Chuck has been noodling on my issue with opponents who use heavy beat attacks. Using a French grip, he says, is an invitation to them to use this tactic. He suggests that I may want to go back to a pistol grip. (I am reluctant to do so as the French grip is IMO more flexible in in-fighting situations.)
I can deceive a lot of beat attacks with absence of blade, derobing the attack, and distance management. A lot of the attacks will fail. Some will get through. If I don't have a good offense against a beat attacker, "some" will be enough to get the job done. "Some of my opponent's attacks getting through" will beat "none of my attacks getting through" every time.
Chuck suggests that the reason my attacks are failing is that once the beat attacker connects with my blade, my grip is unsettled enough to destroy my point control. As he said this my hand slapped my forehead and the light came on. He is, of course, correct. My opponent beats, I counter in time (while my opponent is bringing their blade back from the beat action) but I miss and my opponent lands the touche. It is now playing in slow motion in my head.
Knowing what the problem is is half the battle.
Now I need to be cognizant of the condition of my grip on the weapon before launching that counter-attack in time. Did my opponent get a piece of the blade and loosen my grip? If yes, abort the attack and get out of distance. Did I derobe successfully and tightly? If yes, then go for the kill.
More detail on this as I develop, test, and refine the response.
04-02-2008 03:35 PM