Chapter IV: The Bout

All of the discussion of the theory of fencing that has gone before leads up to meeting an adversary in competition. This single match of man against man is called a bout. In addition to the rules and conventions that govern the bout itself, there are certain courtesies that are not prescribed by rule, but that are customary and an integral part of the refinements of the game. The preliminary formalities are the process of coming on guard and the salute to the jury and to your adversary. As these are not prescribed by rule, they may be omitted, may be very abbreviated, or may be quite slovenly in their execution without any penalty--except in the minds of any observers. The procedure that is recommended and described is of the more formal kind.

When called to the fencing strip, the fencer steps to his preliminary position and half faces his adversary. The heels are together, the front toe pointing directly at the adversary and the rear foot at right angles to this. The mask is grasped in the rear hand, the thumb holding the head spring near the body of the mask, the arm curled around the circumference of the mask and the chin of the mask in the arm-pit. The sword is held in direct prolongation of the arm, with the point a few inches above the ground and from a foot and a half to two feet in front of the front toe. The fingers are to the front. The first movement is to raise the hand to the level of the forehead, keeping the arm straight and the sword in direct prolongation of it. As the jury and audience are placed on both sides of the fencing strip, it is courteous to salute both groups before saluting your adversary and proceeding with the bout. The salute to the inside is performed by turning the hand over, with knuckles up, and turning the sword in a horizontal plane towards the inside through a complete circle and an eighth, using only the fingers and the wrist, until the sword stops with the hand in supination, fingers up, pointing diagonally to the inside front, with the arm bent in the position of the guard and the head turned towards those saluted. The salute to the outside starts from the position of termination of the salute to the inside and the sword is turned back through a horizontal circle and a quarter, point starting toward the outside, and ending pointing to the outside front with the hand in pronation, knuckles up, and arm in the position of guard. From this position, the arm is straightened toward the adversary, with hand at height of forehead and fingers up, and the adversary saluted. This salute is rendered by bending the elbow and bringing the hand back, until the guard is about four inches in front of the mouth and the point has a slight forward slope. The point is then lowered smartly to the original position taken facing the adversary by a simple straightening of the elbow and wrist. The mask is then adjusted and the fencer comes on guard. Even this action is best performed in a regular and formal manner. The sword is turned back to a horizontal position, with the arm extended, so that the hands are almost together--the right hand grasping the sword and the fingers of the left hand, back down, running along the blade and touching the guard at approximately crotch level. From this position, the hands are raised over the head, without changing their relative positions, with arms bowed to form almost a circle and blade horizontal, with point to the rear. From this position, the knees are bent, the front foot is advanced the proper distance and the hands are separated and lowered to the position of guard. If anyone feels that all of these preliminaries are quite unnecessary, it is only fair to consent. But, the experience of the race has prescribed certain courtesies by which one is judged almost more severely than by his morals, and sword-play has developed its little courtesies over some four hundred years. As a practical and, possibly, materialistic hint, let us suggest that some members of the jury are prejudiced in favor of the courtesies. Old fogies, if you please! But don’t violate their sense of the decencies in the opening and expect them to credit you with good intentions when you violate rules later on. It is sometimes difficult for one trained in the “old school” to believe that bad manners and good intentions can go hand in hand. For this, if no other reason, cultivate good “fencing manners.”

The coming on guard has taken place near the center of a strip which is forty feet long and six feet wide. According to the rules, there must be a line marking the center of this strip. The contestants fall on guard sufficiently to their own sides of this line to be out of engagement. When the director starts the bout by the command of “Play,” or “Fight,” each contestant is left to pursue his own judgment, within the limits of the rules, as to the subsequent action. If one desires to fence “in engagement,” he advances slightly, always on the alert against offensive action, and endeavors to cross swords, faible to faible. If he does not desire to fence “in engagement,” he may either retain his position of guard, awaiting the preliminary movements of his adversary, or attempt to close distance, remaining out of engagement. There is an old “catch phrase” for the objective from this point. It has been said that fencing is the height of altruism. Its persistent objective is to give and to receive nothing in return. The action of each fencer is governed by two factors--his personal temperament and his schooling. A fencer may be aggressive because he is not temperamentally suited to the waiting game, or because he has not developed confidence in his defence. If you are going to be aggressive, do not let it be for the latter reason. So develop your defence during the schooling period that you are not driven to the attack of desperation. Let your attacks be planned and based upon calm observation and study of your opponent’s play. A touch by parry and riposte is just as valuable as one by attack and may be more valuable if it shakes the faith of an aggressive adversary in his attack. Do not let your attacks be unconsidered. A quick feint may tell you whether your adversary prefers simple, or counter, parries. A false attack may be necessary to get the same information. If he prefers simple parries, there is no use planning doubles. If he holds his parry to the last possible fraction of a second, don’t forget your counter-ripostes, against immediate ripostes, and don’t forget the remise and the redoublement against the delayed riposte. All of the various methods that have been suggested under the theory are necessary, and then a fund of “fighting sense” that only comes with experience.

