"The naked point of a sword resolutely offered at the body or at the
face is always a threat. No one who sees it directed straight at him
with a set fixity of purpose and a suggestive glitter can fail to be
alarmed by it or can afford to disregard it, more especially perhaps
if he knows that the man behind it is unsophisticated, and cannot be
depended upon to obey the ordinary rules, that he has no deep design or
artful scheme in the background, but just one idea--to keep his point
always there, like a sentry at his post.
"Put shortly, my advice amounts to this:--Defend yourself by
retreating; threaten by offering the point. Offering the point, that is
to say straightening the arm, is the attack of the incapable fencer.
"By retreating you maintain the distance between yourself and your
opponent, and make it difficult for him to get command of your blade on
a simulated attack.
"There is only one other movement that I should teach to a novice, who
came to me for advice in these circumstances. I should tell him--as he
retires and straightens his arm--to change the line occasionally; that
is to say to pass his point under his opponent's blade and threaten him
on the other side, in fact a simple disengagement. It is the easiest
thing in the world to understand, and anyone, however little he may be
skilled in the art of fencing, can do it with the greatest ease; the
act of retiring itself facilitates the execution of the movement. An
hour's practice will make him familiar with this change of line, which
as I remarked just now answers the double purpose of attack and defence.
"I should make my pupil repeat this very simple performance over and
over again, instructing him to straighten his arm, sometimes with
his point held high on a level with the chest, attacking the high
lines, sometimes with the point lowered, attacking the low lines. You
understand of course what is meant by the high and low lines. It is the
A--B--C of fencing.
"Notice that my lesson is simplified to a degree that is almost
ludicrous. I dissect every movement and explain how the parts are put
together, being particularly careful to avoid the use of technical
terms, for my imaginary pupil is supposed to be completely ignorant,
and he would be hopelessly puzzled by them. If on the other hand he
happens to have some smattering of knowledge he will appreciate more
fully and derive all the more benefit from the lesson thus reduced to
its simplest expression."