foundational knowledge in our sport. So, cover up the following lines of texts and see if you can come up with an accurate description of the simple attack. To help you, the following are the…
How does your point (in all three weapons) or your cutting edge (in sabre) get to the target? That is an easy question – you just stick your arm out, and there you are. But don’t you lunge or fleche or something else footworky? So maybe the point/edge to target…