practical application

[belligerent_sorceress]

i have a problem. i find that i'm fine with footwork and bladework drills, but when it comes to actual bouting- i'm horrendous! any advice? i'm especially troubled with my parry-riposte. i can't seem to get the speed up on it. please, help!

[HilandDoug]

Don't worry, B.S., it is a common problem with beginners. All you need is time and practice. Most beginners can remember to parry, but are so relieved when it works, that they stand there and admire it while forgetting to riposte. While you are practice bouting, work on a quick riposte after your parries. Have someone work with you while doing your footwork, and make that riposte the focus of your practice. It'll come, just give it time and practice. And don't worry about speed right now, worry about correct technical execution.

[Rick]

Repititio est mater studiorum

Translated: Repetition is the mother of education.

Just keep practicing your footwork. Once your body gets enough of it, it will come out while bouting.

[neevel]

One of the most important things to grasp about practice bouting-- they are for _practice_, not necessarily for winning. If you have some item that you need to work on, then concentrate on that, and not winning the bout.

As a technique hint, what are you doing with your distance in conjunction with your parry riposte? If your opponent is starting their attack from the right distance and executing well, then you won't be able to just stand still and try to parry-- you'll need to do a quick (but not overly large) retreat first to get to parry-riposte distance, and then make the parry. Also, the riposte will be most effective if executed with an accelerating tempo change from the parry (i.e., eighth-note on the parry, sixteenth-note on the riposte). Lastly, remember to keep the hand relaxed-- you make just a momentary squeeze with the back three fingers at the instant you contact your opponent's blade, and then immediately relax the hand as you begin the riposte.

Spend some practice bouts working on getting so you can execute the above actions without havng to concentrate on them, rather than on trying to win the bout.

-Dave Neevel

[Rapier9mm]

wow how many people here speak latin?? if you can - trans late this:
Ego in flumen stercoris sine remo sum

lol

[Lumberg]

To HilAndDoug,
You just called her B.S.!
To Belligerent_Sorceress,
Either you need a better coach/teacher or you need to practice the parry-riposte more.
As one who taught fencing, I counseled students to apply what they learned in their drills in their practice bouts. So when I directed these practice bouts, I would give pointers.
So, what usually happens is the students do what I just said but their opponent is expecting it so there usually is (for example) an exchange of four to six parry-ripostes back-to-back. Has anyone seen this amoungst novice fencers?

------------------
Lumberg.
"...yeah...did you get the memo about the TPS reports?"

[John]

belligerent,
Are you really fine in drills? Your best bet would be to have your coach watch you in drills or video tape yourself in drills. Many people (myself included) tend to get "lazy" after doing a certain drill a couple of times and that "lazy action" is usually what will show up in bouts. While advancing/retreating are your feet closing up? When you parry is your hand in the right position? Are your really parrying or are you just making a "beat" on your opponents attack? These are just a few things to check for in drills. Also, while doing drills don't worry about speed, just concentrate on having the actions be perfect and complete everytime.

Lumberg,
From my limited experience, this isn't just a novice thing. I have even seen experienced fencers fall into a "drill" on the strip... Especially if their club does a lot of drills and little "open" bouting...thats my 2 cents...

[Tyrantraxus]

For Rapier9mm,

Transaltion:I am in a river made of **** and i dont even have a row.

[fencingguy]

paddle, the word is either paddle or oar...

[Tyrantraxus]

Thanks!

...I am in a river made of **** and i dont have a paddle!..

[Lumberg]

Let's see, I'll try to use some of my Latin to keep up with the show-offs, low-bay e-may.

------------------
Lumberg.
"...yeah...did you get the memo about the TPS reports?"

[HilandDoug]

LumBerg, wouldn't that be "ow-blay"?