September 20, 2010 Lesson Summary

[Don Conrad Uy - Tampa Bay Fencers]

It is often that we hear fencing described as "Human Chess". Our drill
today really was about the first moves. Specifically, the attack to
the low outside line from advance lunge distance. I limited it to two
options: a direct or indirect (i.e. low-high, feint-disengage).

A: Attack (Feint) into low outside line from adv-lunge distance with
an adv lunge
B: Defend with a low line parry (any time during the adv-lunge
attack).
A: Disengage to high line if warranted

We repeated this each side. We then continued the action:

B: If A feint-disengages; parry high line to riposte.

After repeats of this we continue the actions further:

A: Parry counter-riposte

Observations:
- Over-penetrating with the lunge is not conducive to extending the
phrase. In other words, both parties end up too close. This is
essentially reducing the fight to a coin toss/ rock-paper-scissers
(RPS). In sport fencing we can do this, either hit on or off target
until the lights say stop. In real a real duel or blade fight, this is
simply fatal stupidity. Fix: control the distance of your lunge! That
is why we leave the rear leg behind and on the floor, otherwise we are
not doing a lunge, but a half-fast running attack. The lunge is a
longer reach attack but is only useful if you are able to continue to
defend yourself at the terminus of the lunge.

- Related to the above. Try not to feint too deeply. The feint should
not be deeper than the defender's guard. The quick onset and initial
"convincing value" of the feint should compel the defender to
implement his defense -- not proximity. A feint that is too deep
(behind the guard) then the attacker will have to disengage around the
parrying arm. If just in front of the guard, light and precise finger
work makes for a lightning-fast but efficient disengage.

- Astutely observed by Matt R, it is a bit of a challenge to react to
a parry sometimes when attacking low-line. To relax the attacking arm
seems counter-intuitive to most. The reason we must relax the
extending/attacking arm is to achieve faster tactile reaction times. A
rigid attacking arm is easy to parry against because it is slow to
react. A supple/relaxed arm is much faster since the transmission is
not hindered by the muscle's tension. It takes time to "release" your
muscles from being tensed.

Call outs:
- Marcin D - The body cord is in my bag. Your actions sometimes seem
like the timing and executions is on rails. It is OK to have a long
lunge, but not if it sacrifices overall mobility and the ability to
continue your phrases (i.e. survive longer). Carry the point to the
target! Your target accuracy improved to 100% accuracy when you took
the quick nanosecond to choose your target. Reminder: press disengage.
Good luck at the competition this weekend. If you have some good
exercises to develop our core strength, I'm going to put you up to
doing the calisthenics next Monday.

- Steve Y. Our drills focused on getting you to loosen up. I truly
feel this is the path to better awareness and faster reaction times.
It is OK to execute your solutions, but if you do not maintain
sensitivity throughout the action. Key actions to work on: parry 4
disengage and the parry 4 counter combination. Wax on / wax off,
fencer.

- Welcome Chris and Wyatt. I we hope to see you guys again soon! We
always are excited to see other fencers. From what I observed, your
fencing skills won't put a drag on the average.

- Matt R. It's becoming increasingly difficult to find stuff to work
on since your skills against me are getting much better. I have to
start fencing with multiple personalities against you. The "check
blade - lunge-action" seemed to provide some nice results. The
recovery as a way to close the low outside line is a sensible and
reasonable solution.

It took a good 5 minutes before my abs stopped burn-spasming me.
Ouch. Getting flashbacks.


Salutes.