Deryn hefted her own weapon, studying Alek's pose. His feet were splayed at right angles, his left arm sticking out behind him like the handle of a teacup. His fencing armor made him look like a walking quilt. Even with his sword pointed straight at her, he looked barking silly.
"Do I have to stand like that?" she asked.
- Behemoth, by Scott Westerfeld
Yes, you do have to stand like that, and don't expect to look sophisticated, because you won't.
Posture is a very important part of fencing, so much so that in the above lesson, Alek tells Deryn to stand completely still in the right position for one whole hour. She gets out of that, of course. And don't worry, that's not what I'll make you do. First, I'll take apart Scott Westerfeld's lovely paragraph about the fencing position piece by piece, because you cannot overlook posture if you want to learn how to fence. So. Ready?
Feet splayed at right angles
That's exactly right. If you're right handed, you want your right foot horizontally perpendicular to your left foot. (I'm doing geometry this year :D) To get in this position, you want to stand like this:
....And then take a wide step forward with your right foot. Now that you've put a few feet between your right angle position, bend your knees so that they are plumb with your toes (meaning, they are right above your toes) and rest your weight on your back leg.
Your knees are bent so you can move faster. You are also lower down, making you a smaller target. Also, about that - you want to keep your side facing your opponent, not your torso. Especially if you're fighting with a foil, standing straight on with them is like presenting yourself on platter with salt and pepper for flavoring. Sound appealing? Maybe for them it does.
Left Arm Sticking Out Behind
All right, here we have a few options. You can go with the "handle of a teacup look" if you wish, but while fighting foil, the "aimlessly muscular" look is much more stylish.
 |
| Aimlessly Muscular |
 |
| Handle of a Teacup |
See? It's cool. Just don't put your hand behind your back like you may have seen some Spanish movie conquistador do, or you'll get whacked - that's what my brother did to me :D
Sword Grip
Also, when you hold your weapon, you want your wrist straight with the hilt, like this. Remember to keep your grip firm, yet relaxed.
 |
| YES |
 |
| NO |
Perfect! Now look at my checklist.
- Feet at right angles
- Knees bent over toes
- Left arm in the Aimlessly Muscular position (yeah, I did make that term up...*blush*)
- Right hand holding sword with wrist straight with the hilt
- Grip firm and relaxed
The Walking Quilt
We don't wear fencing armor when we Nerf fight - but it would be a good idea. I've gotten stabbed in...an uncomfortable place to be stabbed :D I'd wear it, I just don't have it.
I'm not going to go into all the electronic scoring systems and stuff, because that just...takes away the medieval charm of fencing, and it would take too long. So, the typical fencing armor consists of a canvas-like jacket like this.
 |
| not my photo |
That strap does go between your legs, yes. I've seen two kinds of jackets - one kind snaps up the front and one kind zips up the back. But there could be more than that. At fencing class we always had to zip each other up before practice :)
A helmet...
 |
| not my photo |
The rule in fencing class was: no touching another person's blade with your own blade unless you are wearing a helmet. It's a smart rule. But the helmets do get to be kind of a pain, especially when you have to take them off and put them back on again for salutes and such. Talk about helmet hair...I should have had mine tied back every time.
The last thing you need is a heavy glove to protect your sword hand. Some use gloves on both hands. It doesn't really matter, but you want to keep your fingers lily-white, now don't you? :)
For your next lesson, we will discuss the actual technique. In the meantime - practice that posture ;)
P.S. Random: I drove a car for the first time ever today! Just to the end of the driveway and back, but still...
- Ellyn
The last thing you need is a heavy glove to protect your sword hand. Some use gloves on both hands. It doesn't really matter, but you want to keep your fingers lily-white, now don't you? :)
 |
| not my photo |
For your next lesson, we will discuss the actual technique. In the meantime - practice that posture ;)
P.S. Random: I drove a car for the first time ever today! Just to the end of the driveway and back, but still...
- Ellyn
1 comment:
Interesting information. :) Can't wait for part 3!
Congrats on driving a car for the first time! Must have been really exciting for you. ;)
Post a Comment