Defensive Drills

Don Pascual de la Mer

Most of the drills I teach are two person drills to build the ability to defend oneself. I believe if a fencer can parry the attack of his opponent and he knows the path of least resistance that his reposte should take, then even a newbie can defeat a more experienced fencer, so long as they are patient and don't overextend themselves. My training includes initially parry-reposte drills, till they have the basic movements down, and the muscle memory builds (which takes 3000 to 5000 repetitions). With that in mind, here are some drills (Note, all parry numbers are based on a right handed fencer):

  Fencer #1 Attacks #2 to their "6" (right side). Fencer #2 Parries and repostes to Fencer #1's "6" (right side). Repeat 20-50 times, then have fencers switch directions for an equal number of repetitions.

  Fencer #1 Attacks #2 to their "4" (Left side). Fencer #2 Parries and repostes to Fencer #1's "4" (Left side). Repeat 20-50 times, then have fencers switch directions for an equal number of repetitions.

  Fencer #1 Attacks #2 to their "1" (Lower Left side; legs/hips). Fencer #2 Parries and repostes to Fencer #1's "1" (Lower Left side; legs/hips). Repeat 20-50 times, then have fencers switch directions for an equal number of repetitions.

  Fencer #1 Attacks #2 to their "2" (Lower Right side; legs/hips). Fencer #2 Parries and repostes to Fencer #1's "2" (Lower Right side; legs/hips). Repeat 20-50 times, then have fencers switch directions for an equal number of repetitions.

  Fencer #1 Attacks #2 to their "5" (head/neck in a downward action; this is a sabre parry more than anything else, but useful). Fencer #2 parries and repostes to Fencer #1's "5" (head/neck). Repeat 20-50 times, then have fencers switch directions for an equal number of repetitions.

I also work on beat attacks- beating the blade in either direction and then finishing with a thrust chest. This builds that little muscle around the thumb, as it should only be a wrist movement that makes the beat happen, not the whole arm. They also need to be done from a standstill, ensuring not to draw the weapon back to get a "running" start on the beat: first it's not needed, and second it's a tell of what you are about to do to anyone who watches your movements.

There is also the "one-two," or feint disengage. It can be done to either side, and can be just a right-left (or left right) or a multiple back and forth movement to make your opponent get flustered. The trick here is knowing when to actually throw the shot, and training the student to realize if thrown at the wrong time, it will almost certainly result in a double kill.

Which leads to the next drill: attacks in opposition. If someone throws a counter attack while you are attacking, you attempt to put your attack between you and them, and "oppose" it with your blade to cut off the line in which they are trying to attack. This one takes lots of practice, and learning that the angles change based upon your opponent and their skill level.

And finally there is the prise-de-fere: similar to an attack in opposition, but you aren't attacking initially you are waiting to see their blade, and then when it's in a position you like, you press to it and then slide down the blade maintaining pressure on theirs as you put your point into, most likely, their center of mass.(Most people will try and oppose you here at least for the initial second, which can be enough time to succeed. If they are trained well and disengage or counter your attack it's then time to think on your feet.)

The above are all basic, fundamental actions. And once a fencer is comfortable with these, they can be employed in combination as fencers develop their own personal style of fighting.