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Article #3: How to move in fencing

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As we discussed in the previous lessons, simple. Peel the toes of the front foot
the fencing stance is intregal to the off floor, kick the foot forward from the
success of the fencer. Placing the body knee (without lifting the knee or the
in the best compromise between comfort hip) until the leg is nearly straight,
and effectiveness is essential for plant the heel again (which causes the
minimizing the target area while allowing body to move forward) and then allow the
for freedom to advance and retreat. It is toes to roll back down to the floor. The
the advance and retreat, which we are rear foot should be lifted at the knee,
going to discuss today. brought forward until the feet are again
Movement up and down the strip is what about shoulder width apart and planted
controls the bout. We talked in the last firmly back to the ground with a light
lesson about fencing distance. Fencing stomp. You should end in exactly the same
distance is the optimal distance a fencer position you were in before the step, one
attempts to maintain from his/her step further down the strip. This seems
opponent, where they are close enough to like a difficult and detailed way to say
launch a successful attack, and yet far “take a step”, however this process
enough away to defend or outdistance an is more important than it seems.
opposing attack. This distance usually Stance (Slightly too far forward.) The
falls around one and a half blade lengths Step (Note that shoulders remain level
from the opponent and the obvious fallacy throughout step.) One of the goals to
of it should jump immediately to mind. advancing and retreating is to maintain
With all but the most mis-matched fencers as much solid contact with the ground for
(in the area of height and reach) once a as long as possible. A primary factor in
fencer has moved close enough to attack, the constant jockeying for position is
he/she has also moved close enough to be how suddenly the need to advance can turn
attacked. So how does one maintain into the need for retreat. Being caught
“fencing distance?” The answer is with one foot off the ground, off
dynamically, by moving into and out of balance, when your opponent suddenly
attack distance as your strategy lunges makes it difficult to distance
requires. yourself from the attack forcing you to
This constant changing of the distance, completely depend on the parry. If the
forward and back is, perhaps, the parry fails, you lose. Regardless of the
greatest single offensive and defensive success of the parry, a riposte' would be
tool. Each fencer attempts to maintain difficult without retreating.
distance to his or her advantage while This step allows for the foot to be off
maintaining sync with their strategy’s the ground for the minimum amount of
timing. A properly timed advance will add time. The kicking forward motion holds a
speed and surprise to an attack, whereas secret as well. Next time you are at the
an appropriately timed retreat will mall, watch how people walk. The relaxed
devastate the best executed counter walking we do in our day-to-day errands
attack by simply causing it to fall short is really more of a controlled fall. We
of the target. thrust our weight forward, and catch
If any of you have taken the opportunity ourselves in a sort of loping action.
to visit the “Fencing Footage” site This is terrible for fencing on two
listed with the links, you will see that levels. First, if during the falling
movement is the vital part of attack and forward portion of the step your
defense. You will also see on this site, opponent, again, lunges you are left with
unfortunately, people advancing and little option as well as being completely
retreating in manners completely off balance. This can be enough to ruin a
contradictory to this article, which retreat and a parry.
stands to emphasize the two laws of any Second, the loping motion brings your
athletic training… 1. Master proper target off defense from your arm. Each
form first. bounce up opens your lower torso to
2. Do whatever it takes to score the attack and each bounce down opens the
point (within the rules of the game and upper torso. As it is relatively easy to
sportsmanship) including ignoring rule predict which part of the body will open
number one. up as you are loping down into the step,
The moral of these rules are, of course, it creates a perfect opportunity for an
that without proper form it is impossible attack.
to generate the foundation from which one The step we have created here will keep
may take ‘artistic license.’ The the body level and balanced. Although, it
basics of advancing and retreating in a is necessary to come slightly off
controlled, balanced manner is key to balance, simply to remove the forward
controlling your timing, and ruining the foot from the floor, the motion is
timing of your opponent. subtle, fast and low which allows for
When I was instructing, I preferred to balance to be immediately recovered the
have my students drill in the advance and instant the forward foot is again dropped
