sword

This was a monthly coaching club run from June 2003 to May 2005 by Prof. Mike Law. It was designed for fencers who are just starting to coach, coaches who wish to improve their skills and/or studying for coaching awards up to and including Diploma level.

Since Mike's retirement the course has relocated to Hemel Hempstead under Prof. Chris Norden.

Contents
 

Routine Lessons

Used to sharpen up the fencer, and consists of strokes which are already known. Should contain sufficient variety to avoid mechanical repetition.

Basic Skills

  1. How to stand as a coach - position of feet and presentation of the arm at an appropriate height for a pupil don't step in range to complete the hit, as this encourages counter attacking.
  2. How to return a pupil to Engarde - pressure gliding up the blade to the pupil's hilt.
  3. The routine lesson - simple presentation of simple actions with an emphasis on movement as a coach: e.g.
    1. Coach attacks direct in quarte
    2. Pupil parries quarte and repostes
    3. Coach returns pupil engarde using the blade and a opens line
    4. Pupil attacks in opening line
    5. Coach returns pupil engarde using the blade and repeat
  4. As above but with addition of movement
    1. Coach attacks with a step direct in quarte
    2. Pupil step back, parries quarte and repostes
    3. Coach returns pupil engarde using the blade, steps back and a opens line
    4. Pupil lunges into opening line
    5. Coach returns pupil engarde using the blade and repeat
  5. Further development - vary the parry, try to coach with non-fencing hand.
  6. Get the pupil to keep distance with coach and perform a given action:
    1. Parry quarte and reposte
    2. Disengage lunge
    3. Counter-disengage lunge
    4. Parry circular sixte + reposte
    5. Disengage - counter disengage
    6. Cutover etc, etc.

Attack and Defence

  1. Start with simple direct attacks - make an opening at let the pupil respond.
    consider the range of possible distances:
    1. Close fighting
    2. Extension of arm only
    3. Step and extend
    4. Small lunge
    5. Full lunge
    6. Step-lunge
    7. Flèche
  2. Start close, make opening, replace pupil engarde and gradually increase the distance. Then mix up the distances.
  3. For the pupil engarde in sixte, attack in outside high-line to draw a parry quarte reposte. Add in movement but remain at fencing distance, vary the lesson, but keep the required response simple through altering
    1. Tempo - ensure that timing is irregular between attacks.
    2. Lateral position - attack at centre/edge of chest or with angulation - ensure that the parry covers appropriately
    3. Vertical position - attack shoulder/chest/belly - for low line to draw a parry of quarte by lowering the hand but pointing the tip above the horizontal.
    4. Depth - Attack deep/medium/shallow - ensure appropriate hand positioning to maintain forte to foible for the parry - note that although a shallow attack in itself is unlikely to draw a parry,it would do so if it were the first action of a one-two.
    5. Preparation - engage either side of the blade prior to attack, change of engagement prior to attack, beat etc.
  4. Combine attack and defence as outlined above.

Technique, Timing and Distance

  1. Pick a routine stroke, and offer it to the pupil three times, emphasising in turn, the technique, timing and distance aspects of the stroke e.g. take a parry reposte -
    1. Technique - Require the fencer to reposte to a specific target area OR
      Require a tidy execution of the parry.
    2. Timing - Get the fencer to only parry when blade is fully presented - try to avoid a repeated rhythmic exchange.
    3. Distance - The coach offers the blade and immediately alters distance by stepping forward/back.
  2. Repeat the above, but combine two aspects at once e.g. for timing and distance, get the fencer moving, offer the blade at irregular intervals and alter the required reposting distance as needed.
  3. For a complete routine lesson, cycle through each individual aspect and combinations of technique, timing and distance. Try to include logical progressions of strokes:
    1. Increasing complexity - e.g. reposte direct, reposte indirect, reposte with doublé
    2. A stroke followed by the negation of that stroke - e.g. one-two followed by successive parries
    Note that to include the distance aspect, it is necessary to get the fencer moving, and that constant movement can be quite tiring - alleviate this by adding 'Active Rest' - i.e. returning to simple static actions to allow the fencer to recover for a while before moving again.

