Chapter V: Exercises

While there is always doubt as to the acceptability of formal exercises, to be voluntarily pursued, in any sport, there are always a few enthusiasts who are hunting for methods of improving their play. In an earlier section, we have suggested exercises for the development of the legs. As will be recalled, these consist in the lonely travel up and back the fencing strip, with the advance and lunge and, later, the retreat and lunge. Possibly it is absurd to suggest, but the fencer who will assume the leg position of guard during the morning shave, will get in an extra ten minutes on those legs. Again, if the man who sits over a book, will start an open sheet of newspaper at the corner with the fingers of his sword hand (or both hands, if he desires symmetry of exercise and development) and gradually, by finger action alone, crumple that sheet of paper until it is a compact ball within his hand, he will eventually develop almost tireless fingers. Of course, these exercises are quite outside of swordplay and may not interest one who just wants to fence.

There are other formal exercises, with the sword, that are planned to help develop one or another of the phases of the technique of the sword. One series of these is planned to help perfect finger work in the parries. Two fencers face each other well within distance in what might be called engagement for the simple parries and reverse engagement for the counter parries. The first term is self-explanatory. Here, the fencers engage in sixte, or quarte, or whatever guard they may choose. They then alternate, taking the sharp, tapping parry of that position with the fingers alone, or with a minimal amount of wrist play. It is recommended that the parry of prime be omitted from this exercise. Of the other parries, seconde, tierce, quarte, and septime are practised very easily with the fingers alone. The parries of sixte and octave require some degree of wrist play. But constant practice will reduce this to a minimum. These exercises, when properly executed, help in four elements--the developing of the leg position of guard, the holding of the elbow of the sword arm well inside the line of the body, the effacement of the rear shoulder, and the practice of doigté in the simple parries. They may prove of some interest, as well as of great value, to the practical fencer. As stated, with the counter parries, a _reverse_ engagement is employed. By this, it is meant that instead of opposing quarte to quarte, or sixte to sixte, as would be the usual practice if only closing the line were desired, quarte is opposed by sixte, and similarly throughout the series of guards, so that the various counter parries can be used. In fact, no true engagement exists. In the stated position, first one fencer takes the counter of quarte, whereupon the other takes the counter of sixte. Any time spent in these exercises will amply repay the fencers in the development of perfection in the execution of these movements.

Another series of formal exercises that permits an almost infinite variety opposes a known parry to attack and introduces the lunge into the exercise. For example, two fencers come on guard in quarte. It is agreed that the defence must be by no parry or the counter of quarte. The reason that “no parry” is introduced is in order to prevent the fencer with the attack from starting a “spinning” double on the agreement of a counter parry. With the privilege of “no parry” the defender may stand fast, whereupon the “spinning” double runs into the motionless defending sword and loses the attack. This is fine practice in timing the attack to the defence and vice versa. In addition to the practice in the various elements of the guard and parries of the previous exercises it introduces: (1) the analysis of the attack and the defence; (2) the timing of attack to defence and defence to attack; (3) practice in holding the parry until the front foot leaves the ground; and (4) the launching of the lunge in perfect synchronization with the other elements of the attack. As this exercise can be practised from all guards and with all parries, either simple or counter, it may well command almost continuous interest for the perfection of weak spots in attack or defence between the periods of formal instruction. If the fencers are equally advanced, observant and mutually critical and helpful, they may make such exercises of enormous value.