Learning to recover properly

[ladybug]

HELP!!

I cannot for the life of me learn how to recover from a lunge properly!! I know that you are supposed to PULL back with your back leg, but I always end up pushing off with my front and "heaving" myself up. Does anyone know of any drills or tricks I can use to stop myself from doing this? My muscles just can't seem to learn the right moves.

[Rapier9mm]

A tip I got taught:
Lunge - then go back into on guard keeping your front foot steady & holding your rear foot off the ground.

Repeat for the front foot.

hope it helps (if you can follow it - its easier to show.)

[Zelda]

Ladybug try this link.... http://web.access.net.au/~dcook/lisa...ting/lunge.htm
Its written by a saburer who lives in Melbourne....

[walrus418]

the problem you have may be that you are "over-lunging", i.e., not stopping the lunge in a good upright, balanced position and instead, leaning over the front foot. be sure to end your lunge when the foot hits the ground; the arm should be completely extended, with your point (hopefully) buried in the target and the body uprigth and balanced over both feet. recovery should include pushing with the front foot as well as pulling and bending of the back leg.

[Clean Touch]

This is how I recover, and maybe this will help:

Finish your lunge in perfect profile: off-shoulder back, knee over the ankle, front foot forward. To recover push off with the heel of the front foot and simultaneously pull yourself back with the off-hand.

At the finish of the lunge the off-hand is back and the left shoulder (assuming you;re a right-handed fencer) is down as well. When you recover with the off-hand the off-hand arm pushes up on the left shoulder, with pushes the right shoulder down into the guard. This shoulder action also cranks the hips from the open-lunge position into the closed guard position. (Again, it's easier to show thn to verbally describe). So lemme try:

finish of the lunge:
o head
_/- arms and shoulders
| trunk
\ hips
/ | legs

recovery
| o head
--\___ arms and shoulders
| trunk
/ hips
| | legs

Not easy to see I'm afraid, but there's an open closed relationship between the hips and shoulders from the on-guard and lunge positions.

/
| lunge
\

\
| guard
/


The motion of the offhand moves the shoulders back and in turn cranks the hips back into their guard position. It's the synchronized coordination between the cranking motion of the off-hand arm and the push off with the front leg that will return you to the guard position quickly.

Consciously focusing on moving straight back into the guard instead of up then dropping down should also help teach the muscles in the back leg to work properly. The backwards motion is similar to the advance and retreat: the goal is to move back and forth smoothly at the same level, without bouncing up and down. Focusing on maintaining that smooth motion should help train your back-leg's muscles.

The best exercise I can think of to help with this is the deep knee bend. Without mask or weapon hold your hands together out in front and lift your left foot out in front of you, leg straight. Lower yourself as far as you can, then lift yourself back up. Works the thigh muscles wonderfully. Ideally the goal is to lower yourself to the floor and raise yourself back up. Repeat with the other leg. Holding onto a chair next to you can help if you're not strong enough in the beginning. If you can lower yourself to the floor and back up five times with each leg (I call it the "five-by-five" club) then you'll be the envy of any fencer in the salle.

This will also increase the power and speed of your lunges and jumps, too.

Aldo Nadi's book On Fencing has an excellent section on lunging and the recovery.

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

[sabredude]

I had heard of the drill of lunging and keeping you front foot off the ground when you recover but never a drill keeping your back foot up.

Otherwise what others have said, you are lunging to far.

[Moonitic]

ladybug,

You mean Todd hasn't yelled at you about it? Boy, he's got on me for lunging AND recovering properly. I'll have to show you what he told me to do next time I see you.

[ladybug]

Thanks for the advice everyone!!! I'll try your suggestions out and let you know what works.

Moonitic - Todd hasn't gotten to this particular problem yet - He's still working on all the others!!

[thebigriddle]

well the mechanic involved, shifting your weight onto the back leg, and picking up the front leg. You have recoil the back leg. You do not want to puch with the front leg, but pull with the back leg. This requires you to develop a strong back leg, but this is a quicker way to recover.