We tend to think of things that are simple as, well … simple. They are easy to do. They do not require much thought. Anyone can do them. No assembly (translate as training and practice) is necessary. After all, you learn them in a beginner class, so how hard can…
In fencing when someone says “drill,” we all know what that means – boring stuff where lines of fencers poke at each other, some halfheartedly going through the motions, some working with determination to get better, some completely confused by the idea that an attack in 6th or 3rd is…
Do you want to be a better fencer? This is not just a question for the sake of a question to start a blog post. It is a core question about why you fence. People fence for a variety of reasons: (a) for social contact with others, (b) for recreation,…
This is a topic we have addressed before, in fact several times, in the Salle Blog. But it is an important enough topic that it needs to be addressed every 6 to 9 months because in that amount of time it is easy to forget that there is only one…
I have been reading a very interesting book by a poker player (Annie Duke’s Thinking in Bets) that has significant insights that apply to fencing. A poker player? What could someone who plays with cards know about fencing, an athletic endeavor? Besides, we are physical chess, not a silly card…
Fencing demands that you place a small point or blade edge on a target. When we say small, the diameter of the scoring tip in foil is from 5.5 to 7.0 millimeters (rule m.11 subparagraph 1), in epee the diameter is 7.95 to 8.05 millimeters (rule m.20 subparagraph 4.b), and…
This seems like a silly question. After all, modern fencing weapons (foils, sabres, and epees) don’t have pointy ends, just blunt tips. But our modern weapons are of some antiquity in their design, designs that come from fully functional weapons built to inflict puncture wounds. And our rules in two…
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…
One of the recurring statements that coaches hear is “I don’t know what happened.” You are fencing a bout, your opponent hits you, and you don’t know how. You are fencing a bout, you attack your opponent, the opponent defeats your attack, and you don’t know how. You are fencing…
Over the past four weeks the Salle has taught a pilot test version of a new mini-course developed by the Classical Academy of Arms, the Art of the Duel. This four session class gives classical and modern fencers a detailed look at the etiquette, process, technique, and tactics of the…