Footwork in fencing

In a fencing bout, a great deal depends on beingsame amount. To move backwards, the
in the right place at the right time. Fencers areprocedure is reversed. The order in which the
constantly manoeuvring in and out of each other'sfeet are moved is important, and, if the fencer
range, accelerating, decelerating, changinggets it wrong, he may end up with a dangerously
directions and so on. All this has to be done withnarrow and unbalanced stance half way through
minimum effort and maximum grace, whichthe step. Having said that, like all rules, this one
makes footwork arguably the most importantcan sometimes be broken to great effect.
aspect of a fencer's training regime. In fact, in theThe most common way of delivering an attack in
first half of the 20th century it was commonfencing is the lunge, where the fencer kicks out
practice to put fencers through six months to awith his front foot and rapidly straightens his back
year of footwork before they were ever allowedleg. This maneuver has a number of advantages:
to hold a sword. (For better or for worse, thisit is faster than a step, it allows the fencer to
practice has now been largely abandoned.) Modernkeep his own body as far away from the
fencing tends to be quite linear. To some extentopponent as is possible without losing balance, and
this may be dictated by the practicalities of fittingit is comparatively easy to return into the fencing
the maximum number of fencers into a finite sizestance. On the downside, the lunge puts the
gym and hooking them up to the electronicfencer in a comparatively static position, and any
scoring apparatus. The main reason, however, isfurther movement backwards or forwards, while
that the weapons are light and easy to redirect.by no means impossible, does require extra
Sideways movement, which was a commoneffort.
defense against an attack with a comparativelySometimes fencers do take the more "natural"
unwieldy weapon like the rapier, is now a prettykind of steps steps, where the back foot passes
unreliable tactic against a competent opponent.the front foot.
These days, defense by footwork usually takesThese are usually referred to as cross-steps.
the shape of moving either directly away fromWhile cross-steps do have the advantage of
your opponent (out of his range) or directlyrange and speed, they put a fencer in an
towards him (making the attack "overshoot").awkward and frequently unbalanced position
The way fencers stand and move often appearsmid-step, which is why experienced fencers tend
artificial to a novice, but it has evolved overto use them sparingly. A somewhat exaggerated
centuries of trial and error and is, in fact,version of the cross-step, sometimes used to
extremely pragmatic. The most basic requirementdeliver an attack in foil or épée, is the
is to face your opponent in such a way that yourfleche ("arrow" in French). In the fléche, the
weapon offers you maximal protection and yourfencer leans forward and takes a long running
opponent maximal threat. Consequently fencerscross-step, generating most of the thrust with his
tend to stand somewhat side-on to the principalfront leg. Ideally, the hit delivered with a
direction of movement (the fencing line), leadingfléche should arrive as or just before the
with the weapon side (right for a right-hander, leftfencer's front foot hits the ground. In sabre
for a left-hander). In foil and épée thiscross-steps have been prohibited since the 1990s,
has the added advantage of presenting thebecause they make for very boring fencing. In a
opponent with a sloping target surface, making itreal fight (one involving sharp weapons), a running
more difficult for him to land a sound hit. Theattack would be an extremely risky thing to try:
second most important requirement is to maintainthere is always the possibility of a last-minute
balance and ease of movement. In the fencingcounterattack with both fencers ending up dead.
stance the feet are a shoulderwidth or moreBecause of the priority rules (and the fact that
apart giving a wide base. They are also placed atthe weapons are blunt), this issue does not come
right angles to one another: the front foot pointsup in competitive sabre. Given the large scoring
along the fencing line, and the back footsurface (the entire blade), a well delivered running
perpendicular to it.attack is nigh impossible to defend against
This allows the fencer to "shuffle" backwards and— it is impossible to move backwards
forwards, which is the most common mode offast enough.
movement (more about that in the nextVariations and portions of the above movements
paragraph).can also be used by themselves. For example, a
Finally, the knees are well bent and the centre ofcheck-step forward is performed by moving the
gravity is kept mid way between the heels. Theback foot as in a retreat, then performing an
fencer is now in a position where he is wellentire advance. This maneuver can trick your
balanced, able to use his leg muscles to generateopponent into thinking that you are retreating,
rapid bursts of speed and change directions withwhen in reality you are about to close distance.
comparative ease.Other footwork actions include the appel (French
As was already mentioned, fencers tend to movefor "call"), which is a stomp designed to upset the
with series of "shuffling" steps, which allow themopponent's perception of rhythm, and the
to stay in the fencing stance. In order to moveballestra, which is a "hopping" step commonly used
forwards, the fencer picks up his front foot, putsas a preparation for attacks (the back foot
it down a few inches ahead of its original position,leaves the ground, while the front foot is still in
then picks up his back foot and moves it by themid-air; both feet come down at the same time).