Last week we talked about application of basic technique to create multiple choices for the tactical execution of the riposte. This week we go back to the roots of our theory of fencing, that all fencing is about offensive or counteroffensive action. Too often fencers think that they are not…
Before we talk about tactics, we should probably define what we mean by them. Tactics are the combination of actions and factors that allow a technique to do its job during the bout. Tactics are far more than just the technique you intend to apply to get the touch. If…
Everyone who fences learns parries. It is an article of faith in fencing that one must be able to parry to defend oneself. And yet many of us do not take them seriously enough to critically examine their characteristics and employment. So, we are going to do that in this…
The remise? Surely there is no argument that you can make that involves a remise and preparation. A remise is the antithesis of preparation, after all it comes after the attack has been parried, not a something that prepares the attack. The definition of a remise makes that clear: a…
We tend to think of the opponent’s attack as threatening. After all, the blade is coming toward us with the intent to score, the opponent is fully committed to the action, and he or she is using every artifice at their command to get that blade on our target. Statistics…
Distance plays a critical role in modern fencing. At its simplest the distance problem is “can I hit the opponent’s target area with my weapon, or do I have to use footwork to change the distance so that I can hit?” Traditionally, this problem is described in terms of short,…
Compound attacks are a traditional staple of fencing. Fencing has become more and more a footwork sport, and less and less dependent on skilled traditional bladework, with blade actions now far more opportunistic and likely to be executed in infighting distance and/or at angles from well outside the target box. …
Last week we examined attacks on preparation, so it would seem that considering the preparation itself might be only fair. Tyshler and Logvin, in the FIE’s Sports Fencing manual for coach training state that preparatory actions are “applied in order to receive immediate information on opponent’s intentions, creation of an distraction…
To talk about attacks on preparation, it is important to understand that there are two completely different forms of fencing on today’s strip. Epee retains the essential character of fencing, that it is a combat with swords – bear with this discussion, we have right of way weapons to address…
One of the ways to get hit in any sword or weapon sport is to be predictable. It is no different in fencing. You do the same thing the same way every time and even the opponent who is completely asleep on his or her feet will wake up and…