Attack?

[Lee Yue Yang]

I've got trouble attacking.It seems like I just cannot make a good attack.I usually turn my blade around in circles and either I stop chasing the guy or I almost always get parried.How do you avoid getting parried?Can anyone share some good ways to attack?Thanks.

[slimrbp]

I haven't been fencing long but I find a change of engagement during a lunge quite effective.

[Rolls]

I would try learning a very simple attack well, before moving on to anything complex. A direct thrust can be very affective if setup properly. If you setup every attack with prepatory bladework, it becomes a dead give-away for when you will be attacking.

I land a direct advance lunge more than just about any other attck. The important thing is when and how you launch it.

A slow advance/quick lunge finish can catch your opponent off guard. Your lunge doesn't necessarily have to be super quick; your advance just needs to be slower than your lunge. Also, if your opponent is already retreating, it is very unlikely you will be able to land the attack. Find a moment when your opponent is standing still or has just taken a small hesitant step forward. This way he/she will have to react to your attack and not simply complete the action that was already begun.

Finally, always consider the skill level of your opponent. If you're fencing with fencers who are more experienced than you are, you could be doing much better than you think. Are your attacks not landing because you screwed up or because your opponent did something smarter than you.

Rolls.

[angriff]

Originally posted by Lee Yue Yang
I almost always get parried.How do you avoid getting parried?Can anyone share some good ways to attack?Thanks.

Why not try to take a step back and go for the counterparry-riposte? Might be easier said than done, I know.. still, no harm trying

[fencingguy]

Originally posted by Lee Yue Yang
I've got trouble attacking.It seems like I just cannot make a good attack.I usually turn my blade around in circles and either I stop chasing the guy or I almost always get parried.How do you avoid getting parried?Can anyone share some good ways to attack?Thanks.

ummmmm...

feint, disengage

[Black Jeebus]

I have only been fencing since October and I have much the same problem in that I can almost never land an attack. So like Angriff suggested I started very early on (a whole two months ago) building up my defense. I myself am pretty much a one trick pony at this point, as mostly all I do is defend and if I do attack it is usually with the intention of getting my opponent to riposte so I can parry/riposte them.

[Lee Yue Yang]

I usually can't land the attack because I always seem to give myself away just like Rolls said.Another problem seems to be that I am not very confident and am always hesitating before launching an attack.When I finally do attack,I make a big mess of it and my opponent can almost always predict my next move and beat me to it.
I do count on parry ripostes when my opponent attacks but sometimes,people catch that quick and don't attack me and being the impatient person I am,I would attack them instead and then end up getting hit.

[angriff]

Originally posted by Lee Yue Yang
Another problem seems to be that I am not very confident and am always hesitating before launching an attack.When I finally do attack,I make a big mess of it and my opponent can almost always predict my next move and beat me to it.

Turn that to your advantage.. make it appear as though you're habitually hesitating before you attack, advance VERY CAREFULLY with your guard down and draw your opponent's attack on preparation.. then parry riposte. You should be able to pull it off as long as you're concentrating. Good luck

[deadly lefty]

kind of like drunken boxing! seriously though the element of suprise can really help you out as long as, like everything else, you dont abuse it

[DangerMouse]

I just like to stick my arm out with a nice loose grip and when I *FEEL* an opening, go hard!

[pkt]

Originally posted by Lee Yue Yang
I usually can't land the attack because
1. I always seem to give myself away just like Rolls said.
2. Another problem seems to be that I am not very confident and
3. am always hesitating before launching an attack.
4. When I finally do attack,I make a big mess of it and
5. my opponent can almost always predict my next move and beat me to it.
6. I do count on parry ripostes when my opponent attacks but sometimes, people catch that quick and don't attack me and being the impatient person I am,I would attack them instead and then end up getting hit.

YY,
[I'm guessing your LEE is your surname.]
You've made the first step to improving your game: You've identified the problems. Now you have to find the solutions.

