THE BOUT
All of the discussion of the theory of fencing that has gone before
leads up to meeting an adversary in competition. This single match
of man against man is called a bout. In addition to the rules and
conventions that govern the bout itself, there are certain courtesies
that are not prescribed by rule, but that are customary and an integral
part of the refinements of the game. The preliminary formalities are
the process of coming on guard and the salute to the jury and to your
adversary. As these are not prescribed by rule, they may be omitted,
may be very abbreviated, or may be quite slovenly in their execution
without any penalty--except in the minds of any observers. The
procedure that is recommended and described is of the more formal kind.
When called to the fencing strip, the fencer steps to his preliminary
position and half faces his adversary. The heels are together, the
front toe pointing directly at the adversary and the rear foot at
right angles to this. The mask is grasped in the rear hand, the thumb
holding the head spring near the body of the mask, the arm curled
around the circumference of the mask and the chin of the mask in the
arm-pit. The sword is held in direct prolongation of the arm, with
the point a few inches above the ground and from a foot and a half
to two feet in front of the front toe. The fingers are to the front.
The first movement is to raise the hand to the level of the forehead,
keeping the arm straight and the sword in direct prolongation of
it. As the jury and audience are placed on both sides of the fencing
strip, it is courteous to salute both groups before saluting your
adversary and proceeding with the bout. The salute to the inside is
performed by turning the hand over, with knuckles up, and turning the
sword in a horizontal plane towards the inside through a complete
circle and an eighth, using only the fingers and the wrist, until
the sword stops with the hand in supination, fingers up, pointing
diagonally to the inside front, with the arm bent in the position of
the guard and the head turned towards those saluted. The salute to
the outside starts from the position of termination of the salute to
the inside and the sword is turned back through a horizontal circle
and a quarter, point starting toward the outside, and ending pointing
to the outside front with the hand in pronation, knuckles up, and arm
in the position of guard. From this position, the arm is straightened
toward the adversary, with hand at height of forehead and fingers up,
and the adversary saluted. This salute is rendered by bending the
elbow and bringing the hand back, until the guard is about four inches
in front of the mouth and the point has a slight forward slope. The
point is then lowered smartly to the original position taken facing
the adversary by a simple straightening of the elbow and wrist. The
mask is then adjusted and the fencer comes on guard. Even this action
is best performed in a regular and formal manner. The sword is turned
back to a horizontal position, with the arm extended, so that the hands
are almost together--the right hand grasping the sword and the fingers
of the left hand, back down, running along the blade and touching the
guard at approximately crotch level. From this position, the hands are
raised over the head, without changing their relative positions, with
arms bowed to form almost a circle and blade horizontal, with point
to the rear. From this position, the knees are bent, the front foot is
advanced the proper distance and the hands are separated and lowered to
the position of guard. If anyone feels that all of these preliminaries
are quite unnecessary, it is only fair to consent. But, the experience
of the race has prescribed certain courtesies by which one is judged
almost more severely than by his morals, and sword-play has developed
its little courtesies over some four hundred years. As a practical
and, possibly, materialistic hint, let us suggest that some members of
the jury are prejudiced in favor of the courtesies. Old fogies, if you
please! But don’t violate their sense of the decencies in the opening
and expect them to credit you with good intentions when you violate
rules later on. It is sometimes difficult for one trained in the “old
school” to believe that bad manners and good intentions can go hand in
hand. For this, if no other reason, cultivate good “fencing manners.”
[Illustration: Final salute and positions of formal assumption of
guard.]
The coming on guard has taken place near the center of a strip which
is forty feet long and six feet wide. According to the rules, there
must be a line marking the center of this strip. The contestants
fall on guard sufficiently to their own sides of this line to be out
of engagement. When the director starts the bout by the command of
“Play,” or “Fight,” each contestant is left to pursue his own judgment,
within the limits of the rules, as to the subsequent action. If one
desires to fence “in engagement,” he advances slightly, always on
the alert against offensive action, and endeavors to cross swords,
faible to faible. If he does not desire to fence “in engagement,” he
may either retain his position of guard, awaiting the preliminary
movements of his adversary, or attempt to close distance, remaining out
of engagement. There is an old “catch phrase” for the objective from
this point. It has been said that fencing is the height of altruism.
Its persistent objective is to give and to receive nothing in return.