It is not possible to over-emphasize certain suggestions that were made very early in regard to position. The well flexed position of the legs, with feet not too close together for steadiness and not too far apart for agility, must be maintained at all times. The reduction of the target by the effacement of the rear shoulder should become a matter of subconscious practice. And the maintenance of the elbow of the sword arm, definitely inside the line of the body, is of great importance. With this elbow held well inside and serving as a fixed pivot for all parries, in the parries with the hand held in supination, it is almost impossible to carry the parry of sixte too far to the outside and very difficult to execute those wide parries of quarte in which the point beats the floor. It is important to bear in mind that every parry is the natural precursor of a riposte and that it should stop in a position from which the riposte can be made easily and accurately. The parry that is held to the last possible moment, that goes just far enough to cover the target and that is promptly followed by a quick, accurate riposte, either simple or compound, soon becomes a matter of dread to the attacker.

Frequent reference has been made to the analysis of attacks and parries and to the withholding of the parry to the last possible moment. Like most other details of fencing technique, this is simple and is not a matter of inspiration but of long, patient practice. First, as to the movements of the blade, whether in attack or defence. In close sword play, with the fingers or even the wrist controlling the point, the movements of the blade originate at the hand and become progressively larger as they approach the point. Even in wide play, with the movement coming even from the shoulder, the movement at the point is wider than at the hand. Therefore, watch the intersection of the blade with the guard for information regarding the point. The movement of the point always follows and exaggerates the movement of this intersection. The slightest of movements here tells you that the point is going to right or left, up or down. That indication directs your parry, or deceive, as the case may be. But there is another advantage in making this intersection the focal point of your observation. It includes in the lower limit of the field of vision the front foot of your adversary. This is important. If your judgment of distance is accurate and you have not allowed your adversary to come closer than lunging distance, he cannot hope to hit you without lunging. He cannot lunge without raising the front foot from the ground. It is extremely difficult to change the direction of an attack in the middle of a lunge. Therefore, you may safely ignore all feints made before the starting of the lunge. Only an infinitesimally accurate judgment of the speed of your adversary’s lunge can tell you just how long you can wait _after_ that foot comes off the ground before starting your parry. But, you never need to parry before the foot leaves the ground and the longer you can safely wait afterwards the less is the chance of your parry being deceived.

A considerable number of factors has been mentioned that will contribute to successful competition fencing. Our recommendation is that every effort be made to master all of these factors. However, it is always interesting to try to arrange such factors in their order of relative importance. Probably no two individuals would agree as to the entire list. But we shall give our idea and endeavor to support it by reason. We give first importance to the position of the elbow of the sword arm. Upon this depends the building of an impregnable defence, and the fencer with an impregnable defence cannot lose. Upon this foundation, and for the same reason, we advocate a complete mastery of the various parries. Although we advise it, we do not insist upon a mastery of all eight parries. But a complete mastery of one parry for each of the four lines (inside and outside high and inside and outside low) is essential. If only four parries are to be mastered, we advocate quarte and sixte in the high lines, septime and either seconde or octave for the low lines. Third in our order of importance would come the effacement of the rear shoulder, because this also contributes to the defence by minimizing the effective target. Fourth, we would master the various ripostes from our parries, because the groundwork has already been laid for getting touches by this method. Fifth, we should master our leg work, partly because the ability to extend and close distance adds to the efficiency of the defence, and partly because fully developed leg work is a necessary preliminary to any study of the offense. Next, sixth, we would study the concealed attacks (counter-ripostes), because we have already mastered the parries and ripostes and the concealed attacks would be utilized to tease an over-cautious opponent into playing our game. Finally, we would master the frank attacks, including the attacks on the sword and the counter-attacks. Throughout all of this progress, we should be constantly studying both time and distance, as well as endeavoring to analyze and anticipate the play of our opponent’s weapon and trying to learn how to hold our parries to the last possible moment.