Variety in the Routine Lesson

  1. To avoid a long series of repetitive actions in the routine lesson, consider the actions offered to be the sides of a scalene triangle:
    1. Straighten the arm to attack - pupil should respond with an appropriate parry-reposte.
    2. Move arm across to offer an opening - pupil should exploit the open line offered.
    3. Move arm across to parry the pupil's attack - the pupil should respond with an appropriate disenagement.
    Offer each of the actions in turn, mix the order and vary the line, also consider timing and distance.
  2. When calling a stroke for the pupil to execute, as well as intiating actions with absence of blade, variety can be achieved by gettting the pupil to respond to some other preparation.
    e.g. The coach can initiate a series of actions:
    1. Each with a beat.
    2. Each with a one-two.
    3. Each from an engagement of prime.
  3. Change the degree of control during the lesson:
    1. Tight control - coach get the pupil to respond as required by voice or by the stimulus of the coach's action e.g. "as I engage in quarte, disenage-attack"
    2. Choice reaction - pupil responds to the coach with one of a series of agreed actions e.g. "feint quarte disenage attack, but if I parry sixte take a second disenagement"
    3. Loose control - pupil should make an agreed action when he believes is tactically correct. e.g. "when keeping distance, watch for openings and beat-attack direct if we are at full lunge distance." Note that the action is dictacted a combination of the coach's actions (offering the blade, change of direction) with the distance kept by the fencer.
    4. Loose control - "As I attack, take a parry and reposte as you see fit"
  4. Build up the complexity of actions - e.g for a series counter repostes:
    1. Parry Quarte - Reposte (static)
    2. Parry Quarte - Reposte, Parry Quarte - Reposte (static)
    3. As above, but step back on the last action to ellicit a lunge.
    4. Repeat with movement.

Progression in the Routine Lesson

  1. Start with blade awareness using the triangle technique detailed above.
  2. Continue with voice commands, ask the fencer to make a specific action. The command should be completed before the blade is offered
  3. Combine actions to build up the complexity:
    1. Single action to multiple actions
      Parry Quarte - Reposte; Quarte - Reposte - Quarte - Reposte;
      Parry Quarte - Reposte; Quarte - Circular Quarte - Reposte;
    2. Simple action to compound.
      Reposte Direct; Reposte One-Two;
    3. Static to moving.
  4. Take three actions and offer them consecutively, then offer combinations of the first & second and second & third before offering all three.
    1. Compound attack; indirect reposte; semi-circular parry.
    2. Action on blade; successive parries; compound reposte.
    3. Envelopement; bind; derobement.

Routine Lesson - Counter Repostes

  1. To clue the counter parry, try the following tic-tac exercise - get the fencer to reply to a beat with a beat, counter-beat etc. varying timing and blade presentation.
  2. Appart from varying the parry, there are numerous possibilites for the reposte
    1. Reposte direct
    2. Reposte indirect (with disengagement, counter-disengagement or cutover)
    3. Reposte with a one-two
    4. Reposte with a doublé
  3. Each parry-reposte can be made
    1. Without movement
    2. With movement after each action
    3. With movement after selected actions.
    Note that the offering of the blade must be sufficiently deep, that a parry should be required. Movement maybe forward or backwards. When the coach is parrying the reposte, a parry with the foible maybe acceptable to maintain sufficient speed.
  4. Combine with progression to obtain a series of direct and indirect repostes from differing guards, with or without succession.

