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anotheranonThis week's exercise was parrying attacks from extension (very close) distance. I have never been great at this drill, but an added twist made it ever so much more "special" this week - I'm attempting to do my bladework with a stiffer forearm.
My initial fencing training emphasized wrist/finger motion and sentiment du fer as a means of assuring tiny movements and keeping the point more or less on target for quick parries. However, at close range larger parries are needed so my coach V. encourages movement from the elbow.
This new approach provides a nice "block" at close range and will likely become even more valuable as I start working with (and against) absence of blade but as of now, I'm not there - moving the blade from the elbow is like moving a blade that's a foot longer than I'm used to, with all the attendant recalculations of getting the damn point back on target for ripostes.
It feels very strange and frustrating and I inadvertently keep backing up during drills because it feels too close.
On the up side if I can master this it will give my wrists a bit of a break - between sewing, typing and fencing it's a wonder my hands aren't two tight, gnarled knots :P
In addition to my physical game I've borrowed a copy of One Touch At A Time from B. to add to my mental game. It provides a lot of clinically tried evidence for what helps elite athletes get into the mental "zone" for optimum performance, and from what I can tell a lot of it would be applicable to almost any sport or pursuit. I'm actually finding that a lot of the advice to simultaneously detach from and go within the pressure is similar to what I read in Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway this past spring.
My initial fencing training emphasized wrist/finger motion and sentiment du fer as a means of assuring tiny movements and keeping the point more or less on target for quick parries. However, at close range larger parries are needed so my coach V. encourages movement from the elbow.
This new approach provides a nice "block" at close range and will likely become even more valuable as I start working with (and against) absence of blade but as of now, I'm not there - moving the blade from the elbow is like moving a blade that's a foot longer than I'm used to, with all the attendant recalculations of getting the damn point back on target for ripostes.
It feels very strange and frustrating and I inadvertently keep backing up during drills because it feels too close.
On the up side if I can master this it will give my wrists a bit of a break - between sewing, typing and fencing it's a wonder my hands aren't two tight, gnarled knots :P
In addition to my physical game I've borrowed a copy of One Touch At A Time from B. to add to my mental game. It provides a lot of clinically tried evidence for what helps elite athletes get into the mental "zone" for optimum performance, and from what I can tell a lot of it would be applicable to almost any sport or pursuit. I'm actually finding that a lot of the advice to simultaneously detach from and go within the pressure is similar to what I read in Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway this past spring.
