If you have recently started practicing fencing and are trying to understand if it is the sport for you (and it certainly will be if, in addition to wanting to win in the competition, you want to test yourself from a physical, mental and emotional point of view), it will be very useful for you to learn terms such as "sixth", "answer" or "seventh". These words are part of the history of fencing and help create the aura of magic that surrounds the sport. Do not worry! The terms in question are pretty easy to remember and knowing them can add that extra touch to your fencing skills. This article defines the words of fencing without explaining the techniques they refer to. For example, choosing to use one "parry" technique over another depends mainly on the attack you suffer, and expanding on the explanation of all these techniques would go far beyond the purpose we set out in writing this article.
Steps
Step 1. Familiarize yourself with these words and you will be ready to try your hand at fencing
Step 2. "Lunge" and "Block":
these are the keywords you will learn first; they give name to the two actions which, in the course of a competition, at any level, are repeated more than any other.
- The "lunge" is the attack, the "parry" is the defense. The lunge is recognizable by the fact that the practitioner pushes the tip of the iron against the opponent, extends the rear leg holding it at least 45 ° to the direction of the attack, and bends the front leg so that the ankle remains in line with the knee.
- The "parry" is the action taken to deflect the attacker's blade. There are a lot of blocking techniques, but the purpose of each one remains basically the same.
Step 3. "En garde" (French expression):
the guard position is the basic position of the fencer; with the expression "en garde" the referee tells the athletes to prepare.
Step 4. "Pret" (French term):
it is used by the referee during the match. After warning the athletes by saying "en garde", the referee says "pret" to warn the athletes that the confrontation is about to begin.
Step 5. "Allez" (French term):
it is the combat signal that the referee gives to the contestants.
Step 6. "Halte" (French term):
Alt. With this word, the referee commands the two athletes to stop.
Step 7. "Stuttgart"
Occurs when the tip of an athlete's weapon touches the target. It is the referee who determines whether the touch is valid or not and a hit does not necessarily guarantee a point. It all depends on the regulation. The above is valid for all fencing styles, even if, in the saber, you can hit with the whole blade.
Step 8. "Answer"
In fencing, he describes an attack immediately following a parry. Hence the combination "parade-response". The parry and return technique is one of the most used techniques to score a point, at any level of competition. In competitions we often observe exchanges made of two or three repeated actions (for example, fencers go from attack to defense, from defense to attack and then back to defense until a jab is scored or one of the contenders does not retreat.). On a professional level, the speed is such as to confuse the eye.
Step 9. "Caving":
with this action he makes his iron pass from the starting line to the opposite line, making it pass above or below the opponent's one. This is a fast and almost imperceptible movement (real champions simply use a flick of the fingers to slide their weapon under the opponent's one). It is used as a release action or as part of a feint (for example, the attack aims at the left side of the opponent and then moves quickly to the right side, without giving the defender a chance to respond).
Step 10. "Attack":
any action aimed at scoring a point.
Step 11. "Advantage":
it is a very important principle in scoring, in foil as well as in saber. We will try to explain it in a simplified way here. Given the blinding speed with which foil players and sabers move, the referee must be able to follow a basic principle for awarding the point in the event of a double hit (when the two athletes hit each other simultaneously). Whoever attacks first is rewarded. In the case of a "parry-response", where the parry neutralizes the attack by transforming itself into a response, the one who responds is rewarded (an attack being a response), as long as it hits a valid part of the opponent's body. If the initiator of the attack hits the opponent in a valid way but suffers the response, the point belongs to the opponent. Generally, the parry gives the thrower the right to score, provided he makes an effective response.
Step 12. Target
It depends on the style of fencing. In the foil it consists of a conductive jacket that covers the trunk area; hitting other areas of the body means going off target. In the sword, the target is the opponent's body in its entirety, including the head and feet. In the saber you go to the target by hitting the upper part of the body: torso, head, arms, excluding the hands (which do not have metal protections). In summary: in foil a hit is considered off target if it does not hit the jacket (in this case the referee stops the match); in the sword one can strike any part of the body; in the saber, despite there is a target area, if a jab does not go to sign the referee does not stop the match (it goes on until one of the two athletes does not score a point).
Step 13. "Match Judge":
the main referee (in addition to him there may be two or four touch judges). When the signal lights do not make it clear who scored the point, the referee examines the fencing action and decides who to award the point to.
Advice
- Don't buy the equipment before you have made the decision to exercise regularly; many clubs offer equipment for beginners.
- The F. I. E. (Fédération Internationale d'Escrime), which governs world fencing, has a site that allows you to see the most exciting matches on your computer.
- At the first workout, bring plenty of water to drink, a towel and a change of clothes (ok, if you don't have a sweat-soaked T-shirt change, the important thing is to sweat, and then drink!)
- The best way to learn fencing is to try it. Before contacting a fencing club, find out about their credentials (many have a website). The important thing is to get an idea (consider as many clubs as possible, even if they are located far from where you live).
