Introducing the Fencing Flick

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 degrees from the axis of the body) and a ducking motion. The other method includes a parry 10 which is exercised moving the blade so that it runs just above your shoulder to the point behind the head to deflect the attack. Immediately the fencer should swirl the sword to try and obtain a strike on your opponent to create a fluid defense and attack motion. 

Another method of countering the flick is to close the gap of distance between you and the opponent. When this gap is narrowed the opponent’s tip of the blade will be off target allowing for a possible strike of the opponents body. Such a move comes with a price. Once you are close to your opponent and miss your initial attack there will be a furry of effort in order to strike each other. This madness of motion can be a frenzy of attack and parry that speeds up the game. 

The flick is considered an intermediary move that should be learned after the basics have been mastered. Traditional instructors do not have any particular fondness for the flick as it doesn’t fit within the historical context of fencing. 

In true life it would not likely cause much damage as the point of the blade is more like a touch than a stab. However, it does count in the sport of fencing as the right-of-way is claimed once the arm moves forward and the opponent is forced to parry. It takes practice and the right equipment to do the flick well. Some foil blades have additional flexibility that isn’t found in heavy steel. 

The Quadrants in the Sport of Fencing

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 outside line is the outside of the body. As the weapon moves from its center of axis to the left or the right of the body the inside line and outside line change size and thus its opportunity for a counter strike. For example, a weapon moved further to the inside of the body leaves a larger area for an attack on the outside of the body. 

The horizontal line creates a high side and a low side. The high side is the upper part of the body and the low side is the lower area of the body. As the opponent moves his blade into the upper side, it is usually advantageous to seek an opening for a strike on the lower side. Likewise, when the blade moves to the lower side of the body it is beneficial to strike at the upper part of the body. 

Together the four quadrants can further be divided with experience into sub quadrants for tracking the movements of the blade. As you can see in the chart, there are eight such sub quadrants areas that can be used for practicing movements of the blade for defensive or attacking positions.  The more skill one obtains the less random poking that occurs and the higher levels of strategic maneuvers become possible. For example, if the opponent moves their blade upwards you can quickly counter and move to a downward quadrant. If your opponent moves their blade to the lower inside quadrant you can attack on the upper outside quadrant.

Fencing is a game of refinement and quick-paced precision. In many other sports the pure power of the body is used to obtain points by bulldozing through a line of people (i.e. football) with strength or winning through endurance (i.e. running and jumping).  In fencing, the attacks and defenses are refined to a pin point requiring quick perception of movement and body mechanics to both defend and attack appropriately and deliberately. If you watch a professional fencing match it can be difficult to follow the swoosh of the blades. Fencing can be used as an augmentation of skill development for other sports by creating higher levels of focused perception and refinement of body movement.

The Basics of the Fencing Lunge

The fencing lunge is a basic footwork attack using the three main categories of the foil, saber, and epee. The lunge is a fundamental attack and is characterized by pushing both the front foot and arm forward in an attempt to strike your opponent. With additional blade skills the lunge can be adjusted to create variety of movements from the basic forward motion. To complete the lunge well requires hours of practice but will improve your overall competitive game.

Basic Motion:

From the en garde position the front foot is moved forward from the knee without bending the ankle. The movement of the front leg occurs before the weight of the body is shifted creating less notice to the opponent.  The back leg is used to push the body forward and the rear arm is outstretched downward in order to create a counter balance. The front foot slides into position as the weapon arm is outstretched to strike the target. The front shin should be perpendicular to the ground and both heals firmly planted.

The lung represents everything that is beautiful about fencing. With additional practices and learning of various blade skills the lunge becomes an extremely powerful move. It can be explosive in the sense that seasoned fencers are able to leap large distances in a relatively short time-frame that catches their opponent off garde and unable to counter the power of the attack. 

Defense of Lunge:

The best defense for the lunge is to be prepared for the attack. This occurs by watching the body movement, mechanics, and footwork. An opponent cannot make an effective lunge between steps and is unlikely to have enough power unless their body mechanics are in proper arrangement prior to the movement. Since the lunge is not designed for accuracy the opponent will typically attempt to strike your torso. Thus moving your body slightly inside will throw off the attack. Likewise, quickly reclaiming the right-a-way and allowing the opponent to push themselves into your blade works well. 

The Ending Stance:

The forward arm should be fully extended and slightly above the shoulder. The forward knee should be directly above the heel while the back leg should be extended to its full length with the heel to the ground and the toes perpendicular to the line of the body. The rear arm should be in parallel with the angle of the rear leg. The thumb holding onto the blade should be on top of the grip while the fingers are on the bottom so that the wrist may bend to find its target.  In a perfect world the blade is parallel with the ground to create maximum reach. However, this depends on the movement and height of the target.

Author: Dr. Murad Abel