retreat for weeks before even allowing to the floor regardless of at what point
them a foil. during the step it is dropped. This
As we recall, the basic stance is allows for an advance to be reversed
obtained as follows… 1. Stand straight, instantly into a retreat (and vice versa
facing forward, with both feet together again) if necessary. Remember, the step
at the heels. is performed from the knees and not the
2. Rotate the left foot (if you are hip as when walking normally.
right-handed. Reverse this if you are The peeling of the foot off the floor,
left-handed) to a 90-degree position and the rolling return are important as
relative to the right foot. The heels well, however mostly for safety. As you
should still be touching. master the advance and the retreat, you
3. With the right, or forward foot, step will begin moving up and down the length
forward until the feet are about shoulder of the strip at surprising speeds. This
width apart. This change will peeling is vital to keeping the toe from
automatically turn the body to the side. inadvertently catching the floor. At
The feet are still at right angles. these speeds, and in the middle of a
4. Bend at the knees equally (as if you bout, there is nothing more frustrating
were squatting down), until the knees are and dangerous than a full speed face
directly above the toes. This is where plant. Not to mention that if the fall is
the really sore muscles come from, but is onto your opponent, you will lose the
the imperative part of the stance from point and perhaps the bout.
which the movement is generated. Now, the The retreat is very similar, however
compromise. Your body should have reversed. To step back, the rear foot is
naturally turned to face in the direction lifted slightly at the knee (again there
the rear foot is pointing. This turn should be little or no raise in the hip)
slims your target from the view of your kicked back and placed to the ground
opponent, making it harder to hit. You again. The body is then pulled back by
wish to turn as much as possible the rear foot as the front foot is
(slimming the target as much as possible) “peeled, placed and rolled” as before
without the stance becoming awkward, or and then balance is centered between both
causing the forward knee to move off-line feet again. The front foot should be
from over the toe. The amount of this peeled from the toe, placed on the heel
turn will vary from competitor to and rolled to the toe just as in the
competitor. You will need to experiment advance…not reversed. One of the
to find your position. At this point, secrets to the rear step (as well as the
your body should be balanced between your last part of the advance step) is that
feet such that a straight line drawn from the rear foot should be lifted as a
the tip of your nose, through the center single unit and placed as a single unit,
of the groin, will fall exactly with almost a stomp. You do not want to
equidistant between your feet. Keep the lift either the toes or heel first on the
back straight and avoid hunching or rear foot, but rather the entire foot.
sticking the buttocks out. The rear foot is your anchor. It is where
5. With the knees bent and the body the strength and push for your attacks
turned, turn your face to look at your come from and it is the pull which allows
opponent and raise your forward (or for a quick retreat and recovery from
sword) arm towards your opponent. The arm lunges.
will remain bent at the elbow and This foot needs to be as firmly attached
straight at the wrist, and should form a to the ground, and as often, as possible.
90-degree angle at the elbow. The elbow That is simply (and I DO use the term
should be about one fist’s length from loosely) the whole of it. What is hard is
the body and the hand (or point of the the mastery. Aside from the tired, shaky
blade) should be pointing at the eyes of feeling most of you are probably having
the opponent. in your thigh muscles right now (this is
6. The rear arm’s position will vary fantastic for the glutes, by the way) the
depending on the weapon, however the step must be practiced religiously to
basic stance (based on foil) will curl up maintain speed, balance, anchor and
behind the head for balance. To do this, smoothness. The body must not bounce when
point the rear arm exactly away from the steps, forward or back, are taken. One of
opponent, level with the shoulder. Bend the drills I have my students practice is
the arm at the elbow so there is a to fill a bowl of water and carry it in
90-degree bend and then allow the hand to the forward hand instead of a sword.
fall relaxed. This relaxation is also The student then advances to the end of
necessary for balance and speed. the strip, and retreats to the other end
This basic stance provides an easily of the strip without spilling the water
defendable position with a minimum of and, eventually, without allowing it to
target showing, opens the lungs for good ripple. The graduation from this exercise
respiration and allows for a relaxed is to be able to advance and retreat at
position to advance and retreat. The full speed with the water brimming above
balance should be dead center between the the edge of the bowl and not spill a
feet, with weight equally on both feet. drop. Just as a word of encouragement,
If this feels uncomfortable, wait till we the “graduation” from this drill
start moving. Most beginning fencers usually takes 15 or twenty years. Try it.
discover muscles they never knew existed. At minimum your will get the best leg
The forward movement is relatively workout of your life.






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