The action of each fencer is governed by two factors--his personal
temperament and his schooling. A fencer may be aggressive because
he is not temperamentally suited to the waiting game, or because he
has not developed confidence in his defence. If you are going to be
aggressive, do not let it be for the latter reason. So develop your
defence during the schooling period that you are not driven to the
attack of desperation. Let your attacks be planned and based upon calm
observation and study of your opponent’s play. A touch by parry and
riposte is just as valuable as one by attack and may be more valuable
if it shakes the faith of an aggressive adversary in his attack. Do not
let your attacks be unconsidered. A quick feint may tell you whether
your adversary prefers simple, or counter, parries. A false attack may
be necessary to get the same information. If he prefers simple parries,
there is no use planning doubles. If he holds his parry to the last
possible fraction of a second, don’t forget your counter-ripostes,
against immediate ripostes, and don’t forget the remise and the
redoublement against the delayed riposte. All of the various methods
that have been suggested under the theory are necessary, and then a
fund of “fighting sense” that only comes with experience.
It is not possible to over-emphasize certain suggestions that were made
very early in regard to position. The well flexed position of the legs,
with feet not too close together for steadiness and not too far apart
for agility, must be maintained at all times. The reduction of the
target by the effacement of the rear shoulder should become a matter of
subconscious practice. And the maintenance of the elbow of the sword
arm, definitely inside the line of the body, is of great importance.
With this elbow held well inside and serving as a fixed pivot for
all parries, in the parries with the hand held in supination, it is
almost impossible to carry the parry of sixte too far to the outside
and very difficult to execute those wide parries of quarte in which
the point beats the floor. It is important to bear in mind that every
parry is the natural precursor of a riposte and that it should stop in
a position from which the riposte can be made easily and accurately.
The parry that is held to the last possible moment, that goes just far
enough to cover the target and that is promptly followed by a quick,
accurate riposte, either simple or compound, soon becomes a matter of
dread to the attacker.
Frequent reference has been made to the analysis of attacks and parries
and to the withholding of the parry to the last possible moment. Like
most other details of fencing technique, this is simple and is not a
matter of inspiration but of long, patient practice. First, as to the
movements of the blade, whether in attack or defence. In close sword
play, with the fingers or even the wrist controlling the point, the
movements of the blade originate at the hand and become progressively
larger as they approach the point. Even in wide play, with the movement
coming even from the shoulder, the movement at the point is wider than
at the hand. Therefore, watch the intersection of the blade with the
guard for information regarding the point. The movement of the point
always follows and exaggerates the movement of this intersection. The
slightest of movements here tells you that the point is going to right
or left, up or down. That indication directs your parry, or deceive,
as the case may be. But there is another advantage in making this
intersection the focal point of your observation. It includes in the
lower limit of the field of vision the front foot of your adversary.
This is important. If your judgment of distance is accurate and you
have not allowed your adversary to come closer than lunging distance,
he cannot hope to hit you without lunging. He cannot lunge without
raising the front foot from the ground. It is extremely difficult to
change the direction of an attack in the middle of a lunge. Therefore,
you may safely ignore all feints made before the starting of the
lunge. Only an infinitesimally accurate judgment of the speed of your
adversary’s lunge can tell you just how long you can wait _after_ that
foot comes off the ground before starting your parry. But, you never
need to parry before the foot leaves the ground and the longer you
can safely wait afterwards the less is the chance of your parry being
deceived.
A considerable number of factors has been mentioned that will
contribute to successful competition fencing. Our recommendation is
that every effort be made to master all of these factors. However, it
is always interesting to try to arrange such factors in their order of
relative importance. Probably no two individuals would agree as to the
entire list. But we shall give our idea and endeavor to support it by
reason. We give first importance to the position of the elbow of the
sword arm. Upon this depends the building of an impregnable defence,
and the fencer with an impregnable defence cannot lose. Upon this
foundation, and for the same reason, we advocate a complete mastery
of the various parries. Although we advise it, we do not insist upon
a mastery of all eight parries. But a complete mastery of one parry
for each of the four lines (inside and outside high and inside and
outside low) is essential. If only four parries are to be mastered,
we advocate quarte and sixte in the high lines, septime and either
seconde or octave for the low lines. Third in our order of importance
would come the effacement of the rear shoulder, because this also
contributes to the defence by minimizing the effective target. Fourth,
we would master the various ripostes from our parries, because the
groundwork has already been laid for getting touches by this method.
