the lunge

[Pacific]

someone pointed out to me that i was lunging all wrong. the thing was that my rear leg is bent when it should be "ramrod straight". But from videos of international tournaments, a whole buncha lunges have bent trailing legs...

[Peach]

My coaches have been trying vainly to KEEP me from lunging with my back leg ramrod-straight. I have adapted by abandoning the lunge entirely, apparently. Judging from a recent photo a friend sent me of one of my bouts, I also adjust by sticking my butt into the stratosphere and leaning WAAAAAY over.

Yeowck.

[Jason]

Many coaches make the mistake of teaching only one lunge.
There are huge varieties of lunges--accelerating lunge, explosive lunge, waiting lunge, etc.--and, obviously, in different situations, different lunges may be appropriate (the same applies to fleches).

How much your back leg is extended will depend on the situation: what action you're using, what action your opponent is using, the distance, etc. (Though for it to be an actual "lunge", the back leg pretty much needs to be mostly, if not completely, extended.) Also, when you fully extend your back leg, it remains fully extended only momentarily; as with your arm after an attack, you should relax your muscles after the lunge to be ready to do something else.

[135711]

this is the chronic debate of classical vs 'modern' fencers. sometimes i think modernists are just being a little bit lazy, but that's an unfair assessment. i think the back leg doesn't always extend fully in a lunge because it's very fatigueing. by being 'ramrod' straight, it may imply a 'stiff' muscle. i feel the ideal lunge will have an extended back leg, without a feeling of tension. the elite fencer may not always fully extend their back leg, because they don't want to sacrifice a point. it's like chess, you sacrifce a peice here and there for something else. what does everyone else think?

[achilleus]

Originally posted by 135711
i feel the ideal lunge will have an extended back leg, without a feeling of tension. the elite fencer may not always fully extend their back leg, because they don't want to sacrifice a point.

The Ideal Lunge is the one that allows you to score without being scored upon in the given situation.

Jason explained it perfectly. There are many different types of lunges, to be used at different distances, with different intents, and different times.

[Psi Shadowdark]

i agree, most of my lunges are with stright leg but i can think of many of times that i hvae chnaged it so to speak with good result

[Pacific]

i tried straighting my rear leg when lunging, and my lunge suddenly turns into a leap...and when i bend my rear leg, sometimes i end up banging my knee on the piste...yheesh

[swordsen]

All of those lunges jason mentioned are processes. they all end up the same way ideally. Front knee over the front foot, back leg straight and your tip somewhere on your opponent's body. Failing to fully extend the back leg is cheating yourself of distance and power.
That being said I have no idea why Peach's coach would not want her to extend it unless she was locking it place and it was thus inhibiting a fast recovery.

[Peach]

Originally posted by swordsen
That being said I have no idea why Peach's coach would not want her to extend it unless she was locking it place and it was thus inhibiting a fast recovery.

Yup. I'm an old lady and both my coaches prefer to sacrifice length of lunge for ability to change direction.

[Pacific]

which means that if my lunge shortens when i extend my rear leg, then i'm doing something wrong, right? i feel like i'm lunging up instead of forwards...ready for take off...3, 2, 1...lunge!

[mfp]

Originally posted by swordsen
Failing to fully extend the back leg is cheating yourself of distance and power.

Not necessarily -- in some cases a long, fully extended lunge can itself cheat you out of the distance and power gained by immediately following up the lunge with a fleche. Many people find it difficult to fleche out of their deepest lunge.

Along with there being lots of types of lunges for different situations, there are lots of types of fencers. Some might need or want to trade full extention for ease in recovery. Some might trade a full, deep lunge for ease in possibly following it with a fleche. Some fencers might trade off "full" lunge extentions to avoid causing or aggravating injuries.

[swordsen]

Well of course if the lunge is a preperation for another action then one may not want to go full distance. but I was speaking of just a lunge

and Yes paciific, if you are going up instead of forward whenyou straighten your leg you are indeed doing something wrong. Probably in the angel of your leg and in the forward kick with the front leg but I would have to see you lunge to be sure.

[135711]

A straight-back-leg takes more energy to land, so, sometimes i try to save it for a redoublement.