Content

• Steps
• Tips
• Warnings

If you want to get started with fencing, go to the related WikiHow article, "How to Learn Fencing". This article is geared towards beginner to intermediate level fencers (although it focuses mainly on beginners). It should be noted that some of these methods assume that the swordsman who reads them is a student of the French school of fencing (uses the French epee and focuses mainly on small, economical movements). Some of these methods can be applied to people of the Italian school and those who use a pistol-grip epee, but with a reduced level of effectiveness. Many of these methods completely ignore the type of swordsmanship and the type of weapon used.

Steps

1. 1 Take personal lessons constantly. Once a week at least during training and fencing season. Group lessons are useful, but after a certain point, the development of the fencer should be complemented by personal lessons, preferably with the same coach.
2. 2 Practice the breakpoint or, for saber fencers, step control. Use wall pads or a pillow, something that you can hit repeatedly without risk of damage, and tape in a cross shape. Spend time each day practicing your lunge, increasing your distance, jumping lunges, forward lunges, deep lunges and, for foil and epee fighters, aiming. Continue training until you hit the center of the cross five or six times in a row.
3. 3 Saber fencers should learn point strikes (and apply it in step 2). Pinpoint attacks using a saber can give you a huge advantage over your opponent. With a double lunge and catching the center of the chest of rivals, nine times out of ten, their gaze will say: "What the hell was that?" Note: With the "new" timing in electric saber fencing, this action gives the attacker open access to a hand / wrist counterattack if performed incorrectly. When competing with more experienced fencers, great care must be taken to ensure that the hand is not reached by the opponent until the end of the action during the final acceleration of the point towards the target.
4. 4 Make your breakaway beautiful. Taking off and parrying are the cornerstones of any foil or epee player's repertoire. Try practicing with a different person instead of a target. Have him do side parries, and you try to make the smallest possible break possible, all within a short action, like a deep lunge. Then switch roles, letting them attack you. Do the smallest parries and practice instant kickback. Make sure to lift with your fingers, don't make the mistake of starting this movement with your shoulder or arm, this will change your control point and make the shape incorrect. The lift should always be the smallest possible finger movement!
5. 5 Gather enough people (six or more), try the Ring of Death exercise. For the sake of explanation, we'll label our fencers as A, B, C, D, E, and F. A starts in the center, with the others surrounding it (in alphabetical order). First, B attacks A, who responds by parrying (or attempting to parry) with a retaliatory strike or counterattack. Immediately after that, A turns to C, who attacks, again with reaction A. Thus, A turns until it reaches E. After the actions between A and E, E and A switch places. The process begins again with A attacking E. Thus, each one exchanges two actions (one attack and the other reaction) with everyone else.If everyone is familiar with the exercise, six people can complete in about 1.5 minutes. By doing this exercise often, you will increase your reaction speed so that in combat, no attack will catch you off guard.
6. 6 Go to the summer program. Many colleges have camps, but there are also large programs in France, Italy, Poland, England - in fact, all over Europe. The choice within the US isn't bad, but you're better off going overseas if you're serious about the sport. If you don’t have enough time, or you just don’t want to travel to a foreign country to train, smaller programs are available all over the planet.
7. 7 Watch your footwork. According to Tim Morehouse, "Footwork is 70% of the lead." You cannot make your footwork good enough. Do exercises, even whole fights with a friend, practice fencing at the edge of the lane. Make sure you stay on this line. Do offensive and retreating actions (Advance-Advance-Retreat, Retreat-Retreat-Advance, Advance-Advance-Advance-Retreat-Retreat, etc.) and perform these sequences at the edge of the lane. Make sure your lunge is straight, again using the edge of the strip. Practice changing directions. Try advancing at full speed, then retreating. Until you can make this change (and vice versa), practice regularly. Avoid leaning and swinging. Leaning forward, visualize the target and stretch your neck to see your opponent leaning backward, while he can use a parry with a distance that should be avoided as this movement is difficult and inhibits your parry ability. Move slowly while imagining the target and make it difficult for him to parry. When you advance and retreat, the movement should only occur below the waist. To improve your transition speed when changing from retreat to advance or advance to retreat, it is important to get back on your feet with a final retreat or final advance. This will ease your center of gravity, making it easier to overcome backward revs and more compression in your legs, which in turn will accelerate movement in the opposite direction.