Warm Up Lesson vs Routine Lesson

  1. Compare an contrast the aims of a routine lesson and a warm-up
    1. Warm Up is used to "get the fencer's eye in" - i.e. build confidence, sharpen reaction, incremental stretching either prior to or between rounds of a competition.
    2. Routine Lesson is used to sharpen up the fencer, prior to further instruction, or as a means in itself.
  2. For the warm-up lesson, progress through the various actions required, altering one aspect only e.g.
    1. A series of direct thrusts at increasing distances.
    2. A series of quarte parries with reposte to differing target areas.
    3. A series of beat attacks of increasing complexity (direct, indirect, compound)
  3. For the routine lesson, progress through the various actions required, adding in technique, timing and distance, individually or together
    1. An Action
      e.g. Parry Quarte - Reposte Direct.
    2. An Action with additional technique
      e.g. Parry Quarte - Reposte Direct; Parry Quarte - Reposte Direct.
    3. An Action with additional distance
      e.g. Parry Quarte - Reposte Direct; Parry Quarte - Reposte Direct with Lunge.
  4. For either type of lesson, offer no more than three or four actions of the same type before moving on to another stroke. As usual, move from simple to compound, static to moving.

Routine Épée Lesson

  1. Start with a static hitting exercise in opposition, pupil should hit to body whilst covered. This should increase confidence in not parrying unnecessarily or parrying too wide.
    1. Offer the action as a stop hit
    2. Offer the action as a parry-reposte
    3. Offer the action as an attack
    Note that circular sixte is the obvious parry if restricting reposte to body, other parries would lead to open lines to arm/wrist which would be closer and therefore should be pursued instead.
  2. Repeat with movement.
  3. Attacks with angulation offer a wider variety of potential targets
    1. Elbow - inside and outside.
    2. Wrist - inside, above and below
    3. Thigh
    Alternative targets of foot, head etc should not be used excessively as they expose the arm to a stop hit The outside of the wrist would also leave the fencer exposed to counter-attack but can be used against left-hander.
  4. Attacks with detatchment have similar large range of targets - the attack must land quickly or the guard must block the line of any counter-action.
  5. Addition of remise and redouble to all actions detailed above.
  6. For a continuity hitting exercise, consider an action to target as stop-hit/attack/parry-reposte with remise and redouble, then repeat altering target.

Special Lessons

Introduction of new ideas and/or development of an existing stroke.

Special Lesson - The Hit

  1. Consider the various different way of executing the hit:
    1. Distance: - e.g. Very close quarters, 'Fencing distance' etc.
    2. Hits to a specific part of the target
    3. Hits in full supination/opination and all angles in between
    4. Hits to with angulation to get around an obstacle.
  2. Combine the warm-up lesson with a special lesson on the hit.

Special Lesson - Hitting Distances at Épée

  1. Consider the three target distances at épée:
    1. Wrist - ensure the target is sufficiently visible to encourage the pupil to attack and fix the point
    2. Elbow - almost the same as chest - need to distinguish between them
    3. Chest
  2. Introduce combinations e.g. wrist redouble to elbow
  3. Repeat with opposition e.g offer blade, circular parry reposte wrist remise elbow

Special Lesson - Indirect Attacks

  1. Three different types - disengage, counter-disengage and cut-over, however there are only two visual clues - i.e. coach attempts to close the line on the left/right of the blade. Decide which response is required to which stimulus.
  2. Consider distance and movement - attempt engagement at the various distances for a disengage-lunge response. Note that at longer distances it is more appropriate to step forward and engage the blade first, to move within the reaction distance. Since indirect attacks are only usually successful into preparation, it is appropriate to clue the fencer to attack by stepping forward.
    1. Place fencer engarde, attempt to engage - get them to disengage-hit and repeat with varying distance.
    2. Move with the fencer - only disenage-lunge when at a specific distance (e.g. short lunge only.)
  3. Consider disenage attacks initiated from different guard positions and to specific parts of the target - clue by covering/exposing different areas or shifting the body appropriately.

Special Lesson - Indirect Attacks with Opposition at Épée

  1. Present the blade offering elbow or body, pupil executes disengage clockwise or anti- clockwise ensuring the opponent's blade is caught in a small triangle against the bell/forte before hitting. Add angulation to change target area.
  2. Cutover - not often used, tends to expose target, however consider engage in octave, cutover to foot.
  3. Introduce combinations e.g. disengage-hit-remise-redouble; stop-hit-disengage-remise-redouble; parry-circular-sixte-disengage-hit-remise-redouble.

