Coaching tip--Invitation/presentation of the blade

[sabreur]

This is to pick up on something that Tiwaz said earlier.

One of the techniques that one of my masters uses is to use the blade to give tempo.

For example, he starts opening a line, and the student attacks into the opening line, finishing the attack as the invitation is completed.

The master begins the invitation slowly and accelerates the movement to signal the student to accelerate the attack.

M: begins slow invitation in 4.
S: begins attack to flank w/advance.
M: retreats and accelerates hand motion.
S: finishes attack with accelerated lunge (patinado) as master finishes the invitation.

This kind of acceleration can be used in a wide variety of situations and emphasizes the need to start slowly, observe and react, and finish fast.

Once the basic pattern has been established, the master can work in many different variations (attack in prep during the student's advance--the student either stops or retreats and parry-ripostes; counter-attack into the final phase--the student continues the attack, etc.)

MR

[keith]

Nice point, any variation on tempo and also the degree of movement, small blade movements are 'faster' than large ones even if the hand speed is the same, are good for drawing out speed changes in lessons.

this kind of acceleration can also be used in double disengages for step lunges in foil - using both increase of blade speed and reduction in blade movement.

P: Step extend
M: Large search on step
M: small parry action
P: lunge

A general tip is that the pupil can be encouraged by doing the second action as soon as the back foot lands - so they can accelerate through. While nice for the pupil in getting a feel for a progressive step lunge action with nice continuous movement it is 'bad' coaching since any decent fencer is always going to initiate their action on the movement of the front foot of the attacker or just before the front foot lands at the end of the lunge.


Only other important thing is that the pupil can control tempo in the absence of cues. Can a smooth step-lunge be performed without the master 'pulling' it out?

[Tiwaz]

This might be useful it an article by Prof Czajkowski about the use of cues in tempo.

[Epeecurean]

This might be useful it an article by Prof Czajkowski about the use of cues in tempo.

"It is a rare student whose one-tempo distance is more than half their lunge - at least at the start. Attacking from unrealistic long distances is exactly how the student gets into trouble on the strip."

So true...

[Allen Evans]

Thanks for referencing the web site. I have seen it pop up in a number of posts, and I'm glad it's getting some use.

Most of the ideas for "Cues in Tempo" have come from my time spent with three coaches: Maitre Ed Richards (currently on the staff of the USFA Coaches College), Coach Gary Copeland of Northern Colorado Fencers Club (also on the staff of the USFA CC) and Jim Denton, who was my coach for a number of years.

When we first learn to coach, everyone worries about cues. Later, we get a little more sophisticated, and realize that simply giving a blade cue without paying attention to the tempo is silly. Most students are VERY fixated on blade position and will often respond to a cue to beat (as an example) even though the coach has given the cue from so far away that the student can't possibly score with an attack.

Just as bad, the "blade happy" student will often break off a perfectly good attack to prepare on the blade when the cue is given inside the proper distance.

I talk a little bit about this in:

http://home.earthlink.net/~allenevans59/NOISE.HTML

Allen Evans
Dominion Fencing