Fencing, a mind-boggling sport: Part 3
In the last part, we discussed about the general rules of playing fencing that included the time period in a bout, points scoring for both Individual and Team competitions and rules for exceptional cases like a tie-breaker.
This part includes the tactics adopted by fencers to score points over their opponents apart from attacking, but these are easily practiced by the trained fencers, especially if they know the weaker areas of their opponent.
These strategies are very helpful, while planning a match against an opponent whose playing style has been observed previously or if he/she is well-known for his/her playing style to everyone.
Depending upon the fencer’s own strength, one of these tactics will be selected. If a fencer is strong in offense then that person has three options. The traditional one is to spot the exposed target part over the opponent and make a quick hit.
Second, the attacker will dodge the opponent to turn the sword in such a way that the fencer at defence allows the attacker to strike at the weaker areas, which means that the defender’s sword is in such a position from where the fencer finds it hard to
turn back onto the resting position.
Third and the most distinctive practice is that the attacker will make a rush over his/her opponent, making the person to recede for creating a gap between the two, but the attacker continues until the defender is cornered at the rear-line (End point of
the piste) of the 14-metre strip, piste. In this attempt, if the opponent steps over the line with both feet, then a point is awarded in favour of the offender.
On contrary, if the fencer is a strong defender then he/she has two options. Firstly, either to wait for the offender to make an attack and as soon he/she reaches, the defender parries (block the attack) and then riposte (counter-attack). It is very important
for blocking the attacker before attempting to hit because it will not be a valid hit otherwise.
Here, the defender takes the advantage of the attacker’s lunge position (stretching body forwards with a bent forward leg for an attack) as it requires time for the fencer to return back to the en garde position, the standing stance in fencing.
The second method to earn point, while at defence, is that as the attacker rushes over the fencer, the person keeps moving backwards for increasing the gap and tries to tire the offender. At this point, the attacker believes that he/she has cornered the
defender, but in actual the defender has sketched out a different plan.
At the rear limit, the attacker can no longer rush over the defender and will try to widen the gap enough to make a lunge. At this point, defender in no time makes a quick hit over the offender because with a step backwards, the offender has now become the
one at defence. Therefore, no parry is required to be made by the fencer at the rear point in order to validate his/her hit.
Fencing, undoubtedly, is considered to be a physical chess where each steps requires planning and control. Unless gaining expertise, the distinctive ways of earning point over the opponent are not suggestible because it may turn up against the fencer attempting
it.
Therefore, the first step of gaining excellence is to be equally competitive in offence and at defence.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
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