Footwork

[Link14]

Figured I'd put in my $0.02 in since I just taught session 2 of my current beginning foil class (advance, retreat, lunge, extensions, straight attack).

I agree with most of what's been said so far but after last night, felt like I needed to emphasize two things. 1) Keep your center of gravity between your legs during your footwork, and 2) keep your knees flexed. Both of those points will help smooth out your footwork. It's very easy to spot the beginning fencers that try and do footwork standing straight up...they keep wobbling back and forth.

I have to disagree with some of the comments on the cross retreat though. I fence sabre in competition and usually prefer to use the fast retreat and (hopefully) set up a distance parry. However, if I'm fencing some superfast young fencer who comes charging at me, I've known to just lean back and just cross-retreat for all I'm worth (usually to the sound of coconuts in my head ) trying to open the distance enough for a point-in-line or something to slow them down. It even works sometimes.

[damianip]

Originally posted by Catlady
I've been taught the reaching theory too. Yes, the push off is the fastest and the fast part of your retreat, but first you reach your back leg behind you while keeping your weight on your front foot. As long as the weight is still on the front foot you can still change your mind and not retreat without being vulnerable. However, once you've made the decision to retreat and thus shift your weight, you'd better do it quickly;that's when you're vulnerable.

But you're vulnerable during the "reach" if it is not simultaneous with the "push". Keep the weight on both feet until you're ready to move.

If you've started the "reach", then an advance (which may tactically appropriate as the situation changes) becomes impossible.

My coach emphasizes the fact that finding yourself on one foot for any significant length of time greatly reduces your options.

Paolo

[haggis]

Damianip

The reach part of the retreat is meant to be short with no transference of weight until the push comes from the front foot. Without reaching with the back foot to absorb the transfer of weight the on guard is likely to be unstable when the back foot hits the ground. Changing to an advance once the reach has started is only impossible if you transfer the centre of gravity on the reach element of the retreat. I totally agree with your coach when he says that standing on one foot reduces your options (king of hard to argue with really ) but the reach does not mean balancing on your front foot. The back foot (and rear leg) are positioned to allow a quick weight transfer and ensure a stable on guard position on completion. If reaching with the back foot is disastrous on the retreat, then how would you recommend performing an advance? Do you simply lift the front foot and push off the back foot, keeping the front leg in the same position as on guard until it hits the ground? If not, why not?

So many questions!!

Cheers

Haggis

[damianip]

Haggis,

Maybe it's a matter of semantics but it is impossible to perform the "reach" without a weight transfer to the front foot. We must obviously at some point perform a transfer of weight and be unweighted on the other foot if we are to move.

The point is that the motions should be as close to a single tempo as possible to avoid the "vulnerability". A "bahhhhhh" (reach), "bah" (push) is slower than a "bah"(unweight) "bah" (push) retreat.

If that makes any sense at all.

As far as the advance goes. It's not so much a matter of the movement of the individual feet as much as the timing of the movements. Again, it's a lot easier to see than it is to describe. The issue on both the advance and the retreat is to not "leave anything behind". The back foot should come up behind and land with the toes of the front foot coming down.

I hope this is better as an explanation. I actually think that we might be saying the same thing.

Paolo