Fencing.Net - Your Guide to Olympic Fencing

Blade preparations

Blade preparations (as preceding flick or during a march) are still important, since they can open up opponents. These preparations will still be used, but they will be increasingly finished with a coupé (used in lieu of a flick, the point sticking on target). Opponents will try to close down blade preparations not just with footwork (2003 World Championships Men's Final), but also, increasingly, with the Point in Line (several 2003 World Cups).

Large, flamboyant preparations with a withdrawn hand, cocked hand, or backwards-pointing tip will be too dangerous to do from near distance. Thus their value as an invitation to attack the preparation will also be reduced. The parries and ripostes used off an invitation attack are too big to be direct enough for the new box timing.

Because of the block-timing and point-emphasis, fencers must be able to finish their blade preparations on target quickly, should the opponent close distance with surprise. This means that the tip must most often be directed towards opponent's target, and/or the tip must be traveling towards the opponent's target when distance closes to hitting distance.

Overall, we're looking at a return of preparations with tip: Traditional feint disengage stuff. The term trompement might start to mean something again: Compound point feints and disengages in the service of a march. Point feints create a direct threat to target, rather than the implied threat we get from today's bigger movements.