8. 8 Make an explosive lunge. Your attack should come to the enemy like a bolt from the blue. The only real way to do this is to practice fencing for a long time, but working on leg strength can also improve your performance. In any case, you can look behind your unpleasant habits that signal the enemy about the upcoming attack. 1) Straining the back leg. 2) Increasing the distance too early. Make sure your distance increase occurs less than half a second before your lunge (if not simultaneously or with a delay in order to trick the parry). 3) Continue advancing at high speed. 4) Moving the blade to the preferred position. Some fencers like to lunge from a certain position. First of all, these are the sixth and eighth positions, but starting each attack from the seventh position, the upcoming attack is immediately clear. A useful method for practitioners is to lunge using a tennis ball on a hard floor, throwing it with the right hand, hitting the ball in front of them, for beginners, the ball should reach arm level about 2-3 feet in front of them, then they should lunge and extend their arm to grab the ball with the right hand, it helps with hand-eye coordination and can help visualize the distance of the lunge, which is more fun to do with the group than regular exercises. The distance from the bounce can also be increased by practicing the flush.
9. 9 Learn swordsmanship with the Out-of-Link Blade. This applies primarily to foil fencing. Many beginners will be at a loss as to what to do when you just pull your blade out of a high line.The general trick is to increase the distance, provoking parries, then, instead of tricking that parrying is normal, pull the blade back. Someone who does parry sometimes A) Freezes, giving you free touch OR b) Increases the distance you should be ready for by parrying and attacking quickly. Other answers, such as ranged parries, will often render this action useless, but if you're willing to accept a parry in the middle of an attack, you're safe.
10. 10 Feel comfortable on all lines. 60% of fencing takes place on the high lane. As a result, many fencers have weaker seventh and eighth position parries. Getting used to attacking on the low lane will only increase your chances of winning.
11. 11 Learn to keep your blade between the lines. Most trainers teach that the blade should be kept in line in sixth position, covering that side of the fencer completely. While this is the most comfortable position for beginners, you shouldn't be limited to just the sixth position. By placing the blade between two lanes, you parry faster than you should initially. Note: This method only works well for beginners and intermediate fencers. Due to the fact that no line is completely protected, advanced fencers use a well-timed false lunge or 1-2 false lunge, which will not be difficult for a fraudulent parry attempt.
12. 12 Learn light strikes. But do it at your own peril and risk. This only applies to foil and epee. While light backstabs are now much more difficult and therefore less effective, punches to the side, shoulder and chest will be effective. It's just another tool that should be at your disposal. You can use your opponent's sword to hit the wrist. In the case of a rapier, due to the lightness of the blade, it is much easier to strike. Learning how to strike in conjunction with Out-of-Link Blade can win many rapier duels. The real part of light hits that makes them profitable is the ability to avoid parrying. A light hit requires an exaggerated parry, which, when deceived, gives space for various attacks. Note:many coaches despise light punches! Not only because it looks like an unauthorized act (some, though not all, executives see it that way) they are considered a "cheap shot." Find out where your club and coach are on this controversial issue if you want to add this step. Clubs that teach purely classical foil and epee fencing will avoid this.
13. 13 Ask the winner. When someone beats you all the time, walk up to them to try to figure out what they are catching you on. Sometimes they will be rude and refuse, but more often they will tell (perhaps in an incomprehensible manner) what is happening. Even a simple "I see when you're going to lunge" will be a huge help. This opinion in fencing will allow you to focus on your weak points.
14. 14 Ask yourself. You cannot always count on someone to tell you what you did wrong. Learn to spot errors yourself. Work to improve the problem areas that you spot.
15. 15 Ask your coach to watch your fights. If a coach is not looking at your swordsmanship, how can he help you become better?
16. 16 If you can, watch your opponent's swordsmanship. Find out what he likes to do, what are his weak points, etc. Use this knowledge to form a strategy that can be used against him. There are no two fencers who do this in the same way, and you should not expect your opponent to do this as well as the other.

Tips

• Point attacks with sabers will be much easier after you learn how to fence with foils or epees.
• Train with your eyes closed. Your understanding of the body will increase dramatically. This will help you "feel" your swordsmanship.
• Try to practice fencing all year round. If you only practice in the winter, your progress will be slow, given that it will take a long time for you to forget what you have learned.
• Try to find other people besides the coach (friends) to watch your fights. Their opinion is as useful as the opinion of others.
• Make sure you can parry in all lanes.
• Always remember, your tricks may work for novice or intermediate fencers, but national champions are usually not fooled by the big, slow action of beginners.
• Don't be afraid to be original, and if these tricks (consistently) work, use them. Just try not to overdo it and not give out your tricks.
• