Hello there, Sabre Crew!! Here's a recap what we worked on this week:

We started out by running through some basic footwork following. This time we added some patterns that I would call out, and you had to execute (eg. "double advance, retreat, advance, lunge). You all did a great job of listening and executing the footwork. Remember, no need to rush through the footwork warm-ups. Focus on form!!!

Hello there, Sabre Crew!! After a brief hiatus, I'm back, and want to recap what we worked on this week. So here goes:

Jason started out by running you all through some footwork warmups, including a new version of the Glove Game. I missed most of that part of the session, but perhaps Jason can follow up with some comments on that.

The drills focused on the Riposte. We discussed Parries and Ripostes, and how it should pretty much be automatic to throw out a Riposte immediately after a Parry.

Hey Sabre Crew!! Here’s a brief rundown of what we worked on this week:

We did some great footwork following, bean bag tossing, and a round of the glove game. We’re always using our feet and hands in fencing, and all of these exercises worked both.

The glove game, with its emphasis on distance and controlled footwork, went particular well. You guys were really focused, and seemed to get the most out of the game.

July 6, 2010

This week we varied the beginning footwork to focus a bit on the Check. Remember, the Backward Check consists of a half-Advance followed by a full Retreat. The Forward Check consists of a half-Retreat followed by a full Advance. The Checks can be a very effective way to manage distance anywhere on the strip. I find the Forward Check especially effective off the line when I want to execute a Beat Attack.

June 29, 2010

We started out this week with some drills focusing on the timing of when the foot and blade land.

Remember, the attack ends when your front foot lands. If your blade hasn’t landed by the time your foot hits the floor, the attack is over, and you’ve lost an opportunity to get a touch.

This series of drills aimed to get us thinking about extending our arms to land the touch before our front foot hits the floor. Your feet and weapon arm will be moving at different speeds when you fence. This takes control and coordination, which requires a lot of practice.