Even if the average instructor agreed with the preceding outline, it would not be practicable for him to follow it. Try to visualize the fencing master of a large club giving ten, or fifteen, or twenty lessons in an afternoon and giving all of them in the defence. Even with the labor-saving methods that he has learned of stepping forward instead of making a hard lunge, he would soon be exhausted. Also, he would find a certain proportion of his pupils of a combative temperament complaining because they were not being taught to attack. Further, he would find that certain other of his pupils, not having mastered leg work in the beginning when their enthusiasm was high, would never after go through the drudgery of adequately practising it. And, of course, the best reason of all would be that he considered the whole thing foolishness--that lesson five should come before lesson fifteen and that no one could convince him to the contrary.

It is well to remember that there is no such thing as an advance plan for conducting any bout. Even if you think that you are thoroughly familiar with your adversary’s play, he may have changed it to meet certain peculiarities observed in yours. He may have found in his last bout with you that there are certain parries or attacks that he had best avoid. Or his coach may have been studying your play from the side-lines and advising him as to the best methods to employ against you. Therefore, enter each bout with an open mind. Do not presume too far upon what you know about your adversary’s former play. Remember it and be prepared to profit by it, but do not presume upon it. Comment has already been made upon the necessity of gaining and holding distance with a constantly retreating opponent. Do not forget that he may do the same to you. At the beginning of the bout, you have equal distances behind you. Do not become unconscious of this margin of safety to the rear. There is a warning line ten feet from the end of the strip, which is all of the warning the fencer receives under the present rules. However, this should be of no interest to you. Your guide as to distance to the rear should be the line in the middle of the strip. If your adversary has crossed it, the fighting is being pursued in your territory and a sudden unconsidered, extensive retreat may carry you off the strip. Do not permit yourself to be driven far enough back so that this reduced distance to the rear becomes a fear that distracts your attention from other details of the combat. When the crowding of your opponent becomes obvious, which should be immediately after its inception, drive him back with false attack, concealed attack, or frank attack, regaining your lost ground by resuming the guard forward instead of to the rear. Remember that, as you have some control over your opponent’s play, so he is not without influence over yours. Do not obstinately persist in preferred movements that do not fit in with his style. If you like cut-over attacks and he is adept at the stop thrust, mind your step. If you favor counter parries and he makes wide feints with a slight tendency to cavé, go back to the simple parries. The counter parry against a wide feint tries to pick up his blade with the faible, which is risky at best. On the other hand, these same resources are yours. Against an adversary who employs “elbow” cutovers, the well executed stop thrust is a wonderful deterrent. However, this is an occasion where you must study your judges and Director, as well as your opponent. A beautiful stop thrust before a jury that treats it as a tension is a pearl before swine. Again, with an adversary who is not too well effaced and who favors counter parries, somewhat wide feints with a firmer grip than usual may cause his parries to fail and may eventually cause him to fall back upon the simple parries, which may be his weakness.

Against a fencer of the classic school, who fences with light hand and without too many attacks on the sword, it is pleasant to fence in engagement. Against a heavy-handed fencer, who is constantly trying to force your blade out of line and who is reinforcing this play with constant attacks on the sword, it is well to fence out of engagement. There is no use in exposing your hand to the constant pounding of a mauler. When fencing out of engagement, the outside guard in the high line is usually preferable. A right-handed fencer has to come across his own body to make an attack on your sword. Thus, it follows that the high guard on the inside may be preferable against a left-hander.

