Backward lunge in epee...Useless?

[RITFencing]

The reverse lunge is taught as part of one of the footwork patterns in the advanced lessons for the Tauber system; I've taught it in that context, and it takes a bit of time to really make sense of it, but it's useful for counter attacks to the toe, as was mentioned, and the thigh (now that I think about it, I do it more when posting with a french...)

It's useful for any action where you want to let the distance close and then open it up a great deal; when I use it in a lesson, I generally include 2 blade actions with it, like a stop hit when the back leg goes back and then a blade take as a safety on the recovery.

[Phrogger]

Slightly off-topic...where DOES one find out more about the Tauber (Beck) system? I was hoping "The Complete Guide to Fencing" would include a straight-up syllabus with skill progression and drills, but it's a tremendous book to wade through. More of a comprehensive encyclopedia than a syllabus. I've only managed to find snippets of Beck stuff. Is there one place to get the info if you don't speak German?

[keith]

Slightly off-topic...where DOES one find out more about the Tauber (Beck) system? I was hoping "The Complete Guide to Fencing" would include a straight-up syllabus with skill progression and drills, but it's a tremendous book to wade through. More of a comprehensive encyclopedia than a syllabus. I've only managed to find snippets of Beck stuff. Is there one place to get the info if you don't speak German?

If your Germans any good you should be able to track down a copy of his book - I don't think it was ever translated into english. Just checked the allstar site and they didn't have it so it may be out of print.

Edit - forgot that the ever reliable Allen Evans has a pretty nice outline on his site ;

http://home.earthlink.net/~allenevans59/GERMANEPEE.HTML

[MdA]

http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Guide.../dp/1841261912

[telkanuru]

Barth and Beck conclude that dodging is an essential skill for epeeists and effective when used sparingly and under the right conditions. They further assert that this is a common tactic among users of the French grip. Do pommelers agree?

Oh jeeze, give me an opponent who doesn't follow forward if their main attack misses, and I will have a field day. Toying with distance is fun!

[epeelion]

I have a copy of the Beck system, though I don't know if it's a direct translation. In English, though. I got it from a friend, who I think got it from a clinic at Halberstadt by Peter Burchard.

Oh, and as a pommeler (about 40-50% of the time), I do dodge sometimes. But not that often.

[Phrogger]

Allen's site is brilliant and helpful. I do consult it frequently.

MdA, I already have a copy of "The Complete Guide to Fencing," but it isn't a syllabus. I have been using it and the drills to concoct my own syllabus, in conjunction with "Foil, Sabre, and Epee Fencing."

I appreciate the suggestions, but alas, I guess the "all-in-one" syllabus is still elusive. Allen, where did you take the Beck seminars?

[Allen Evans]

My notes on the Beck system come from three sources. The primary source is from Coaches College, in which Epee Level 2 was the Beck system when I was there, presented by Gary Copeland. I also have notes from a seminar (which I did not attend) given by two coaches from Tauber and written up by Vinnie Bradford in American Fencing (many years ago). Finally, I have a chart through Paul Soter (previously of Halberstadt, now at Golden Gate) of the Beck lessons.

Needless to say, the three sources differ and I tried to put them together in a way that made sense (and I try to make it clear in my website that what I present may not be a completely accurate Beck system progression). Most of the information on the site is weighted heavily towards the Coaches College program I had, since that was the only "hands on" that I ever did. I've never seen the actual German source for the Beck system, though Barth and Beck's book seems to have pieces of it.

I understand that access to Tauber is pretty easy, and that they train a lot of foreign coaches, so someone really interested should be able to learn directly from the source.

Allen Evans