Request for a drill

[npkeith]

After epee class last night, I came to the conclusion that my counter-sixte parry-riposte sucks. I may have just been tired (a hour of punishing disengage drills with motion and at least 3 bouts to five with well matched fencers, all in foil, before I even picked up the epee), but I seemed to be having a hard time just closing the outside line, let alone following into the riposte.

Given that I only have class once a week, have no-one to drill with, and I don't have a dummy (or even a tennis ball trainer for that matter), does anyone have any solo drills that they recommend?

I've tried shadow fencing, and using a mirror, but I just can't seem to get it without another blade to work against.

HELP!

[Craig]

For c-6 opposition riposte drills, you need either a fencing dummy or a partner. Nothing you can really do on your own since you need to have a feel for the blade on your bell guard to make it work.

Craig

[npkeith]

Drat! I was afraid of that. I am going to have to build that @#$%^& dummy after all.

[DTAdam]

hey I see your in so-cal, where exactly are you? I'm in san Diego, (rancho Bernardo area) maybe we could get together and practice, depending where you are.


Where do you go for class?

[Millamber]

A cheap alternative I've found to building an entire fencing dummy...

Go buy one of those yard reflectors people stick in the ground beside their mailbox. They sell at Home Depot for about 2 dollars. While your at the Home Depot, pick up either 1.) a 1/4 inch closet mounting bracket (a small L bracket with screw holes in either end) or 2.) a flag holster.

Screw the holster into a wall a little more than waist high, then bend the bracket down a bit so its on a shallow 30degree angle. Insert the yard reflector (the reflector part comes off, leaving you with a 3 foot piece of flexible fiberglass) and viola! Your own threatening sword arm.

I'm sure an epee blade would work just as well, but I'm poor and don't have one to spare, and lucky enough that I haven't broken a blade yet. (Knock on wood)

[daeceg]

Damn...I saw the title of the thread, and thought it was going to be about power tools.

Dremel, baby.

[Gav]

Dunno if this will help but as a leftie Epeeist I am paticularly good at sixte-riposte.

Before we talk about the parry lets talk about stance.

Are you tense in your shoulder. If you are you will not be able move your arm properly, you will also get tired more quickly.

Are you over extending your arm? Seems a strange question but if you fully extend your arm your shoulder will end up locked and you will not be able to control your point.

I find these difficult concepts to translate into words but pick up an Epee and compare your rangeof movement with your arm100% extended with it 98% extended. It's something I used to do a lot [lock my shoulder] and my coach has done an excellent job working me out of it.

How is your on guard? Are you leaining forward? To far back? Is your hand resting in the correct neutral position? Do you feel tense - especially in the shoulder-arm and upper torso? First things first - relax any tension out. When you move back and forth do you rock forwards and back or do you maintain good balance and posture?

Keep these things in mind - try and correct them is possible. Don't fix things on the piste, fix it off piste.

Now for the parry.

Modern wisdom describes your hand position as being slightly supinated (thumb at 11 for lefties and 1 for righties) and in a neutral position (ie not particularly in quarte or sixte). To take a parry of sixte wait for the point to reach just over the guard then take the parry. Roll your hand further into supination (another notch should do) and move your hand the minimum distance needed into sixte to take the parry (different left v right or righ v right). Straighten and place your point on the first thing you can hit! This last bit also depends on which hand you and your opponent use. Maintain contact all the waythrough until you hit and when you are finished make sure hand remains in sixte.

Good luck.

[JEC]

Gav,
Obviously, you're particularly good at sixte-riposte because you're a leftie, and is a more natural movement than a quarte-riposte for you. But for us, righties, typically it is the contrary.

Originally posted by Gav
Are you over extending your arm? Seems a strange question but if you fully extend your arm your shoulder will end up locked and you will not be able to control your point.

I find these difficult concepts to translate into words but pick up an Epee and compare your rangeof movement with your arm100% extended with it 98% extended. It's something I used to do a lot [lock my shoulder] and my coach has done an excellent job working me out of it.

Regarding this statement, I couldn't agree more. Part of it is that at 100% arm extension, the dynamic range of your strongest wrist muscles (wrist flexors) is decreased. While it is quickly regained at just less than 100% extension. A quick demo, put your other hand over the inferior aspect of the forearm while doing full arm extension with closed fist and thumb at 11(LH) or 1 (RH). One would feel that the muscles in the forearm close to the elbow in the inferior aspect of the forearm become tense (contract). Do a few circles with the closed fist and the wrist range of motion (and accuracy) is less. Now, relax just a bit with a slight bend in the elbow. Notice the difference

[three_hundred_fifty_five]

Originally posted by npkeith
...Given that I only have class once a week, have no-one to drill with, and I don't have a dummy (or even a tennis ball trainer for that matter), does anyone have any solo drills that they recommend?...

If you have an extra mask and weapon, ask somebody/anybody who can fit in your jacket. It's a difficult request for a non-fencer but all they really need to do is stand in en garde, hold onto an epee and get poked.

[npkeith]

355 - I don't have a second mask or weapon (although the weapon thing may be changing soon.

Gav - I know I'm tense in the shoulder, because thats where I'm sore the next day (in addition to my right pectoral and right bicep/elbow of course, but those are just bruises, and my thighs of course, but..... OK, I'm sore everywhere but I do notice it in my shoulder). I also bend my wrist as I extend (ulnar deviation - away from my thumb, and a little supination). That was the thing coach told me to work on this week.
I may be over thinking this, but I think that my parry is bad, making my tip point off target, so I automatically flex to make the touch. If I can fix the parry, then I should be able to just extend to touch. I don't think that I'm over-extending.

Thanks for all the insight. After I move I intend to set up a tennis ball/bungie cord target for point control, and maybe one of those flag-holder/fiberglass rod thingies that Millamber mentioned. I might be able to build just the arm of a volkmann dummy and mount it on the wall with some targets painted on either side (for simulated lefties and righties). It will all depend on cash flow after the move.

[Gav]

npkeith: Yep that bend in your wrist will not be doing you any favours. I see it a lot in beginners.

Work hard to get rid of the tension in your shoulder as it will affect all of your fencing not just parries of sixte.

[Dragonfly]

Gav, I'm surprised about the fully extended arm thing. In foil for example where the right of way is imperative, it would be helpful to keep the arm extended, but, then you lunge, and your blade bends slighty while the arm bends gracefully while the hand remains in suppination, the whole weapon bends, in epee it doesn't matter a whole lot about the fully extended arm because there's no right of way issue. So, where you fence, in Great Britian, do they make big deal about the bent arm thing?

[swordsen]

GEt in front of a mirror and examine you stance and the movement of the parry. Odds are you are moving your arm too much thus opening your inside line or your shoulder.

[Gav]

Dragonfly: npkeith mentions Epee in his post that's why I chimed in. I can't comment on foil because I haven't competed at Foil in a long time (it's also held on a different day from Epee so I don't get to see it often). The fully extended arm quote is all to do with arm mobility. Follow JEC's comments and you will see what I am getting at. Also as far as anyone is concerned 98% looks the same as 100% - we are not talking about a 90 degree bend at the elbow.