There are other things to remember about a left-handed fencer. The guard of sixte is relatively weak from the point of view of offering opposition to force of any sort. It places leverage against the weaker side of the hand. So, when fencing in engagement against a left-handed fencer, it is well to remember that his strong guard of quarte is naturally opposed to your weak guard of sixte. For this reason, many left handers prefer to fence in quarte and will make considerable effort to maintain that guard. It is also well to remember that such slight bend as has developed at the point of your sword, to prevent breakage, is away from the thumb side. This slight bend has a tendency to throw the point _toward_ the target of a right-handed fencer, lessening the tendency to slip off the target, when the hand is in suppination (fingers up). Conversely, with hand in supination, this same bend has the tendency to throw the point _away_ from the target of the left-handed fencer. Turning the hand into pronation (fingers down) corrects this tendency. Finally, it is of psychological value to recall that there is no inherent advantage in fencing with either left or right hand. The advantage of the left hander rests in the fact that he is accustomed to fencing against right-handed fencers, while they are less used to left handers. Unfortunately, this adventitious advantage leads many left-handed fencers to neglect thorough grounding in all departments of play. If your opponent is such a one, look for the phase that he has neglected. Welcome every opportunity to meet the “gauchers” and try to have one in your own circle of fencers. All of this advice is equally applicable to left hander meeting left hander. But the best advice to him, after all, is to avoid the pitfall of accepting his advantage as a special gift that justifies neglect of that mastery of all departments of the game that is necessary to the well rounded fencer.

In any discussion of this sort, some reference must be made to the special problems presented by competition with a fencer of the Italian school. The basic theory behind the Italian and French schools differs in many ways. There is no desire to aggrandize or to disparage either school in the present discourse. We are basing our discussion and instruction upon the French school, because it was the one in which we were first instructed and to which we afterwards adhered, either through preference or prejudice. That this preference is not based entirely upon ignorance is evinced by the fact that one of us fenced for two years on a team with a pupil of the great Italian master Greco and later spent one season under the instruction of another Italian master. It is felt that the swords of the two schools are the outward evidence of the essential underlying difference in theory. The French school uses a sword with a light blade that is almost perfectly balanced by a relatively long grip and heavy pommel. The grip depends entirely upon the fingers as does the control of the sword. On the other hand, the Italian sword has a slightly heavier blade, a cross bar at the upper limits of the guard about which the fingers curl for greater power, a relatively short grip and light pommel, and a strap for securing the pommel to the wrist. This assembly does not lend itself to light finger play, but presupposes the control of movements by the wrist and arm, some movements including the shoulder. With such a weapon, we should expect more dependence upon force, numerous attacks on the sword, powerful parries that break the line and a general tendency to break through rather than slip through. It seems to us that this is the fundamental difference--force rather than evasion. And the fencer whose training and weapon both lend themselves to evasion must learn to avoid exposing himself to the full effects of a force for which he is neither armed nor prepared. It is not necessary to warn one to fence out of distance and out of engagement, for that is the usual choice of the Italian fencer. The well trained fencers of this school are keen judges of both time and distance and are very highly trained in foot work. From a position well out of distance, they are prepared to close distance very rapidly by one or a series of advances, possibly including an attack on the sword, before launching the final lunge. In regard to the closing of distance, remember that there are three ways of meeting this. The first is by being thoroughly prepared and receiving the attack with a sure defence. The second is by increasing the distance at the final, or earlier, movement of your opponent’s attack. The third and frequently the most disconcerting is to close distance yourself at your adversary’s first movement. When the aggressor has decided that two advances are necessary to close distance before the lunge, to suddenly find that one of those advances has put him within reach of a parry and lunge riposte may greatly shake his confidence. Remember also that the principle of properly applied leverage in parries eliminates all advantages of heavier weapons. Also, remember the earlier “rolling” parries that were evolved for use against heavy weapons. An unexpected “rolling” parry, executed with force and forte to faible, from sixte to quinte, or from quarte to tierce, and accompanied by froisé or croisé, may shake the wrist of your adversary as much as his heavier, strapped-on sword was expected to shake your hand. And never lose sight of the fact that the second defensive movement of the Italian fencer is most likely to break the line. That is, if a double into sixte has deceived his counter quarte, his next parry is apt to be the high septime. The deceive of this must be over the blade.

There are certain combinations in the way of parries and ripostes or attacks that may be advantageously practised as a part of your repertoire. The combination parry of counter sixte--octave, with riposte of tierce, against a double, from sixte, has already been mentioned. An occasional octave enveloppée, with straight riposte, against a disengage or planned double from sixte, may prove disconcerting. The septime enveloppée is equally successful but, somehow, seems easier to recognize and anticipate. The cut-over riposte may be helpful against an adversary who bears down with heavy opposition after a parried attack. On the offensive, similar variations may be found. A properly timed cut-over disengage (the tour de l’épée) may be very effective. A drop to the low line on the deceive of the counter in the high line sometimes finds an unexpected opening. A disengage from quarte, with strong attack on the sword with high septime at the first movement of a counter parry, may break a way through. These are merely hints at the various ways in which elementary attacks, parries, and ripostes may be combined in combat.

