How low do you go?

[FencingQueen4]

Ok, I need some help.. on a lunge how low do you go? I can go very low, but it would hit in the pelvis area.. do you tilt your sword upward? Or just not go that low at all? Does it depend on what sword you have..? Sorry for so many questions! Thank you!

[This message has been edited by FencingQueen4 (edited 01-11-2001).]

[HilandDoug]

Queen,

When you lunge, your back leg should be fully extended, and your front knee should be somewhere over your front foot. Low-ness doesn't matter as much as forward reach. And I don't mean reaching forward with your arm, or leaning forward with your upper body. The former is ok, the latter is to be avoided. Your forward leg, or calf, should be straight up and down, ideally. You'll see pictures of high level competition where this isn't so, but those folks have trained long and hard and know what they can do. Don't worry about how low you can limbo as much as getting the correct technical execution in your lunge. That'll go further in the long run.

[Clean Touch]

I agree with HilandDoug. If you take a look at photographs of people in their lunges the front thigh and the back leg form one continuous line from front knee to rear ankle. That's about how low you should go. As long as the foil tip is at about your own shoulder level when you're down low you should hit the target.

Points to remember in a full lunge:

1) Don't lean forward too far into your front knee. If you look down at your front knee it should line up with your toes.

2) Keep the back straight, maybe with a slight lean forward.

3) back hand shouldn't drop lower than chest level. If you drop your off hand any lower it's just wasted movement.

4)When you gone as far forward as youcan there's no point in droppping lower into the lunge. The reach should be out, not down.

It sounds like you're really flexible, and that's a good thing. Keep up the good work!

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Est-ce que l'attaque etait bon? Mais Oui!!

[FencingQueen4]

Thanks you guys! I'll work on it!

[epeetaph]

I want you all to know I apologize for the enevitable statements that are to follow...but after all, the topic IS how "low can you go".

"Jack be nimble, jack be quick, jack go under fencing stick...la la la la la la la la la la la la la la..."

-I am so, so sorry...the evil fencing spirits made me do it!-

[FencingQueen4]

Huh?