IRREGULAR PRACTISES
The earlier discussion of the defence treated only what might be
described as the regular parries and their use in a regular way. In
the choice of the word “regular,” it is not intended to indicate that
other parries or a different use of the usual parries may not be
perfectly legal as well as an accepted procedure. However, the most
finished technique is to meet a certain attack with the parry that
will deviate its final movement from the target as an act of deftness
and skill rather than force. There is an application of the regular
parries and a certain group of compound parries that aim at defence by
breaking up the attack at its inception or at some predetermined point
in its development by a “breaking of the line.” This breaking of the
line is the application of force in a direction opposite to that of
the attacking blade. It rather tends to minimize the necessity of a
complete analysis of the attack and plans to break it by force before
its full development. Also, there is a use of certain of the regular
parries in irregular ways to meet attacks of force, or frank attacks
executed in an irregular manner.
One of the most frequently seen examples of the use of a regular
parry to break the line is the opposing of the parry of septime to a
disengage from quarte into sixte. The closing of the line of sixte
by the parry of sixte, or the returning of the attacking point into
quarte by the counter of quarte would be the regular method of meeting
this attack. But, if the attacking faible is met by a sharp parry of
septime as it drops to pass under the defending blade, the attack is
immediately terminated in an entirely new and unexpected line before
the completion of its first movement. A similar defence with octave, or
seconde, may be employed from the line of sixte. Also, it is obvious
that any plan for a compound attack has been shattered by this initial
breaking of the line. Of course, if the attacker anticipates the play,
he merely starts the disengage and immediately returns to the high line
that has been opened. As already stated, there are certain combination
parries used for this same purpose of breaking the line. Two of the
best known and most widely used of these are the parries of septime
and octave enveloppé. These parries are started from the high line
guards of quarte or of sixte, drop to the corresponding low lines of
septime or of octave and are carried back by an encircling (enveloping)
movement to the opposite high line of sixte or of quarte. The parry is
supposed to be so executed that the low line parry meets the initial
movement of the first feint of the attacking blade and that the
subsequent envelopment carries it upward and outward to the opposite
high line. Both of these parries are extremely efficient against
inexperienced fencers and, if only used very occasionally, against
experienced swordsmen. However when anticipated, there is no parry more
easily deceived. With the wide sweep from quarte to septime to sixte,
such a parry must be relatively slow and requires only the start of the
disengage to draw the septime parry and an immediate disengage _over_
the septime to deceive the following sweep from septime to sixte.
One of the pleasantest to use of these combination parries is the
combination of counter of sixte--octave against the double from sixte.
This, after showing the counter to the feint, only _suggests_ it to
the attack, starting as though to take the counter-parry but really
going directly to octave. The riposte, which is almost continuous with
the parry, is best taken in seconde, by simply turning the hand into
pronation as the thrust is made. Again, if anticipated, this parry is
very easily deceived, but, if successfully executed, has all of the
beauty of a time thrust. The high line that would have been closed
by the counter parry is left wide open by its abandonment, and the
attack need only continue in the line of the original feint, after
making a slight movement to suggest the deceive of the counter parry.
As has been suggested in each instance, this group of parries may be
most disconcerting when resorted to only occasionally as surprise
measures. As has also been suggested, when used habitually, they are
much more easily deceived than the simpler regular parries for which
they are substituted. The Italian school has a favored parry designated
“half-circle,” which is similar to the French parry of septime but is
used in the high line. This is not infrequently employed by fencers
of the French school and called “high septime.” When taken from the
guard of quarte, it sweeps all lines except the high outside (sixte, or
tierce). When properly timed, it is very inclusive. The best deceive is
a disengage _over_ the blade into the _low_ outside line (octave, or
seconde). Similarly, “high octave” is best deceived with a disengage
over the blade into septime, or prime.
There is an irregular type of attack designated as a cavation, or cavé,
which is executed by endeavoring to _bend around_ the defending parry.
The effort is to evade a properly executed parry by forming such an
angle between the sword and the sword arm that the point remains on
the target, although the hand is carried well out of line. While quite
irregular, this attack is neither illegal nor uncommon. It calls for
a different parry from the one that would ordinarily close the line
attacked. For instance, a straight attack in sixte would be parried
by the simple parry of sixte. But a cavé attack into sixte would carry
the hand so far outside that the point would come in from the side and
there would be no deviation of the attacking point by a parry of sixte.
However, a counter parry into the opposite line will always pick up a
_lateral_ cavé. Notice the emphasis upon the word “lateral.” The cavé
from above is practically never employed, and _no regular parry_ will
pick up the cavé from _below_. It is too low to be met with a regular
high line parry and the blade takes a direction parallel to that of the
low line parries, so that contact of the blades is a matter of chance.
This should make it the ideal attack. But there are two weaknesses
inherent to its use. The angulation at the hand shortens the line of
attack, while the dropping of the hand uncovers the entire target--an
invitation to a successful stop thrust. This is first and the second
is even more stringent. A slight dropping in the semi-sitting position
of guard and a lowering of the hand to slightly below the waist level,
while maintaining the hand and sword position of a high line guard,
makes the high line parries a perfect defence against the cavé from
below, whereas the attacker has only his faible to offer in defence
against the riposte which follows a successful parry. To summarize
our conclusions, we may say that there are certain irregular parries
and irregular uses of regular parries, as well as certain irregular
attacks, that offer a temporary advantage when used sparingly as
surprise measures. But each and every one of these puts its user at
a greater disadvantage when its use is expected, either through its
excessive employment or the unusual preparedness of the adversary.
There is no attack that cannot be parried. There is no parry that
cannot be deceived. On the whole, close, careful, regular play is the
surest play.
There is a certain use of parries that for lack of a better term, we
designate “parries of desperation.” These are employed when some very
unexpected manoeuver of the opponent has quite destroyed the sequence
of your play and left you, however temporarily, completely at his
mercy, without formulated plan of defence. These occasions should be
so rare that your reaction to them could never be employed by your
opponent in his analysis of your play. If you allow such an occasion
to arise twice against the same team, much less against the same
individual, you will have earned the defeat that will almost surely be
your portion. These “parries of desperation” are generally as inclusive
as you can make them, breaking one or more lines. Here is the occasion
for the “universal parry” of the old masters. But, probably, the best
that we have available is the “high septime,” the “high octave,” the
septime enveloppée, or the octave enveloppée. An occasional fencer
still insists upon a _high_ prime, seconde alternation as the answer
to this dénouement. And whichever of these is employed should always
be accompanied by a _breaking_ of distance. The direction of the break
will be governed by the action of your adversary. If he is pursuing
rapidly and tenaciously, to exploit his advantage close to the front,
it will be more disconcerting. It may destroy his estimate of the
situation. If he stands fast, awaiting his opportunity, break rapidly
to the rear, regaining your position of guard and, perhaps, aplomb out
of distance.