In Foil how many Parries?

[Tiwaz]

. I've never come across a situation where I felt that would be useful.

if your fencing a lefter hander who either fleches a to shoulder or consistently over lunge parry neuvieme pronated reposte to stomach is an absolute killer(for me at least ).

[Mr Epee]

Six + Circle Six
Eight + Circle Eight
Control 4 and Deep 4

Will take you 95% of the places you need to go in fencing.

Use them wisely

Obviously point weapons.

[needle]

Okay, I'll bite. What the hell is neuvieme?

somewhat confusing definitions of it here:
http://www.hickoksports.com/glossary...ing.shtml#ntop
http://fencing-club.uchicago.edu/faq.htm
http://www.hpfc.org.uk/glossary.htm#Letter_N

Neuvieme (or "Septime haute"): an unconventional parry sometimes described as blade behind the back, pointing down (an octave variant), other times similar to an elevated sixte. (Pronounced "noo-vi-em")

I think there was also a picture of it in Kingston's book, but I don't have one at hand right now, so can't check.

[kalivor]

Okay, I'll bite. What the hell is neuvieme?

As I mentioned, various coaches have different ninth parries. The most common:

1. An elevated septieme.
2. Retreating.
3. Hard to describe with words: Imagine going to prime, and then pulling it around behind your back, until you're covering the same target protected by tierce (in foil), or a very angulated sabre cut.

I'm sure I've seen others, but these are far and away the top three.

[Ben Greenhalgh]

Quarte and sixte, with counter-quarte and counter-sixte i usually do..
can i just ask a question how the heck do i attack the flank or why should i when it would be easier to attack the front! the only way i know of to get at the flank is a beat and side stab to the side of the torso but its just as easy if not more so to attack the front after the beat.

[Kettu]

I've been shown a 9, but it was more like a severely pronated sabre 5 than what has been described here. I've never come across a situation where I felt that would be useful.

Same here; when I think foil parry 9, I think of a lifting parry 5. I've heard the "back" definition of the parry nine used to describe a parry 10, though perhaps the target area is slightly different, and they are in fact different parries.

Edit: Here is an old thread discussing the parry 9.