Fifth, we should master our leg work, partly because the ability to
extend and close distance adds to the efficiency of the defence, and
partly because fully developed leg work is a necessary preliminary to
any study of the offense. Next, sixth, we would study the concealed
attacks (counter-ripostes), because we have already mastered the
parries and ripostes and the concealed attacks would be utilized to
tease an over-cautious opponent into playing our game. Finally, we
would master the frank attacks, including the attacks on the sword and
the counter-attacks. Throughout all of this progress, we should be
constantly studying both time and distance, as well as endeavoring to
analyze and anticipate the play of our opponent’s weapon and trying to
learn how to hold our parries to the last possible moment.
Even if the average instructor agreed with the preceding outline,
it would not be practicable for him to follow it. Try to visualize
the fencing master of a large club giving ten, or fifteen, or twenty
lessons in an afternoon and giving all of them in the defence. Even
with the labor-saving methods that he has learned of stepping forward
instead of making a hard lunge, he would soon be exhausted. Also,
he would find a certain proportion of his pupils of a combative
temperament complaining because they were not being taught to attack.
Further, he would find that certain other of his pupils, not having
mastered leg work in the beginning when their enthusiasm was high,
would never after go through the drudgery of adequately practising it.
And, of course, the best reason of all would be that he considered the
whole thing foolishness--that lesson five should come before lesson
fifteen and that no one could convince him to the contrary.
It is well to remember that there is no such thing as an advance plan
for conducting any bout. Even if you think that you are thoroughly
familiar with your adversary’s play, he may have changed it to meet
certain peculiarities observed in yours. He may have found in his last
bout with you that there are certain parries or attacks that he had
best avoid. Or his coach may have been studying your play from the
side-lines and advising him as to the best methods to employ against
you. Therefore, enter each bout with an open mind. Do not presume too
far upon what you know about your adversary’s former play. Remember it
and be prepared to profit by it, but do not presume upon it. Comment
has already been made upon the necessity of gaining and holding
distance with a constantly retreating opponent. Do not forget that he
may do the same to you. At the beginning of the bout, you have equal
distances behind you. Do not become unconscious of this margin of
safety to the rear. There is a warning line ten feet from the end of
the strip, which is all of the warning the fencer receives under the
present rules. However, this should be of no interest to you. Your
guide as to distance to the rear should be the line in the middle of
the strip. If your adversary has crossed it, the fighting is being
pursued in your territory and a sudden unconsidered, extensive retreat
may carry you off the strip. Do not permit yourself to be driven
far enough back so that this reduced distance to the rear becomes a
fear that distracts your attention from other details of the combat.
When the crowding of your opponent becomes obvious, which should be
immediately after its inception, drive him back with false attack,
concealed attack, or frank attack, regaining your lost ground by
resuming the guard forward instead of to the rear. Remember that, as
you have some control over your opponent’s play, so he is not without
influence over yours. Do not obstinately persist in preferred movements
that do not fit in with his style. If you like cut-over attacks and
he is adept at the stop thrust, mind your step. If you favor counter
parries and he makes wide feints with a slight tendency to cavé, go
back to the simple parries. The counter parry against a wide feint
tries to pick up his blade with the faible, which is risky at best. On
the other hand, these same resources are yours. Against an adversary
who employs “elbow” cutovers, the well executed stop thrust is a
wonderful deterrent. However, this is an occasion where you must study
your judges and Director, as well as your opponent. A beautiful stop
thrust before a jury that treats it as a tension is a pearl before
swine. Again, with an adversary who is not too well effaced and who
favors counter parries, somewhat wide feints with a firmer grip than
usual may cause his parries to fail and may eventually cause him to
fall back upon the simple parries, which may be his weakness.
Against a fencer of the classic school, who fences with light hand
and without too many attacks on the sword, it is pleasant to fence in
engagement. Against a heavy-handed fencer, who is constantly trying
to force your blade out of line and who is reinforcing this play with
constant attacks on the sword, it is well to fence out of engagement.
There is no use in exposing your hand to the constant pounding of a
mauler. When fencing out of engagement, the outside guard in the high
line is usually preferable. A right-handed fencer has to come across
his own body to make an attack on your sword. Thus, it follows that the
high guard on the inside may be preferable against a left-hander.