In general, fencers conform to one of three mental types. There is the rote fencer. He has certain movements--a certain technique--possibly several tricks, which he employs persistently, without regard for the play of his opponent. Next, there is the inductive fencer, who strives by feints and suggested parries to lead his adversary into the defence or attack that he desires. Finally, there is the analyst, who studies his opponent’s play, who has no favorite method, but will adopt the one best calculated to overcome his opponent. The first is an opportunist, the second an artist, the third artist and scientist combined.

As a final suggestion regarding competition fencing, let us emphasize the courtesies. The acknowledgment of touches is not required. With well qualified juries of five, this is no longer considered either necessary or desirable. The claiming of touches is not _permitted_. The contestant is not supposed to endeavor to influence the decision of the judges by either word or action. In team competitions, the team captain may protest decisions either at the time of their occurrence to the Director, or later to the Bout Committee. In individual competition, it would probably be permissible to request permission of the Director to register an immediate protest, or to inform him that a later protest would be registered with the Bout Committee. Beyond such very unusual occurrences, the contestant should offer no comment and should certainly refrain from theatrical gestures that are planned to influence the judges or to appeal to the audience. These actions are bad from at least three points of view. They are against the rules. They are unwise. They are bad manners. When the final touch is announced, close to the rear, bringing your heels together, assuming the upright position, with arm and sword extended as in the position preceding the assumption of guard, and salute your adversary. Then, remove your mask and step forward to shake hands with your adversary. Remember that, while there is little excuse for being a poor loser, there is absolutely no excuse for being an ungracious winner. Thank your adversary for the bout. If he won, tell him what a corking exhibition of strong fencing he gave. If he lost, pick something that he did well as an excuse for congratulation and assign his loss to bad luck. _And mean it._ If you can once reach that point where you can fully appreciate a beautiful touch made by your opponent at your expense, you have become a real fencer, regardless of the score.

_The foil costume._ The foil fencing costume is designed for utility and safety, not for beauty. The black velvet jacket and the red heart of the calendar girls is not seen elsewhere. The suit is white or nearly so and should be made of a fairly heavy canvas. The material in the jacket should be doubled over the front and sword side of the body, the collar, and the upper sword arm. _This is important._ A broken foil blade is a truly deadly weapon. The jacket is form-fitting, closes along the side opposite the sword arm and has a short tail piece, called a cuissard which is carried between the legs and fastened in back. This protects the extreme low line.

The pants may be either trousers, or knee breeches, should be of the same material as the jacket, and should have the fly arranged opposite to the sword arm. If trousers, the lower portion should be somewhat shaped to the leg. Such a suit is equally useful for foil, duelling sword, or saber work, although some fencers like a little padding in the saber jacket.

The shoes may be any light, flexible type of athletic shoe. If a linoleum strip is used, an elk sole and resin are best. If a rubber strip is used, the rubber sole, as used in basketball, is satisfactory. For duelling sword play, the shoes must be white.

The mask is of wire mesh: (1) of close enough weave to prevent the passage of a broken blade; and (2) strong enough to resist a heavy blow with lunge and body weight behind it, from the stump of a broken blade. The mask must have a bib to protect the neck. For épée, all trim must be white.

The glove should be of soft leather, lightly padded over the back of the hand and fingers and should be one full size larger than the street glove. In major competitions, it must be of light color. The type with soft gauntlet is probably most desirable.

The sword has already been described, except for one accessory--the martingale. This is a string, or strap, which may be wrapped around the fingers or wrist, or otherwise secured, to prevent a released sword from flying into the audience or jury. At least two foils, preferably of demountable type, and also spare blades, should be available for every match, if more than one bout is to be fought.

The jury is charged with the obligation of seeing that equipment conforms to the rules and that it does not endanger adversary, onlookers, or self. If they consider that a fencer’s costume offers inadequate protection, they may disqualify him.