Coaching: Teaching the en guard position

[labelle]

I'm not a coach, but the way I was taught sounds like it might be a version of what Allen Evans was describing. It felt kind of silly at the time, but I think it worked pretty well. Here's how I remember it:

1) Students stand in a line, facing coach, with heels together, 90 degree angle, hands on hips. Follow what the coach does. Very little if any talking.

2) Raise toes of lead foot, then back down.

3) Raise toes of lead foot, take step forward with lead foot which hits the floor heel first (at about shoulder width) and toes don't hit. Then return to the starting position.

4) Repeat step 2. Then step 3, except after your heel hits, your toes follow. Then raise toes and return to starting postion.

5) (I think you repeat the previous steps a few times) Then take a step with the lead foot (toes up, hit with heel, toes down) bend your knees. And now you should have a pretty good en guarde from the waist down. At this point coach goes around to correct crooked toes, knees, leaning, etc.

6) Then return to starting position, making sure to lift the toes first and place the foot down (as opposed to dragging it)

There's a sequence with the arms, too (which goes in after step 5), but that's enough for now.

I like it because there's not a lot of explaining to do - just follow the leader - and it's broken down into small steps. It makes you aware of what part of your foot is hitting when, which really helps when you start moving.

[dramamine]

I do it similarly to RITFencing's description. Here is a drill I like that tends to correct many problems with foot placement in the engarde.

line beginners up, engarde. they may not move forward and backward. take a weapon, and, running down the line, make them duck it (around head level to start - masks are needed). if their foot position is awkward, they'll have trouble ducking. next, put the blade near their feet, and have them jump it as you run down. as they get more used to it lower/raise the blade and increase the difficulty. begin changing directions so they have to be 'sharp' (dont just run down the line). you can make this quite hard and it teaches mobility in the en garde. if they have bad foot position they will be awful at this.

[RITFencing]

A lot of people seem to teach it similarly to me, with a few variations. I really like that bit about telling them to lower their body rather than bend their knees; I can see how that encourages good posture.

This is a bit off topic (thread drift? say it isn't so!) but when teaching basic footwork, which is the first thing I do after teaching the on guard stand, I tell people to imagine their feet moving their hips back and forth along a line and to let their upper body just kind of sit on the hips. This is again to minimize tension in the upper body and to enoucrage good posture, and also to prevent the up and down "bobbing" that many newbies seem to engage in (you can't bob up and down when moving along a straight line) and the shoulders/upper body moving back and forth. I've found that it enourages very smooth motion. In fact, I have people practice footwork like this letting their arms hang limp (again encouraging a loose upper body.)

Has anyone else used something like this, and am I alone in thinking how vital it is to eliminate tension in the body, especially the upper body, in beginning fencers?

[Teme]

In fact, I have people practice footwork like this letting their arms hang limp (again encouraging a loose upper body.)

Has anyone else used something like this, and am I alone in thinking how vital it is to eliminate tension in the body, especially the upper body, in beginning fencers?

On previous page:

6. Point out that whatever happens from belly button down, should not interfere with what happens up from belly button. The torso should just rest on a 'chassis' that moves it along the piste.
7. Everybody takes steps forward, and I want to see arms swing freely just from inertia. Still correcting on guards, if necessary.

[Grasshopper]

1) get beaten down by your opponent for most of match
2) let him slap you but start vibrating your whole body defiantly when he does
3) after about 3 slaps, block one and return the slap to your opponent's dismay.
4) block another and return slap
5) body slam opponent
6) pick opponent up, throw him into the ropes and when he bounces back lift up your leg and let him run into your boot.
7) then run into the ropes, bounce back and do a jumping leg drop on his upper chest (this is called "dropping the big leg")
8) pin him and wait for the 3 count
9) you are the WWF Heavyweight Champion

[JAnthony]

To RIT:

We're definitely on the same wavelength. I also try to teach keeping the upper body still, in a couple ways. One is like yours, imagining the upper body being carried along by the legs, but I often use vivid images that seem to help some fencers. One is to imagine a crab scuttling along; another is to think of that crazy Kenneth Branagh villian in the wheelchair from "Wild Wild West"!

The other way is to teach the advance and retreat as "pushing" movements instead of "stepping" movements. Students who "step" to advance tend to bob more. Those who "push" from the back leg, forcing the front leg to reach out, seem to bob less. Then push from the front leg to retreat.

As a bonus, this helps them keep their legs properly bent, because you can't push until those muscles are flexed and ready. And that also prepares them for the pushing action of the lunge and other movements like balestra, fleche and those fast push-off retreats I learned as a newbie saber fencer - self-preservation!

[Inquartata]

One is to imagine a crab scuttling along; another is to think of that crazy Kenneth Branagh villian in the wheelchair from "Wild Wild West"!

Meh, when I was a relatively new fencer I watched a kung fu movie in which one of the fighters used a 'crab style'. He scuttled along sideways, very rapidly. I tried this mode at fencing practice, advancing and retreating sideways...and it worked, though only because my opponents were laughing so hard at me!

The other way is to teach the advance and retreat as "pushing" movements instead of "stepping" movements. Students who "step" to advance tend to bob more. Those who "push" from the back leg, forcing the front leg to reach out, seem to bob less. Then push from the front leg to retreat.

Very good point indeed. It helped me immensely when I had a coach explain it this way and make me try thinking about doing it thus. Very useful concept!

[Zilverzmurfen]

Meh, when I was a relatively new fencer I watched a kung fu movie in which one of the fighters used a 'crab style'. He scuttled along sideways, very rapidly. I tried this mode at fencing practice, advancing and retreating sideways...and it worked, though only because my opponents were laughing so hard at me!

There's a fencer at my club that moves exactly like that. He is (secretly) called 'The Crab'...

[RITFencing]

There's a fencer at my club that moves exactly like that. He is (secretly) called 'The Crab'...

And now that same nickname befits Inq in more ways than one!

[Inquartata]

You mean like, that I can only be gotten through sexual contact?

[RITFencing]

You mean like, that I can only be gotten through sexual contact?

Normally I'd say that everyone comes from sexual contact, but I imagine you being grown somewhere, or perhaps constructed.