Academic-Capital

The fencing flick is a move that would likely make the traditionalists cringe when seeing it in tournament. The action is so quick fencers have a hard time formulating a proper defense. It is not generally taught at the college level under traditional curriculum and came into existence after the invention of the electronic fencing sword. Because it is not widely known or taught it can be a powerful tool to overcoming an opponent’s defenses.  The flick occurs when an attacker moves his arm and foil to hit his opponent but just before full extension flicks his wrist making the blade swish. Since the foil is long and slim it has the ability of bend and creating a wrapping action. This fly fishing motion causes the tip to bend allowing it to hit the opponent on the back or shoulder. Such an attack may also work on the front but is most commonly as a way of throwing your opponent out of balance.  The defense against a flick often includes using a modified sabre quinte (90 degr

In fencing, the body is separate into a parallel and perpendicular line that helps understand the sections for both defense and attack. Each of these sections has particular attack and defense moves designed to hit the areas of the body. In foil, the attempt is to claim the right-of-way and then hit the particular section for a point. The schematic presented in this article can be used to visualize areas of the body in foil, epee and saber. The intersection of these four imaginary lines starts where the blade leaves the weapon. As the weapon moves so does the size of the four areas. It works similar to a tracking target that moves up, down, to the side, or wherever the opposing person places their blade. Yet as the cross-hairs move each section becomes smaller or larger. It is these large open areas that often receive the most attention for a possible attack.  The vertical line separates the body from inside and outside. The inside line is the front of the body and the o