Why is footwork the way it is?

[flynniec6]

Hi,

As I put in the subject, why is footwork the way it is? I've been fencing sabre for two years and footwork is an integral part of our training. I understand the benefits. But it still strikes me as an unnatural and awkward way of moving. I realise that this is mostly a question of practicing more, since the high-level athletes I see in competitions do not experience this discomfort.

What I'm looking for here is an explanation of the principles involved. Why did footwork evolve to what it is today - what drives it? Basically, what's the idea of moving that way as opposed to another, what are the pros and cons and are there different styles?

I used to play ice- and roller-hockey. When I started skating, it also felt like an unnatural and awkward way of moving, but I understood the basic concepts behind said movement, and consequently I was able to practice intelligently and improve to the level I needed to be at. I don't seem to be having the same success at fencing.

Any help? Thanks.

[rory]

Many martial arts have similar footwork to fencing. This is because it gives you a balanced base from which you can change direction quickly. If you were simply walking down the piste, you would be very unbalanced.

How else would you do it?

[MyrddinsPrecint]

you want to keep as much of your target area as far away from you opponent as possible while maintaining keeping your weapon as close to their target area as possible.

and not fall over, mostly by tripping on yourself when changing direction quickly.

[Durando]

Footwork, as I understand it, is about controlling proper distance for the correct tactical action in a given situation. Sound too easy? It is also about controlling (masking) the point where you transfer your weight in order to perform a given tactical action. Part of the reason why high level fencers look "quick" is because they mask this perfectly--one doesn't see the beginning of their action. The other part of the reason is that they really are quick.

[pigeonmeister]

Originally Posted by MyrddinsPrecint

you want to keep as much of your target area as far away from you opponent as possible while maintaining keeping your weapon as close to their target area as possible.
.

Exactly, you don't want to stand with your heart facing a person with a sword. Also-you will probably notice that you are a smaller target 'side on' rather than 'front on'. If not I suggest some sit ups!

Being side on allows you to plant your back foot and utilise all your muscular energy to project your self forward in the classic sabre 'flunging' way.

Bruce Lee studied fencing footwork very seriously, incorporating it into a unique style of fighting that utilised the best bits of all combative diciplines and sports.

[KD5MDK]

Fencing footwork is designed around the ability to very quickly change direction and velocity in an exclusively forward and back direction. I can't think of any sport that uses such a narrow playing field which moves both directions (racquetball is the closest that comes to mind, and it's still much more side to side oriented). You need to be able to move very quickly forward to chase an opponent down. You need to be able to retreat very quickly to avoid being caught by your chaser. You need to be able to switch to the opposite direction at a moment's notice to react to your opponent parrying you or to react to their attack falling short. Finally, you need to be able to make an explosive final action (lunge, flunge, fleche) to get past their expectations of where you'll be and arrive on target, while never being caught off balance and remaining ready to react to their actions.

For the defined criteria the current fencing footwork is the best available for its needs, and if a better way is found it will be adopted. (Unless banned, like the crossover in sabre).

[esskreemr]

It should also be noted that the linear footwork developed from the use of faster, lighter weapons that could be used for both offense and defense at the same time. The lighter weapons can no longer rely on sheer momentum for penetration so a linear profile, while also aiding defense, adds a great deal to the offensive push as well.

[Allen Evans]

In addition to what KD5MDK pointed out, fencing footwork also requires you to make adjustments in distance to the opponent as little as an inch in length. I don't think any other "scheme" of footwork would be able to encompass all these criteria.

[whtouche]

Just to re-rehash what has already been said but maybe in different, simpler words:
Fencing footwork is the way it is currently because it is effective for the task at hand.
Fencing footwork has two main considerations, those being quick direction change and subtle control of distance. Using current fencing footwork you almost always have one foot in front of you and one foot behind you, to push forward or backwards. This stance also alows you to step forward very slight distances without sacrificing your balance.
The crossover step may be faster sometimes, but even in weapons where it is legal (foil, epee) the footwork is still predominantely regular. This is because cross-stepping leaves you vulnerable and off balance. The tradeoff, or why the fleche is important, is when you are launching an attack or any offensive action where you don't need to be concerned with changing direction.

To illustrate the example of balance; imagine advancing down the strip at medium speed, your opponent suddenly changes direction and fleches at you. Now imagine the same scenario only instead of advancing down the strip you are walking or cross stepping down the strip. Which do you think puts you in a better position to defend yourself?

[Ordway]

Does it still *feel* awkward to you, or do you just conceptually not see why it works? Because if it does still feel awkward after two years of fencing, then probably you are not doing it quite right.

For instance, if you're putting your weight unequally, more on one leg than the other, that will overwork some muscles and underwork others, and mess up your balance. If you've gotten used to it, you may not even realize that you're off balance, but it will be causing you to tense up in muscles that should be relaxed, etc. Or if you have your feet turned at the wrong angle, it can put a torque on your knees and also influence the way you angle your hips, which in turn influences your entire body posture.

