Fencing as a Sport of Physical and Mental Conditioning

Fencing is a sport that is one part physical and one part mental. Conditioning both helps to ensure that you are at the top of your game. The process of conditioning is through practice and experience. Conditioning is not found through only fencing practice but also in complementary activities. It has been argued that fencing during practice is 95% physical and 5% mental while in tournament it is the exact opposite (1).

It is first beneficial to understand what physical and mental conditioning means.  Physical conditioning requires the preparation of the body for rigorous aerobic exercise and ensuring the muscles are both tone and have endurance. Mental conditioning includes learning a variety of movements, ensuring quick reaction, and perceptive within the game.

Physical conditioning requires the ability to engage in aerobic, stamina, and physical strength (2).  Fencing requires heavy clothing and lots of speed and can get most athletes winded quickly. The body must be prepared to take on these jumps, movements, and leaps or you will simply lose from being out maneuvered. Engaging in sprinting, swimming, tennis, weight training, and other activities conditions the body as well as ensures coordination of movements (3).

The concept of physical conditioning in fencing is not new. Dating back as far as 1400 instructors like Vittorino da Feltre stated that fencing “required as a correlative to a fine intellectual humanism a standard of physical excellence and personal bearing to match (4)." His argument was that fencers needed to wear the right clothing, handle the elements of nature, and need to be conditioned for the sport.

In addition to the body the brain must also be conditioned. A person must memorize, internalize and use the various movements that act and interact against an opponent. This requires having a thorough understanding of the sport and judging the body mechanics of the opponent to maintain a leading edge. Without the mental conditioning overreaction, slow reaction, and sequence failure is likely to occur.

Fencers should understand how their personality impacts their performance. Fencer personalities can be categorized as active, passive, risk oriented, risk averse, cautious, offensive and defensive (5).  A person’s personality will determine their overall style, what movements they should focus on, and their weaknesses within the sport.

Circular and Semi-Circular Parries in Fencing

At times you may have an opponent with lots of momentum and it is necessary to move the opponent’s blade out of the way. You may have seen a similar circular parry in the movies that forces the opponent’s blade out of his hand and flings it across the deck of a ship. In actual fencing, the movement is so quick and small that it is doubtful anyone will drop their blade. It is used as a method of defense, deflection and setting up for a riposte. 

The circular parry (counter parry made in sixte) is designed to deflect and move the opponent’s blade away from a line of attack. It is often handy when the opponent uses some force with their attack and a greater degree of deflection is needed. For attacks near your wrist, a smaller circular parry is needed while attacks to other parts of the body (i.e. the shoulder) may need a larger parry.

Both the circular parry and the semi-circular parry are similar and do much of the same thing but to different lines. The semi-circular parry will take a high line attack and move it to the opposite low line away from the body. A full circular parry will redirect an inside attack and deflect it to the outside using the same high line (visa versa). 

In a circular parry the opponent attacks in the high line, the blade is swung under the attack, and then reconnects on the other side thereby deflecting the attack to the opposite direction away from the target. In the semi-circular parry you maintain contact with opponent’s blade, slide over the top of the opponent’s blade, and then deflect it downward and in the opposite direction of the original line. 

The circular and semi-circular parry is an intermediate move.

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The Importance of Ripostes in Fencing Practice

Ripostes are the counter attacks in a fencing challenge. A strong fencer will be able to riposte after an opponent’s attack to not only win points but to keep their attacker with lower confidence in the risk versus reward of their moves. A riposte occurs when an attacker attempts to strike, is parried, and then is struck by the defender. In the heat of the game this movement can be very quick and there may be multiple parries, counter parries and ripostes. 

Ripostes are generally direct but also may be indirect. A direct riposte is a quick parry and strike to the opponent’s body leaving little time to react. An indirect riposte would mean adding a change of line or adding another movement before striking the opponent. This has benefits in terms of confusing the opponent but also risks being struck as you are engaging in these extra tactics. 

Practice in done in both shadow and live opponent form. In shadow form the student should practice making a parry to the center of the blade and immediately lunging and/or extending the arm for a riposte strike to the area of the center of the chest (or practice target). In live form one opponent will make a slow forward strike and the defender will parry the center of blade and make a strike riposte to the opponent’s chest. 

The practice of direct and indirect parries is beneficial. You may consider a change of line, angled riposte, or any number of distracting tactics. These practices should occur only once the proper direct riposte with appropriate distance has been already mastered. It is important to use the basics as a foundation for building higher levels of movement and options in the game. 

Practic Tips:

-Follow the Blade: The quickest point to target is a few inches from the blade. It also allows for better defense. 

-Don’t leave your arm and head open during a riposte.

-Mix up riposte angles and movements to keep your opponent unsure of your next actions.

-Riposte is about speed.

-Know your potential target area before moving. 

-Continue going over it to embed it in your skills bank.

Advanced Strategy in the Fencing Sport

Fencing strategy includes thinking two to three moves in advance and trying to lead the game. Leading means that you are more in charge of the opponent’s movements due to advanced skill. This is not easy when matched with a comparable opponent who is also trying to lead the game. When both have strategic approaches it can become a game of strike and counterstrike. 

Strategy includes the sequencing of moves for maximum effect to produce a successful strike.  This may include something like a beat, a feint, change of engagement and then strike. To put this in English it would mean to strike the opponents mid section of blade to claim right-of- way, make a small movement forward to draw the opponent’s parry, swinging under the blade to change the line of the attack and then moving for the strike. 

In such a move the opponent will react in one direction but the attack is coming from the other. Such movements must be pulled off with lightning strikes because delay could mean the opponent could adjust and counter parry. This speed and surety can only come through practice and completing the sequence over and over until it is ingrained. 

The more complex moves a person learns the more they can lead the bout. These movements should not be learned until the basics of footwork and swordplay are mastered and automatic. Similar complex movements can be learned in counter attacks and defense. As one progresses in the sport they will find their complex moves create advantages.

Basic Fencing Swordplay Techniques

Fencing is a sport that requires learning finite stimulus detection and reaction skills. Unlike other sports fencing moves at lightning pace. Perhaps the fastest sport around. Once one learns basic footwork they can move into the fundamentals of swordplay. This swordplay is based upon the carriage of the body and how it moves back and forth. 

For example, a lunge requires the movement of both the foot, leg, body, and arm to make a hit. Simple attacks forward can be learned with a little practice. Of course, the sport is not based only on simple moves and experts can get very crafty with their attacks, defending, and movements. Sometimes it only takes a few seconds to defeat your opponent in a bout. 

When one wears all of the gear that includes glove, vest, helmet, shoes, etc. they will naturally built up a great sweat. When bouts last for any length of time both sparring partners can become winded and worn out. Epee is considered one of the more aggressive fencing styles and doesn’t have all of the rules found in foil. Sabre is the freest flowing sport using most of the body as a target. 

Footwork as the Foundation of Fencing