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…
As fencers we hear the word tempo used in a variety of ways, some correct, some incorrect, and some confusing. To understand fencing you must understand tempo, what it is, what it isn’t, and how it impacts your fencing. A note – this discussion is about the mechanics and tactics…
Time makes an amazingly complex contribution to fencing. We typically think of time in two ways, available time left in the bout, and the artificial construct of tempo. But there is more, much more, for you to master about time across the spectrum of technique, tactics, and strategy. First we…
Fencing has long had a fascination with tables. Older Italian fencing manuals, in particular, were distinguished by detailed synoptic tables that laid out all conceivable actions in the various lines, along with the counteractions and even counter-counteractions. The problem, of course, is that fencing is messy with many different ways…
In all three weapons the beat is an effective preparation for both simple and compound attacks. So, it is important to understand what it is and how it is used most effectively. First, the obvious simple definition – a beat is an attack on the opponent’s blade with percussion to…
We have attacks – the objective is to hit the opponent. We have defense – the objective is to hit the opponent. We have counteroffense – so what do you think the objective is? Yes, you are correct – to hit the opponent. So what is counteroffense? We can define…
So there you are, on the piste, with a perfectly beatable opponent in front of you. And yet you are down 1-3, and nothing is working. You just tried your best, and most complicated, piece of blade work, the opponent literally laughed at you, and then hit you. You have…
It used to be that contact between the fencer’s blades was the expected part of any bout – many felt that without engagement at the start it was impossible to actually fence. The development of sentiment de fer (the ability to sense the opponent’s intentions through contact with his or…
Last week we discussed how to develop continual pressure on an opponent through continued, forward moving attack. This week we look at the other side of that scenario – what to do when the opponent is chasing you. The first and most important rule is to stay relaxed under the pressure…
If you owned a car that could only drive at one speed, say 37.7 miles per hour, how useful would that be? Or maybe one that could only drive at 99 miles per hour, regardless of the speed limit? What about an airplane or a boat or a motorcycle or…