Get an experienced fencer (preferably a coach) to watch you doing footwork and make suggestions.

Practice certainly does go a long way toward making you comfortable with footwork, so if your overall form is correct, don't beat yourself up about it - just keep fencing I honestly don't remember what my footwork felt like when I'd been just fencing two years, but I suspect it was horrible. I do know that now, it's second nature - I feel comfortable, like walking, and don't think about it except when I'm trying to work on something new.

[jrgunn]

Just my 2 cents worth here:

The en guarde position has been developed over the years as a means of efficiently moving forward and backward. In our sport, there is no movement from side to side (like say, certain asian martial arts) or around the opponent. Forward. Backward. That's it.
The footwork that has been developed over the centuries reflects this. Proper footwork must be learned to maintain your balance (of course) but there is more to it. If you are on balance and moving well, your bladework will be free to become more fine tuned, leading to the central goal of our training: efficiency of movement. In a sport where milliseconds count this matters. A lot.

[VELISARIOS]

I agree with Rory. It is the mater of balance,to protect the back foot from from attacks, to give you power from the back foot to make a strong lugne, and many others.

[inigomontoya]

Originally Posted by flynniec6

As I put in the subject, why is footwork the way it is? I've been fencing sabre for two years and footwork is an integral part of our training. I understand the benefits. But it still strikes me as an unnatural and awkward way of moving.

In Sabre, isn't the footwork deliberately awkward because otherwise it's too easy to hit your opponent? Either that or they thought they would get to make a wish if they clicked their heels together.

[Ordway]

Originally Posted by inigomontoya

In Sabre, isn't the footwork deliberately awkward because otherwise it's too easy to hit your opponent? Either that or they thought they would get to make a wish if they clicked their heels together.

?? What kind of horrible sabre fencing are you watching? Once you get past the beginner/low intermediate fencers, the sabrists *I* know all have lovely, lovely footwork.

[Feltan]

I think you have to take two things into consideration here:

1. Footwork in not static in its nature; the same footwork used today is slightly different than, say, twenty years ago. Things are refined, other things are introduced. For example, no one had heard of or considered a "flunge" twenty years ago.

2. Footwork is darwinian. The aspects that work (within the rules of the game) survive and are passed down from the current fencing generation to the next -- and that next generation will undoubtedly refine and change things too. The aspects of footwork that don't work are discarded or not in anyone's teaching syllabus. For example, no decent fencer kants the forward foot inwards, but this is a common "error" among beginers.

So, footwork "is the way it is" through a series of trial-and-error implementations that have been going on for a very long time.

Regards,
Feltan

[jrgunn]

Originally Posted by inigomontoya

In Sabre, isn't the footwork deliberately awkward because otherwise it's too easy to hit your opponent? Either that or they thought they would get to make a wish if they clicked their heels together.

Hey...everyone know's that a central focus on sabre footwork is the ability to fly for short periods of time. Just 'cause foilists and epeeists are stuck to the ground is no need to get snippy.

[KD5MDK]

Originally Posted by VELISARIOS

I agree with Rory. It is the mater of balance,to protect the back foot from from attacks, to give you power from the back foot to make a strong lugne, and many others.

I don't recall ever hearing "protect the back foot from attacks" as a reason for the current stance. Given it is generally used by all three weapons, despite the back foot/leg only being target in epee, I doubt that is a significant reason at all.

[slain4sooth]

wow. a lot of good discussion here.

a minor point though is that fencing footwork is not at all designed for balance, and that the orientations, weight distribution, and muscle usage for the promptest, most efficient and subtlest movements along the piste *obviously* favor an ideal configuration in the flat plane defined by the front foot, the rear foot, and a perpendicular to the ground; the furthest thing from a stable three dimensional solid. the right angle of the feet IMO couldn't be considered much of a stability measure, but improves efficacy in other ways by reducing internal impedence in the linkages of the lower body. balance in fencing will always be a tricky matter of disciplined movement, because balance isn't really the priority of the forms.

[slain4sooth]

however, 'balance' might refer to several things here, such as:

1. the propensity or resistance of a person to topple

2. the coordination of movement such that torque is minimized, i.e., that when the whole body must be moved, the vector sum passes through the person's center of mass and not, say, through his left ear.

i'm merely suggesting that fencing footwork is more or less irrelevant to case 1, while case 2 is extremely pertinent to efficacy.

a helpful thing of which i've learned to be aware is that a person has all the time in the world, enough for three or four blade actions, between the moment he or she begins to topple and the time that a lower body action will be necessary to stop toppling.... overlunging sloppily sort of makes you feel like being in the Matrix, without much grace, though

[mrbiggs]

Personally, I don't find it awkward at all anymore.