| Re: Strategies for shorter fencers
"-P-" <ent_must_die@hotmail.DOTcom> wrote in message
news:G8ednUqaBZKxX4zeRVn-uw@adelphia.com
> My 10-year old is an up-and-coming young fencer, and his instructor
> has recently placed him into an "advanced" group with 12-14 year
> olds. These kids are all a head taller than my son, and as such have
> a significant reach advantage...
>
> Are there any techniques that he can use to overcome this
> disadvantage? He's getting pretty discouraged, and I don't want him
> to give up so soon. He's been really enjoying it.
>
> -P-
> Buffalo, NY
What I tell my shorter students is that there are advantages to being
short, just as there advantages to being tall, but they have to learn
what those advantages are and how to exploit them. Yes, tall fencers
have a longer reach, enabling them to (a) counterattack more
successfully, and (b) begin an immeidately threatening attack from
farther away. But short fencers are usually more mobile and quicker to
change direction, enabling them to make better use of footwork to create
opportunities to hit.
Useful strategies for the short fencer include:
1. Draw the opponent's attack, then move away so as to stretch the
opponent all the way out and cause him to fall short. Then take over
the attack (maybe with a beat or other action on the blade) before the
opponent can recover and get away.
2. After doing (1) once or twice, draw the opponent's attack and
suddenly close in, parrying or avoiding the blade, creating a surprise
infighting situation at which you have the advantage. Having succeeded
with this, go back to (1). Never let the opponent know whether you're
going to go away or attack the preparation.
3. If the opponent pursues you without committing to the attack, keep as
tight a distance as you can manage without quite letting the opponent
have the distance to finish the attack. If the opponent grows
frustrated and commits anyway, good; that should be easy to parry. If
not, watch for opportunities to make a beat attack into the preparation,
or to close in with an evasive counterattack.
4. You can still make your own effective attacks, but you may need
multiple footwork -- for example, double-advance-lunge -- and you have
to be prepared to deal with a counterattack as you're on your way. If
the counterattack wouldn't hit you in time, ignore it; otherwise, just
turn your attack into a beat attack.
5. Make heavy use of countertime -- inviting your opponent's
counterattack so that you can parry and riposte. Whether you score on
these ripostes or not, if your opponent becomes nervous about
counterattacking, his reach advantage is nullified.
--
Dirk Goldgar
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