fencing foo

[anotheranon]

Long time since I've done a longish fencing post - and will be longer still as all I have time for tonight are bullet points:

• Still (STILL!) striving for smaller footwork. Given that the 2 people emphasizing this are both tiny and wiry and I'm long and leggy, this is rather unintuitive - I feel rather like a daddy long-legs trying to emulate.. well, something far more controlled and compact :P
  
• Lunges - my big problem here is lack of confidence. I don't like doing 'em because I never feel like I have right of way and because when lunging I don't feel like I can do anything else (parry, disengage).
  
  
  
  • Re: disengages: need to work on them until they become automatic. More target work.
    
    • Also prime target work.
      
    
    
  • Re: "don't feel like" - fencing in general is a hell of a mental workout for me because a great deal of it relies on intuition, and I'm a control freak who doesn't like relying on my "gut" :P Serious remapping going on!
  
  
• When I attack, I need to do so with confidence. Figuring out when to attack and realizing that I can still do defensive actions if I fail will help, but ultimately the confidence is something I've either got or don't, and no one can help me with that.
  
• Wobbly back foot + attempted change in footwork = fell on my ass tonight. Luckily (?) the surprise set of a fit of the giggles, which loosened me back up but I had to shake it off to get my head back in the game.
  
• Ending on a good note - I make solid, fast parries. More of these please!
  

Comments

[anotheranon.livejournal.com]

I didn't think about the center of gravity issue! Perhaps I am leaning too much one way or another, and that's affecting my ability to tiptoe along. Thanks!

And re: intuition - fencing IS learned thing - none of these movements are natural in day to day life. IMHO the gut comes in when you've drilled so often and thoroughly that the movements become automatic - that's when it's hazardous to overthink (which I do a LOT when I should just let the muscle memory work).