Parry 8 Vs. Parry 4

[RITFencing]

False search? Why not a real search?

OK, fair enough. Think of it as a first intention search. It should be realistic, and if it finds the blade, the fencer should riposte. It can also serve as an invitation to set up an opposition thrust, and the whole thing can be a very good decision making drill, especially when involving half steps and direction change, though it's important to make sure the hand and foot get sequenced correctly, otherwise the fencer will end up walking onto the opponent's attack.

Happy now?

[darius]

Much better. You going to Memphis?

[AdamH]

It might be helpful to remember that when teaching parries, maybe 60% of the lesson is on the parry and the other 40% is on the (a) riposte.

With the semi-circular, low line parry of octave, it can be more frustrating to feel the direct riposte. This is especially true if the students are doing pairs work and the 'attacker' is dropping and angulating in their attack with pronation and all of that in a lunge.

So, at least consider including also the basic indirect riposte from octave to the sixte shoulder hole and watch for the 'attacker' anticipating and blocking the expected riposte either way with their sword arm.

Since the student is now in the octave position, then they need to know other parries.

AFAIK, two systems approaches for beginners are:

Either to start with lateral quarte/sixte and counter-sixte/counter-quarte parries, before moving on to semi-circular and 'diagonal' (quarte-octave/septime-sixte/etc) parries over the course of several weeks.

Or, give them quarte, sixte and circular variants, and include low-line seconde as 'parallel with floor' with direct and indirect 'corkscrew' riposte. And work on more footwork before expanding stroke vocabulary.

But for any parry, always get them thinking about the riposte.


edit: Oh, epee. Ah, about that seconde, that'll be a possible octave. With angulation. Hmm, epee. I'll get my coat.

[catwood1]

edit: Oh, epee. Ah, about that seconde, that'll be a possible octave. With angulation. Hmm, epee. I'll get my coat.

If you think you should never parry 2 in epee, I strongly disagree.

[Alexander Kai]

If you think you should never parry 2 in epee, I strongly disagree.

And I learned at my most recent tournament the very same lesson......but with one caveat.

It was Sabre.

[catwood1]

I don't understand what you're saying.

[Alexander Kai]

In this particular pool bout, my opponent would attack in a low line, and his attacks would begin below the waist. At the time, I had absolutely NO idea how to handle this at all.

On top of that, he was overall a better fencer than I was.... but that's besides the point.

But looking back on it, had I thought to do a Parry 2, it probably would have been the correct parry for the line he was using. Sorry Catwood, I was just trying to play off your joke based on my experience.

[catwood1]

...?

So, you said parry 8 in epee is a better choice than 2. I disagreed with you. So you fenced a sabre bout and someone attacking you low line made you remember that parry 2 exists? O...kaaaaay?

Either way, both 8 and 2 have their place in modern epee. I leave it at that...

[Alexander Kai]

And I concur, I was just saying that oddly enough it also applies in Sabre......