The purpose of Italian tempo change

[Epeecurean]

Originally Posted by noodle

sometimes, in order to play some with the tempo, but when expecting an attack it is best to work with footwork that is as small as possible to help prevent attacks into your preparation.

And you sometimes may want to purposely take a "too large" step from slightly out of distance in order to draw out an attack in your preparation, setting up a parry-riposte.

Small steps generally keep you in better balance, enable you to change direction more quickly, and let you fine tune the distance.

drippingwet, you are right that length of step can be varied as much as the speed. You can create an infinite variety of tempo-distance set up's from just advances and retreats without ever having to add balestras, glides, etc. Though obviously it is good to add these to your footwork repetoire too.

[Epeecurean]

Originally Posted by wflaschka

Well, surprise comes from change. I'd say that you want to switch back and forth between predictability and unpredictability. If you're completely unpredictable in everything you do -- the opponent will soon be extremely careful, alert, and invested in the bout. That's exactly how you don't want them.

Very true. If you overemploy a very disruptive footwork style which frustrates your opponent's attempts to maintain a certain distance, then he will by necessity become very alert and difficult to sneak up on. It's best to mix in long stretches of cautious predictability to condition them to a pattern and to lull them. Then you can break the pattern suddenly and unexpectedly, or sneak into distance unnoticed. There's a reason it's called "stealing" the distance.

[Epeecurean]

Originally Posted by Grasshopper

3: The short lunge is not directly related to tempo, but it is relevant to Italian style because it ensures that they don't over extend on their attack and open themselves up to being riposted on while off-balance. (You are much less vulnerable to opponent's defence when your lunge is not overextended.)

I'm a big fan of the short, explosive lunge for just this reason, you aren't overextended and you can get away quickly.

What many fencers forget is that the lunge is really a DEFENSIVE attacking move. The whole point is to deliver the attack suddenly and then get the heck out of there! You can't do that with a lunge that is too long, overextended and off-balance. A good exercise to improve you lunge is to try to make your recovery as fast as the lunge. This means not just pushing off with the front foot, but pulling yourself back with the back leg.

What never ceases to amaze me is that the lunge was a 16th century invention! Attacks up till then were more of an all-or-nothing nature, stepping in fully, running, fleching, etc., which made attacking much more dangerous. The Italian fencing masters Vigiani and Grassi in the 1570s began teaching the lunge as a way to attack without being hit.

[Grasshopper]

Originally Posted by Epeecurean

I'm a big fan of the short, explosive lunge for just this reason, you aren't overextended and you can get away quickly.

What many fencers forget is that the lunge is really a DEFENSIVE attacking move. The whole point is to deliver the attack suddenly and then get the heck out of there! You can't do that with a lunge that is too long, overextended and off-balance. A good exercise to improve you lunge is to try to make your recovery as fast as the lunge. This means not just pushing off with the front foot, but pulling yourself back with the back leg.

What never ceases to amaze me is that the lunge was a 16th century invention! Attacks up till then were more of an all-or-nothing nature, stepping in fully, running, fleching, etc., which made attacking much more dangerous. The Italian fencing masters Vigiani and Grassi in the 1570s began teaching the lunge as a way to attack without being hit.

Wow, I didn't know that. I guess the Italians never forgot their masters' teachings!

Especially in foil, I think it is easy to fall in the trap of thinking the lunge is the END of the phrase instead of a POSSIBLE END to the phrase but probably just the middle of a phrase.

[drippingwet]

1. What's a stop-short, referred to by Walter?

2. What's a glide?

3. Is this an example of how all of this Italian tempo stuff would play out: you make a very slow advance, opponent keeps distance, you make a moderate tempo jump, opponent keeps distance, you make a very fast advance, opponent fails to retreat quick enough, you lunge. In other words, you're using the tempo change so the opponent will eventually fail to retreat after one of the advances, and then you instantly lunge? And a bonus by-product of this tempo change is that it helps prevent the opponent attacking on your preps?

4. Should you always lunge when you find the lunge distance?

5. What should the opponent be trying to do?

[wflaschka]

1. What's a stop-short, referred to by Walter?
You start your advance, but then suddenly snap the feet to the ground and stop all forward motion. It usually works best when you have some velocity, say after a few advances. The opponent will see an advance, and make a decision based on the advance -- but then you stop short and the distance is all screwed up. This can frustrate the opponent's plans, or frighten the opponent into revealing their parry.

2. What's a glide?
It starts like an advance, but with a little invisible hop at the end (a "glide"). Front foot goes out, back foot comes up with a snap, and both feet leave the ground for the glide, and then both feet land at the same time. The torso doesn't rock or bounce.

The opponent sees one advance, but you've closed distance by an advance x 2. When making a glide you just slide across the ground with the soles of your feet milimeters off the strip; the opponent isn't supposed to see the glide part. It's also called a steal. (There's another name, the most common, that I can't remember!!)

In a bout, try this: Advance once towards your opponent; note how they retreat once. Advance once towards your opponent again; they retreat once. Now you glide -- they retreat once -- and you lunge. It's very easy to hit people with that.

What's the best footage of Mr. R and where can it be attained?
I used to have the '88 Seoul Olympics. Romankov was very good in that, but couldn't beat Cerioni and ended up third. I think that the main referent for Romankov is the 1989 World Championships Men's Foil Team, which you can find for sale online. It has the USSR versus Germany, with Romankov anchoring the Russians.