Becoming a Good Sabre Fencer.

[Inquartata]

Perhaps it was really just a test to see if you had the proper amounts of (a) fervor and (b) self-discipline for fencing?

"Coach? I've been doing this for ten whole minutes, it's so BORING!"

"Get outta my salle, ye dilettante!"

[pkt]

Adam & In4,

The sole objective of the 'tap' excercise is to let you learn what a proper cut in sabre is.

Sabre IMHO is the toughest of the 3 weapons for the simple reason that one is so often tempted to do a calvary sabre chop, so one of the things that a coach or master has to do is to make sure the the student unlearn that tendancy.

But, man oh man, it's so satisfying to do a calvary sabre chop once in a while, one that the opponent feels from the top of his head to his bottom... And then to see him jump... . Hey, I have a balanced personality: I take as good as I give.

The closest application of the tap exercise one can do while fencing is the feint-cut to the same line...

PK

[hi5]

I always thought that the double tap was to ensure that your cuts are controled. The cutting drill i was told to do was a double tap head-cut to a belly-cut to a double tap flank cut.
Doing the double tap flank after the belly is good because it is easy for a cut to get sloppy after a belly-cut. doing the double tap after the belly kind of forms your cuts more efficiently using less arm and more finger.

[pkt]

hi5,

you've got the idea now about why one needs to pracitise more with the double tap exercise, be it for better control of the blade or ensuring that one cuts with the fingers only, they amount to the same thing: be a better sabreur.

PK