Special Lesson - Indirect Repostes

  1. Indirect repostes consist of three types - parries followed by disengage, counter-disengage and cut-over. Combine each type with a specific parry e.g. :
    1. Parry quarte - counter-disengage
    2. Parry circular sixte - disengage
    3. Parry octave - cut-over
    Offer each of the above in order, then follow this by mixing the order.
  2. Repeat the above combinations, but as a series of counter-repostes rather than separate actions - it is important for the coach to take an appropriate parry-reposte in between each action to continue the series. Note that some combinations are more intuitive than others.
  3. Consider adding technique, timing and distance as outlined under the routine lessons.
  4. Further complexity maybe introduced by adding in Prise-de-fer:
    1. Parry quarte - bind to octave.
    2. Parry circular sixte - envelopement.

Special Lesson - Indirect Repostes at Épée

  1. Introduce combinations as with Indirect attacks e.g. parry-disengage-hit-remise-redouble; parry-counter-disengage-hit-remise-redouble;
  2. Alter the target offered:
    1. For repostes with opposition open the target area, e.g slightly lower the elbow for elbow hits or slightly lower the wrist for wrist hits.
    2. For repostes with angulation close the target area by straightening the arm.
    3. For other parts of the target, twist the body as appropriate.
  3. Repeat the above combinations, but as a series of counter-repostes rather than separate actions as above.

Special Lesson - Compound Attacks

  1. Compound attacks are actions made up of a series of disengagements, and consist of three types :
    1. Progressive - disenagements and footwork occur concurrently. Progressive compound attacks are used against those who parry late, or against predicable opponents. Note that a progressive compound attack cannot be used at close range - use a disengagement instead.
    2. Two-Time - disenagements and footwork occur consecutively. Two-time attacks are used against those who parry early, or against unpredicable opponents. Since bladework and footwork are separate it would be possible to combine two time with progression, but not vice-versa.
    3. Broken time - a compound attack where there is a withdrawal of blade which would result in loss of Right of Way. For broken-time attacks, consider as progressive, but opportunistically break off to deliver the final hit (e.g. three-quarter doublé with cutover to flank.)

Longer Special Lessons

  1. Start the lesson with a routine warm-up for approximately 5 minutes. This is also an opportunity for the coach to warm-up as well.
  2. Consider the elements that make up the action which is the subject of the lesson, take each of them in turn. For example:
    1. With circular parries, break up into the parry and the reposte
    2. For first counter reposte break up into the attack, the parry and counter reposte
  3. For each element consider technique, timing and distance.
    For example with a parry:
    1. take the parry higher
    2. take the parry lower
    3. take the parry further to the left
    4. take the parry further to the right
    5. take the parry deeper
    6. take the parry shallower
    7. take the parry after engagement
    8. take the parry after a beat
  4. Repeat with another action from the same class (e.g. circular sixte, circular quarte)
  5. Continue adding elements to build up the complete action.

Class Lessons

  1. Introduction - say what you are going to do, but keep it short.
  2. Demonstration - consider context in which you would use the action you wish to demonstrate, and set up your stooge accordingly.
    1. For disengagement, stooge attempts an engagement
    2. For simple parry, stooge attempts direct attack
    3. For beat-disengage stooge attempts simple parry
    4. For successive parries stooge attempts compound attack
    5. For prise-de-fer stooge takes point in line
    Coach should always demonstrate the action. Repeat from different angles and sides.
  3. Explanation - consider the salient coaching points of the action, what to do and how to do it, this will form the basis of the class exercise(s).
  4. Class Exercise - split the exercise into atomic actions, and get the pupils to do each item in turn, and then combine them together. Emphasis on getting the corrent movement before introducing speed. Extend the exercise by:
    1. Additional complexity (e.g. add an additional parry),
    2. Modification of the action (e.g. change parry from quarte to prime)
    3. Emphasise one aspect of the exercise (e.g. timing)
  5. The level of attention in the class will vary with age. Don't expect more than half an hour's concentrated effort with adults down to five minutes or so with younger children. If concentration is drifting, move on to another activity or exercise. It may be possible to use something within an activity to regain the attention of the class for another exercise.


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