There are other things to remember about a left-handed fencer. The
guard of sixte is relatively weak from the point of view of offering
opposition to force of any sort. It places leverage against the weaker
side of the hand. So, when fencing in engagement against a left-handed
fencer, it is well to remember that his strong guard of quarte is
naturally opposed to your weak guard of sixte. For this reason, many
left handers prefer to fence in quarte and will make considerable
effort to maintain that guard. It is also well to remember that such
slight bend as has developed at the point of your sword, to prevent
breakage, is away from the thumb side. This slight bend has a tendency
to throw the point _toward_ the target of a right-handed fencer,
lessening the tendency to slip off the target, when the hand is in
suppination (fingers up). Conversely, with hand in supination, this
same bend has the tendency to throw the point _away_ from the target of
the left-handed fencer. Turning the hand into pronation (fingers down)
corrects this tendency. Finally, it is of psychological value to recall
that there is no inherent advantage in fencing with either left or
right hand. The advantage of the left hander rests in the fact that he
is accustomed to fencing against right-handed fencers, while they are
less used to left handers. Unfortunately, this adventitious advantage
leads many left-handed fencers to neglect thorough grounding in all
departments of play. If your opponent is such a one, look for the phase
that he has neglected. Welcome every opportunity to meet the “gauchers”
and try to have one in your own circle of fencers. All of this advice
is equally applicable to left hander meeting left hander. But the best
advice to him, after all, is to avoid the pitfall of accepting his
advantage as a special gift that justifies neglect of that mastery
of all departments of the game that is necessary to the well rounded
fencer.
In any discussion of this sort, some reference must be made to the
special problems presented by competition with a fencer of the Italian
school. The basic theory behind the Italian and French schools differs
in many ways. There is no desire to aggrandize or to disparage either
school in the present discourse. We are basing our discussion and
instruction upon the French school, because it was the one in which
we were first instructed and to which we afterwards adhered, either
through preference or prejudice. That this preference is not based
entirely upon ignorance is evinced by the fact that one of us fenced
for two years on a team with a pupil of the great Italian master Greco
and later spent one season under the instruction of another Italian
master. It is felt that the swords of the two schools are the outward
evidence of the essential underlying difference in theory. The French
school uses a sword with a light blade that is almost perfectly
balanced by a relatively long grip and heavy pommel. The grip depends
entirely upon the fingers as does the control of the sword. On the
other hand, the Italian sword has a slightly heavier blade, a cross
bar at the upper limits of the guard about which the fingers curl for
greater power, a relatively short grip and light pommel, and a strap
for securing the pommel to the wrist. This assembly does not lend
itself to light finger play, but presupposes the control of movements
by the wrist and arm, some movements including the shoulder. With such
a weapon, we should expect more dependence upon force, numerous attacks
on the sword, powerful parries that break the line and a general
tendency to break through rather than slip through. It seems to us that
this is the fundamental difference--force rather than evasion. And
the fencer whose training and weapon both lend themselves to evasion
must learn to avoid exposing himself to the full effects of a force
for which he is neither armed nor prepared. It is not necessary to
warn one to fence out of distance and out of engagement, for that is
the usual choice of the Italian fencer. The well trained fencers of
this school are keen judges of both time and distance and are very
highly trained in foot work. From a position well out of distance,
they are prepared to close distance very rapidly by one or a series of
advances, possibly including an attack on the sword, before launching
the final lunge. In regard to the closing of distance, remember that
there are three ways of meeting this. The first is by being thoroughly
prepared and receiving the attack with a sure defence. The second is
by increasing the distance at the final, or earlier, movement of your
opponent’s attack. The third and frequently the most disconcerting is
to close distance yourself at your adversary’s first movement. When
the aggressor has decided that two advances are necessary to close
distance before the lunge, to suddenly find that one of those advances
has put him within reach of a parry and lunge riposte may greatly shake
his confidence. Remember also that the principle of properly applied
leverage in parries eliminates all advantages of heavier weapons.
Also, remember the earlier “rolling” parries that were evolved for use
against heavy weapons. An unexpected “rolling” parry, executed with
force and forte to faible, from sixte to quinte, or from quarte to
tierce, and accompanied by froisé or croisé, may shake the wrist of
your adversary as much as his heavier, strapped-on sword was expected
to shake your hand. And never lose sight of the fact that the second
defensive movement of the Italian fencer is most likely to break the
line. That is, if a double into sixte has deceived his counter quarte,
his next parry is apt to be the high septime. The deceive of this must
be over the blade.
