Want some advice for getting around weird parry system

[MikeHarm]

There are some fencers from a particular club who have been knocking me out of my DE's just before I'm able to win a new rating, who are using a weird parry system I haven't seen other folks using.

Whats happening is they're all small thin fencers and while they're using their sword to clear the high line with traditional sorts of parries, they are using their lower arm to clear the low line simultaneously along with some body twisting to move their body out of the way faster.

I was able to slip in a few angulated thrusts to four, but haven't so far been able to get anything but off targets going down the center. If anyone has some advice on good techniques against this method I'd love to hear it.

[Craig]

Do a good feint and then nail them in the back or flank when they make the contortion.

Any chance of getting a vid clip of how they do the action? I'm having a little trouble with visualizing it.

Craig

[jeff]

Little skinny guys can be a real pain to fence - there's just so little target... I wish I was still skinny! I assume they're using the weapon arm to cover, not the rear arm (illegal) - right? Also, try to deceive the parry and hit high line - it's just harder for a tall person to hit a small person's low line.

[veeco]

Looks like they fence like Sabine Bau fences.

[omaoligain]

coupe that arm a few times HARD....that ought to get it out of the way.

Actually, I believe that it is illegal to DELIBERATELY move to cover or deflect the weapon with ANY non target area appendage. But that may be hard to call in the case of the weapon arm. But I thnk that if the fencer is sticking his elbow out like a wing to deflect an attacking blade you might have a reasonable complaint.

[MikeHarm]

They were using the sword arm to deflect. Picture if they were going to go to parry four for instance, the parry going to four, maybe with a circle, while their lower arm moved away from the center in the same direction catching any shots to the low line simultaneously and their body moving the opposite direction clearing the line faster and perhaps even twisting sideways if you were trying for a flank shot.

It sounds like I need to provoke the parry as some sort of feint and take flick shots at their shoulder from what people are saying.

I talked to director's and getting an obscuring target call for the sword arm isn't going to happen.