SIMPLE ATTACK.
The drills in this sequence are useful for developing many
of the skills and abilities-both mental and physical-necessary to successful fencing. These
skills include weapon control, body control, balance, conditioning, distance perception, distance maintenance, timing, and
conceptualization of tactics. The following progressions will prove excellent in group settings. First, the students
learn to execute a simple direct attack; then they learn to execute it at the right time and distance by utilizing distance
stealing footwork. The progression then takes the students through a series that begins to address sentiment
de fer-feeling for the blade (both the fencer’s own blade and the opponents blade)-and control of the opponents
weapon by the preparations of engagements and change of engagements.
DIRECT ATTACK AND RETREAT AS DEFENSE.
Progression for Direct Attack and Retreat as Defense.
In the early phases of learning, students should be
instructed to hold the final position of thrusts and lunges briefly to learn the feeling of the touch. Holding a position
momentarily allows students the time to concentrate on form and make self-corrections. This is known as fixing. Each exercise
should be repeated for a set amount of time or for a set number of trials. The former is preferred since beginners tend to
work too fast and carelessly, as if it were the mere number of repetitions that lead to improvement rather than repetition
with attention to the details.
Paired
Drills. V
Part 1: Distance
awareness-Tutorial drills.
a.
From extension distance: The attacker extends the arm and touches the opponents target, holding briefly and then recovering.
b. From lunging distance:
Lunge and touch the opponents target, hold, and recover to on guard.
c. From advance lunge distance: Advance lunge and touch the opponents
target, hold, and recover to on guard.
Part
2,: Defense by retreat-Tutorial drills.
a.
The attacker lunges, and the defender takes one retreat to avoid being touched. The defender is not to lean backwards.
b. The attacker executes an advance lunge, and the
defender takes two retreats to avoid being touched.
NOTE,. The students may find that the designated steps in these defense-by-retreat drills are either
not enough or perhaps too much. Students must learn to assess each situation and respond appropriately. Some opponents will
require three small retreats to escape from the advance lunge, while others can be avoided with one large retreat.
Part 3,: Direct attack-Exchange drill.
The following progression includes two exercises (b and c below) that introduce very basic distance-stealing
footwork tactics. The tactics introduced are sometimes referred to as hypnotism tactics. We recommend that fencing
teachers include various other distance-stealing footwork tactics in addition to those introduced in this manual (see footnote
10).
a. Attacker
lunges to body; defender takes one or two balanced and complete retreats as the tactic to avoid the touch;
the attacker recovers from the lunge and the fencers then reverse roles so that this becomes a continuous exchange drill.
b. The designated
attacker first establishes a set pattern of movement, e.g. advance, retreat,
retreat. The pattern should be very simple and not include more than four steps. The defender must follow the attacker’s
footwork pattern, allowing the attacker to predict the defenders movement. After repeating the pattern several times, the
objective for the attacker is to break the pattern at an appropriate moment and execute a direct attack just as the defender
begins to advance. Fencers reverse roles after each attempted attack.
c. This time the designated defender sets a footwork pattern,
e.g, advance, advance, retreat. Again the pattern should be very simple and limited to no more than four steps. The
attacker uses the defender’s pattern to his or her advantage and attempts to attack on the defender’s advance
with a direct attack. The defender may attempt to avoid the touch with a retreat. Fencers reverse roles after each attempted
attack.
d. Utilizing the
basic distance-stealing footwork in the above drills or any other distance-stealing tactics that may have been introduced,
the attacker leads footwork and then may employ a distance-stealing technique to gain critical distance and attack. As soon
as the attacker begins to recover from the lunge the fencers immediately reverse roles so that this becomes a continuous exchange
drill.
