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!!!

Next we did some standard beanbag toss, followed by some specific versions of the beanbag toss that required you to toss the bag while moving your front or back foot. It's not easy to coordinate your footwork with what your hands are doing, and this gave us a chance to work on that coordination. We finished up with a rousing game of the Glove Game.

The drills focused on bladework and timing. We did a short drill that had each of you parrying and riposting to the same line. Remember, one would cut to 3, the other would parry 3, then cut to 4, parry 4, and so on. Another tough one to coordinate, but very good for getting us in the habit of throwing out a riposte immediately after the parry.

The timing drills focused on cutting to the line as it is opening. Cutting to an opening line will be much more effective than cutting to an already open line. It's all about the timing. If the line's already open as you're going for the touch, your opponent has a lot more time to see the cut, and defend accordingly.

Finally, remember to check out AskFred (there's a link off this site) for information on upcoming tournaments. The tournaments start up in later summer, early fall, and continue through the middle of next summer. Next tournament close-by: August 28 in Indy. Take care, all.

Thanks for another great class, and see you next week!!