There are certain combinations in the way of parries and ripostes
or attacks that may be advantageously practised as a part of your
repertoire. The combination parry of counter sixte--octave, with
riposte of tierce, against a double, from sixte, has already been
mentioned. An occasional octave enveloppée, with straight riposte,
against a disengage or planned double from sixte, may prove
disconcerting. The septime enveloppée is equally successful but,
somehow, seems easier to recognize and anticipate. The cut-over
riposte may be helpful against an adversary who bears down with
heavy opposition after a parried attack. On the offensive, similar
variations may be found. A properly timed cut-over disengage (the
tour de l’épée) may be very effective. A drop to the low line on the
deceive of the counter in the high line sometimes finds an unexpected
opening. A disengage from quarte, with strong attack on the sword with
high septime at the first movement of a counter parry, may break a way
through. These are merely hints at the various ways in which elementary
attacks, parries, and ripostes may be combined in combat.
In general, fencers conform to one of three mental types. There is the
rote fencer. He has certain movements--a certain technique--possibly
several tricks, which he employs persistently, without regard for the
play of his opponent. Next, there is the inductive fencer, who strives
by feints and suggested parries to lead his adversary into the defence
or attack that he desires. Finally, there is the analyst, who studies
his opponent’s play, who has no favorite method, but will adopt the one
best calculated to overcome his opponent. The first is an opportunist,
the second an artist, the third artist and scientist combined.
As a final suggestion regarding competition fencing, let us emphasize
the courtesies. The acknowledgment of touches is not required. With
well qualified juries of five, this is no longer considered either
necessary or desirable. The claiming of touches is not _permitted_.
The contestant is not supposed to endeavor to influence the decision
of the judges by either word or action. In team competitions, the team
captain may protest decisions either at the time of their occurrence
to the Director, or later to the Bout Committee. In individual
competition, it would probably be permissible to request permission of
the Director to register an immediate protest, or to inform him that
a later protest would be registered with the Bout Committee. Beyond
such very unusual occurrences, the contestant should offer no comment
and should certainly refrain from theatrical gestures that are planned
to influence the judges or to appeal to the audience. These actions
are bad from at least three points of view. They are against the
rules. They are unwise. They are bad manners. When the final touch is
announced, close to the rear, bringing your heels together, assuming
the upright position, with arm and sword extended as in the position
preceding the assumption of guard, and salute your adversary. Then,
remove your mask and step forward to shake hands with your adversary.
Remember that, while there is little excuse for being a poor loser,
there is absolutely no excuse for being an ungracious winner. Thank
your adversary for the bout. If he won, tell him what a corking
exhibition of strong fencing he gave. If he lost, pick something that
he did well as an excuse for congratulation and assign his loss to
bad luck. _And mean it._ If you can once reach that point where you
can fully appreciate a beautiful touch made by your opponent at your
expense, you have become a real fencer, regardless of the score.
_The foil costume._ The foil fencing costume is designed for utility
and safety, not for beauty. The black velvet jacket and the red heart
of the calendar girls is not seen elsewhere. The suit is white or
nearly so and should be made of a fairly heavy canvas. The material in
the jacket should be doubled over the front and sword side of the body,
the collar, and the upper sword arm. _This is important._ A broken foil
blade is a truly deadly weapon. The jacket is form-fitting, closes
along the side opposite the sword arm and has a short tail piece,
called a cuissard which is carried between the legs and fastened in
back. This protects the extreme low line.
The pants may be either trousers, or knee breeches, should be of the
same material as the jacket, and should have the fly arranged opposite
to the sword arm. If trousers, the lower portion should be somewhat
shaped to the leg. Such a suit is equally useful for foil, duelling
sword, or saber work, although some fencers like a little padding in
the saber jacket.
The shoes may be any light, flexible type of athletic shoe. If a
linoleum strip is used, an elk sole and resin are best. If a rubber
strip is used, the rubber sole, as used in basketball, is satisfactory.
For duelling sword play, the shoes must be white.
The mask is of wire mesh: (1) of close enough weave to prevent the
passage of a broken blade; and (2) strong enough to resist a heavy blow
with lunge and body weight behind it, from the stump of a broken blade.
The mask must have a bib to protect the neck. For épée, all trim must
be white.
The glove should be of soft leather, lightly padded over the back of
the hand and fingers and should be one full size larger than the street
glove. In major competitions, it must be of light color. The type with
soft gauntlet is probably most desirable.
The sword has already been described, except for one accessory--the
martingale. This is a string, or strap, which may be wrapped around the
fingers or wrist, or otherwise secured, to prevent a released sword
from flying into the audience or jury. At least two foils, preferably
of demountable type, and also spare blades, should be available for
every match, if more than one bout is to be fought.
The jury is charged with the obligation of seeing that equipment
conforms to the rules and that it does not endanger adversary,
onlookers, or self. If they consider that a fencer’s costume offers
inadequate protection, they may disqualify him.