big questions or maybe two!

[John Nguyen]

Here's my situation

I like my fleche, I usually run into it on the left of a righthander, at the last moment, I speed jump to the right and tap them on the shoulder. Any ideas to make that even more harder to counter? I mean, the whole breaking movement, catches them off guard alot, but I take a big risk, when jumping left to right. Also, how come, I can't run past them, like a fleche, then once I come past them,flick backwards to touch?

2nd situation:

With new fencers in my club, I like to taunt them with the HARD HARD parry. Many times I've flung weapons across the room. How can I legally score a touch while doing this. Is it right for them to call Halt,if I am using a ONE TWO motion, by parry-reposting. (hopefully im describing the action right)

essentially, (if I described it wrong...)

both fencers enguarde, I beat or parry hard, then hit. Is this legal?

[HilandDoug]

Well, John, when passing your opponent, there is an automatic halt when his shoulders and your shoulders are even with one another, even if the ref is late in calling it. The defender only gets their riposte if it has started prior to the shoulders crossing. Although your post is a little confusing, I think this addresses your issue. Your move should be finished by the time you pass your opponent, and your back foot lands. I believe the rules say that your attack ends when your BACK foot lands from the fleche. Anything after that is a remise, and if it begins after the shoulders crossed, it is not allowed. Your step thing is confusing, but if it's done prior to your passing, it would be a remise, and your opponent would be entitled to a riposte before your remise.

As to your HARD HARD parry, this will only work against novice level fencers. That type of action requires a lot of force, creating momentum in your blade. If your opponent throws a feint, and your HARD HARD parry misses, it will be difficult for you to recover your blade, and you will leave a BIG BIG opening in the opposite line, where you will most surely be hit by the disengaging blade.

If you knock the weapon out of your opponent's hand, a halt is automatically called. I was once told that if the opponent loses his weapon, your action must hit in the same tempo in order to count. I recall the phrase as, "You have to hit them before their weapon hits the floor." I'm sure that's not in the rules, but I think the "same tempo" language is in the rules(I just can't seem to find it!). Besides, this is a gentleman's game. You would no sooner challenge an unarmed man to a duel (you being armed) than you would hit an unarmed man on the piste. If you were going to dishonorably run him through while he had no defense, you wouldn't have challenged him to an honorable duel in the first place, would you?

[Gav]

RE: 'HARD HARD Parry'

This will definitely only work against novice fencers, anybody with any experience will let you commit, evade the parry and either cede or counterattack you. There is nothing wrong with the move [as I understand it from your post] but the difficulty lies in the possiblity of over committal.

The halt should be called when a light comes on or if there is an infringement of the rules. Therefor a beat parry/attack does not constitute a halt unless a light comes on.

If you beat, they lose their weapon then you attack - no hit.

If you beat, attack and then they lose the weapon the hit stands as they lost it on your attack.

[John Nguyen]

That is soo true. I actually have had practice since then. And people scoffed at the term Novice. So I have since then stopped my "novice" tendency, and tried to score "true touches" It makes sense that Novices will only go SO far, until thier luck of sporatically hitting targets runs out.

Hillanddoug, I NEVER Thoguht of it that way. And if I continue to do that move, then I dont improve on the right course, instead I might derogatorily be called a novice. So I REALLY appreciate your input. The whole "countering" and "dishounorable" comments on the move, make alot of sense.

We live and learn.

If you want to read a funny story, theres a short story bout my bout with a "novice" last night in some other posts

Thanks again,

Please expect to hear from me again