Routine Lesson Plan

Objective

To improve mobility, technique, timing and distance and blade presentation of pupil and coach.

Exercises

1. Hitting

All actions to be performed at the following distances

• Hit from riposte distance.
• Hit with a step.
• Hit with a half-lunge.
• Hit with a lunge.
• Hit with a step-lunge.
• Hit with a step back and lunge.

1. From absence of Blade: Hit direct.
2. Start from blades engaged: Pupil hits and covers simultaneously.
3. From Absence of Blade, pupil avoids coach closing the lines of sixte, quarte, septime and octave. For More advanced fencers also use pronated covering actions.
4. As (c), pupil avoids coach closing two consequetive lines.

2. Simple Indirect Attacks

Disengage, counter-disengage and cut-over with mobility

1. On coach's attempt to engage.
2. From Blades Engaged
3. Pupil precedes attack engaging in sixte or quarte, attacks on covering action.

3. Parries and Direct Repostes (Simple, Circular, and Semi-circular Parries)

All actions to be performed at the following distances

• Parry and riposte by arm only
• Parry and step back - riposte by arm only.
• Step forward and parry-riposte by arm only
• Parry and step back - riposte with lunge

1. Coach attacks at his discretion.
2. Pupil raises or lowers point to invite attack
3. Pupil engages to invite attack.
4. Pupil beats to invite counter beat attack.
5. Add mobility to all of the above.

4. Timing Exercises

1. Coach steps forwards, steps back, pupil launches attack on the coach's next step forward.
2. Coach steps forwards and engages, steps back, pupil launches attack on the coach's attempt to re-engage with next step forward.

Alternative

1. Coach lunges and pupil steps back to avoid being hit and launches attack on the coach's recovery.
2. Coach lunges and pupil steps back to avoid being hit and launches indirect attack on the coach's recovery and closure of the line.

5. First Counter Riposte

1. On coach's invitation.
2. Pupil initiates action using a variety of preparations, coach makes sure that false attack is convincing.
3. First counter-reposte indirect with lunge from return to on-guard position.

6. Step Lunge

Working on progression, speed and distance (on the step and on the lunge.)

1. From engagement or absence of blade.
2. Using a preparation as the rear foot hits the floor.

7. Indirect Ripostes

Using all parries emphasising distance on the indirect riposte.

• Close in
• Riposte distance
• With a step
• With a lunge
• With a flèche

8. Compound Attacks

Progressive and two time using a variety of actions e.g. one-two, doublé, straight thrust-disengage, cut-over disengage.

1. Two-Time
   • Static
   • Step Forward
   • Step Back
   • Balestra
   • Balestra flèche
2. Progressive

9. Successive Parries

Use a variety of parries building up to four successive parries. Coach's depth of blade will cause pupil to decide whether or not to step back with parries.

• Quarte, counter-quarte, sixte, counter-sixte, riposte by one-two
• Counter-sixte, octave, quarte, sixte, riposte by doublé

10. Counter Riposting Exercise (Fourth Counter Reposte)

• Quarte direct, quarte disengage, quarte one-two.
  Use a variety of footwork, timing and distance e.g. Quarte direct with step back, quarte disengage with lunge, return to guard quarte one-two with flèche.

Conclusion

On all of the above, coach must give verbal instruction before initiating any action. Keep verbal instruction to a minimum e.g.

"Step forward, progressive one-two"
"Quarte disengage riposte. Step back with the parry, lunge with the reposte"

Praise

Give it when it is due.