How do i make my bladework tighter?

[I live to FENCE]

So how do i make my bladework, stuff like disengages, tighter? Any tips or drills?




Thanks

[fatfencer]

Use an Italian 2 prong with a strap....that is if you are looking for something outside of discipline and hard work.


I'm looking for that stuff all the time lol

Fatfencer

[JackOfHearts]

I prefer an italian without the strap. But it's not the grip that makes for tighter blade control. Practice. Use your fingers more. And ask your coach for suggestions.

[I live to FENCE]

Thanks guys. I'm from sunny singapore and it's kinda hard getting hold of an italian grip. I only know one person who has it. He also happens to be a member of this forum. Anyways, thanks.

[muaddib]

Think fingers, fingers, fingers and try to relax.

A drill I use is to practice hitting twice really fast. For example, when your coach/drill buddy makes you extend your arm and hit, hit two times...pop pop. Then have him sweep for your blade, and you disengage and hit...pop pop. Parry repose...pop pop. This is great practice to relax your hand, since it can't be done with a tight grip. After a short time, you'll start relaxing your grip and will realize just how fast you can move your blade.

Good luck.

[Gav]

Why bother with an Italian grip? The only people who I've ever come across using them are the Americans. I'm sorry to say this but you would be wasting your time if you were to switch to one. There is nothing wrong with the French or Orthopaedic grips that stops you from being able to make good bladework.

MuadDib gives decent advice. Try and learn to make your point movements with the fingers. Speak to your coach and DO NOT hold your weapon so tight that the only way to move the point is by moving your entire arm. If you do a search on this forum you will find countless threads about relaxing your arm and/or fingers. If your arm is getting tired and you find yourself making massive blade movements then take a break.

[KD5MDK]

How about this: Take a cooking bowl of large diameter (or bucket, or other similar shaped object), and mount it sideways at an appropriate height, on a counter or something. Now sit or stand as convenient such that the tip of your weapon is within the rim, and do your disengages while trying not to hit the sides.

[i'mnottelling]

Originally Posted by KD5MDK

How about this: Take a cooking bowl of large diameter (or bucket, or other similar shaped object), and mount it sideways at an appropriate height, on a counter or something. Now sit or stand as convenient such that the tip of your weapon is within the rim, and do your disengages while trying not to hit the sides.

My coach had me stand in front of a door and make disengages and coupes around the handle. Just practice using only your fingers.

i'mnt

[Larrison]

Originally Posted by i'mnottelling

My coach had me stand in front of a door and make disengages and coupes around the handle. Just practice using only your fingers.

i'mnt

This is one of the better ones -- and one which can be done at home. Just stand in front of a door, and do an extension with disengages and coupes around the door knob, trying to do it as close, but without touching. Then back off and do lunges with a disengage (do it slowly! at first), and then advance lunges, etc. This also helps you work with distance.

As another help to make sure they are "fingering" the blade instead of "death gripping" it, hold your weapon out in a full extension of the arm (elbow straight) and then practice moving the point up and down over at least a 90 degree arch *without moving the wrist*. Then do the same for a side-to-side arc. This is also a good test to see if they are using an orthopedic grip properly -- a lot of folks go to a pistol grip or the like and immediately start doing everything from the wrist.

[kalivor]

Lots and lots of practice. Preferably under the guidance of a good coach. There's no secret tip (you already ought to know the "use your fingers" and "avoid the death grip" above), and all the drills mentioned are simply suggestions for inanimate objects to practice with, assuming that you want to practice outside of practice, where you don't have a partner.

Practice, practice, practice. Then practice some more.

[I live to FENCE]

Thanks guys. I'll try all of your suggestions(except the italian grip) to see which one works out best for me. Thanks again.

[ObliviousFencer]

That's pretty much it, just practice fingering until you can do it automatically while fencing.

I also think it helps when I try to circle their bell guard and not there blade so it's more controlled.

[leapyear]

This is what I did:
I had a practice partner, and we simply drilled doing attacks into increasing complicated series of parries. It wasn't "realistic" in the sense that someone would ever really stand there and parry four, six, countersix, and then get touched. But having to get through all those parries absolutely FORCES you to be clean. As soon as your movements get too big, you get tangled in their blade.

These drills worked really well for me. In particular, I never have trouble with those lefties who habitually parry four then counterfour. They're usually surprised that I hit them without withdrawing my arm or doing a coupe.

If you try it, keep a few things in mind:

1. Have your partner start the parries very slowly, and increase only as fast as you are able to maintain clean bladework

2. Do lots of repetitions. Like most training, a little practice once in a while isn't worth jack.

3. This is much more fun than the usual "make circles around doorknobs" stuff. It is surprisingly satisfying to work your way through four or five parries and then lunge and touch. I think the most complicated thing we did was: four, counterfour, seven, six, countersix.

Anyway, just a suggestion.

[Li'l Bebe]

word of caution with the door knob drill:

If you have painted or nice doors, or are renting with an evil land-lord, be really careful not to ding the door, as it's really easy to do (I know.)

[JackOfHearts]

Originally Posted by Gav

Why bother with an Italian grip? The only people who I've ever come across using them are the Americans.

And what is wrong with being an american? (aside from the government, political leaders, large corporations having a stake in everything making large profits at the expense of the consumer... blegh.. )

And I find the italian to be a decent grip. But grips aren't neccesarily relevant to this discussion. We still haven't heard what kind of grip this person uses, so until we find out let's not speculate on what kind of grip would be best.

I've yet to try a doorknob drill, though I have practiced my blade work with this... decorative.. thing... not sure what it is exactly, though it has multiple loops. I try to manuever my tip to follow these.

[leapyear]

I used to use one.
Great for point control; terrible, just terrible for infighting. And I was always afraid of breaking a finger. I can't imagine anything other than a pistol grip for sport fencing.