Returns should be made with a longe with the greatest rapidity after
guarding. Great care must be taken not to draw back the hand or point
before making them.
They should, as a rule, be made direct, but may sometimes be preceded by
a feint, and should be very much varied.
The best returns from the different guards are the following, placed in
the order of their comparative merits, that is, the first is a better
return than the second, and so on; but their application should depend a
great deal on your adversary’s defence:—