Chapter III: Irregular Practises

The earlier discussion of the defence treated only what might be described as the regular parries and their use in a regular way. In the choice of the word “regular,” it is not intended to indicate that other parries or a different use of the usual parries may not be perfectly legal as well as an accepted procedure. However, the most finished technique is to meet a certain attack with the parry that will deviate its final movement from the target as an act of deftness and skill rather than force. There is an application of the regular parries and a certain group of compound parries that aim at defence by breaking up the attack at its inception or at some predetermined point in its development by a “breaking of the line.” This breaking of the line is the application of force in a direction opposite to that of the attacking blade. It rather tends to minimize the necessity of a complete analysis of the attack and plans to break it by force before its full development. Also, there is a use of certain of the regular parries in irregular ways to meet attacks of force, or frank attacks executed in an irregular manner.

One of the most frequently seen examples of the use of a regular parry to break the line is the opposing of the parry of septime to a disengage from quarte into sixte. The closing of the line of sixte by the parry of sixte, or the returning of the attacking point into quarte by the counter of quarte would be the regular method of meeting this attack. But, if the attacking faible is met by a sharp parry of septime as it drops to pass under the defending blade, the attack is immediately terminated in an entirely new and unexpected line before the completion of its first movement. A similar defence with octave, or seconde, may be employed from the line of sixte. Also, it is obvious that any plan for a compound attack has been shattered by this initial breaking of the line. Of course, if the attacker anticipates the play, he merely starts the disengage and immediately returns to the high line that has been opened. As already stated, there are certain combination parries used for this same purpose of breaking the line. Two of the best known and most widely used of these are the parries of septime and octave enveloppé. These parries are started from the high line guards of quarte or of sixte, drop to the corresponding low lines of septime or of octave and are carried back by an encircling (enveloping) movement to the opposite high line of sixte or of quarte. The parry is supposed to be so executed that the low line parry meets the initial movement of the first feint of the attacking blade and that the subsequent envelopment carries it upward and outward to the opposite high line. Both of these parries are extremely efficient against inexperienced fencers and, if only used very occasionally, against experienced swordsmen. However when anticipated, there is no parry more easily deceived. With the wide sweep from quarte to septime to sixte, such a parry must be relatively slow and requires only the start of the disengage to draw the septime parry and an immediate disengage _over_ the septime to deceive the following sweep from septime to sixte. One of the pleasantest to use of these combination parries is the combination of counter of sixte--octave against the double from sixte. This, after showing the counter to the feint, only _suggests_ it to the attack, starting as though to take the counter-parry but really going directly to octave. The riposte, which is almost continuous with the parry, is best taken in seconde, by simply turning the hand into pronation as the thrust is made. Again, if anticipated, this parry is very easily deceived, but, if successfully executed, has all of the beauty of a time thrust. The high line that would have been closed by the counter parry is left wide open by its abandonment, and the attack need only continue in the line of the original feint, after making a slight movement to suggest the deceive of the counter parry. As has been suggested in each instance, this group of parries may be most disconcerting when resorted to only occasionally as surprise measures. As has also been suggested, when used habitually, they are much more easily deceived than the simpler regular parries for which they are substituted. The Italian school has a favored parry designated “half-circle,” which is similar to the French parry of septime but is used in the high line. This is not infrequently employed by fencers of the French school and called “high septime.” When taken from the guard of quarte, it sweeps all lines except the high outside (sixte, or tierce). When properly timed, it is very inclusive. The best deceive is a disengage _over_ the blade into the _low_ outside line (octave, or seconde). Similarly, “high octave” is best deceived with a disengage over the blade into septime, or prime.

There is an irregular type of attack designated as a cavation, or cavé, which is executed by endeavoring to _bend around_ the defending parry. The effort is to evade a properly executed parry by forming such an angle between the sword and the sword arm that the point remains on the target, although the hand is carried well out of line. While quite irregular, this attack is neither illegal nor uncommon. It calls for a different parry from the one that would ordinarily close the line attacked. For instance, a straight attack in sixte would be parried by the simple parry of sixte. But a cavé attack into sixte would carry the hand so far outside that the point would come in from the side and there would be no deviation of the attacking point by a parry of sixte. However, a counter parry into the opposite line will always pick up a _lateral_ cavé. Notice the emphasis upon the word “lateral.” The cavé from above is practically never employed, and _no regular parry_ will pick up the cavé from _below_. It is too low to be met with a regular high line parry and the blade takes a direction parallel to that of the low line parries, so that contact of the blades is a matter of chance. This should make it the ideal attack. But there are two weaknesses inherent to its use. The angulation at the hand shortens the line of attack, while the dropping of the hand uncovers the entire target--an invitation to a successful stop thrust. This is first and the second is even more stringent. A slight dropping in the semi-sitting position of guard and a lowering of the hand to slightly below the waist level, while maintaining the hand and sword position of a high line guard, makes the high line parries a perfect defence against the cavé from below, whereas the attacker has only his faible to offer in defence against the riposte which follows a successful parry. To summarize our conclusions, we may say that there are certain irregular parries and irregular uses of regular parries, as well as certain irregular attacks, that offer a temporary advantage when used sparingly as surprise measures. But each and every one of these puts its user at a greater disadvantage when its use is expected, either through its excessive employment or the unusual preparedness of the adversary. There is no attack that cannot be parried. There is no parry that cannot be deceived. On the whole, close, careful, regular play is the surest play.

There is a certain use of parries that for lack of a better term, we designate “parries of desperation.” These are employed when some very unexpected manoeuver of the opponent has quite destroyed the sequence of your play and left you, however temporarily, completely at his mercy, without formulated plan of defence. These occasions should be so rare that your reaction to them could never be employed by your opponent in his analysis of your play. If you allow such an occasion to arise twice against the same team, much less against the same individual, you will have earned the defeat that will almost surely be your portion. These “parries of desperation” are generally as inclusive as you can make them, breaking one or more lines. Here is the occasion for the “universal parry” of the old masters. But, probably, the best that we have available is the “high septime,” the “high octave,” the septime enveloppée, or the octave enveloppée. An occasional fencer still insists upon a _high_ prime, seconde alternation as the answer to this dénouement. And whichever of these is employed should always be accompanied by a _breaking_ of distance. The direction of the break will be governed by the action of your adversary. If he is pursuing rapidly and tenaciously, to exploit his advantage close to the front, it will be more disconcerting. It may destroy his estimate of the situation. If he stands fast, awaiting his opportunity, break rapidly to the rear, regaining your position of guard and, perhaps, aplomb out of distance.