1 & 5. Increase your repertoire: i.e. your bag of tricks. You must have seen Bruce Lee's movies, right? You remember how he feints with his shoulders and his head like a boxer does? These are possibilities. Remember, all's fair in love and war. And fencing IS war.
Besides, if you know your opp't thinks he knows your move then you can use that knowledge to turn that 'knowledge' against them and use it as a set-up and suck them in and execute a counter-time, a 2nd-intention attack against them.
A real-life example: In Iraq, Saddam's people lied to him about the WMD - Weapons of Mass Destruction - so Saddam kept plowing more and more money into the fictitious programmes. As a corollary result of these pack of lies, the CIA and Britain's MI5 or MI6 believed the intelligence they collected... The rest of this story you know.
So, you have to do something similar.

2. The only way to gain confidence in anything is "Practice, practice, practice" till you can execute an action successfully in you dream; and know your enemy as they apparently know you.

3. Your hesitation has to do with your lack of confidence. During practice, make a plan of attack, then execute it. Like chess, be it 'international' or Chinese chess, each move has certain consequences, outcomes, and reactions that you know will happen. Know these consequent reactions from your opp't and be prepared for it. e.g. a simple attack can draw a lateral parry-riposte, or a circular parry-riposte, so on and so forth. A PiL can draw a few reactions, what are they, know them a nd be prepared for them.

4. How are you "making a mess" of you attacks? Work on it with your coach. It's another result of your lack of confidence.

6. It has to do with what you can do. Are you doing the same ripostes over and over? I had the same problem. All my club mates know that I like riposting to tierce - in sabre. So I use that as a feint, get them to go to tierce then hit them in another line...This is the same aspoints 1 & 5.

I know, it's easy to talk strategy on paper - 紙上談兵, but since you're a Sing and I'm a Cdn ... I can only give you e-pointers rather than work out your problems with you. THAT you have to do with your coach.

Good luck and enjoy yourself,
PK

[Grey]

Yue Yang, which school or commericial club are you fencing at currently and whose your coach? Who did you fenced with? National fencers? Or people from your group? And their names too... I may be able to help evaluate your opponent.

[Lee Yue Yang]

Thanks for the replies.

Grey,I'm fencing with T.S.S and I fence with lots of people(in competitions as well as from my group)and I don't know most of their names.Are you Singaporean?

[Grey]

Yeah. I'm in FM currently. Aloysius (right?) is a good fencer. You should be able to pick up some tips from him. I'm taking part in both foil and epee in the coming under20s... maybe I can meet you up?

[pkt]

YY,
If you can afford it, videotape your bouts... watch how you and your opp'ts fence and learn from it.

PK

[The0ne]

The key to attacking is distance. Make sure your distance is close enough that your opponent doesn't have tons of time to react to your action, but you have just enough to avoid their parry.

[Lee Yue Yang]

Originally posted by Grey
Yeah. I'm in FM currently. Aloysius (right?) is a good fencer. You should be able to pick up some tips from him. I'm taking part in both foil and epee in the coming under20s... maybe I can meet you up?

Oh I see.I'm fencing in the under 20s foil and epee too.How do you look like?Maybe I can remember seeing you?

[Grey]

Generally I'm more well known for using the french grip rather than my physical appearance. I stand at about 5'11, fenced in novices too, epee and foil. 2nd for epee and 3rd for foil. I think you would have more or less seen me around

With the ongoing politics in clementi, I've a terrible reputation. Somehow I feel that you will be disgusted at discovering my identity. Anyway, look forward to seeing you this saturday and sunday.

[Lee Yue Yang]

Originally posted by Grey
Generally I'm more well known for using the french grip rather than my physical appearance. I stand at about 5'11, fenced in novices too, epee and foil. 2nd for epee and 3rd for foil. I think you would have more or less seen me around

With the ongoing politics in clementi, I've a terrible reputation. Somehow I feel that you will be disgusted at discovering my identity. Anyway, look forward to seeing you this saturday and sunday.

Third for novices?I know who that is!I got the other third for foil that day!
By the way,I am not disgusted at discovering your identity because I don't know what's going on and I think I'll prefer to stay this way.

[Grey]

You're a good fencer, you just need to work on your feints and distance. Your parries are appropriate and on time too (except that the distance is wrong)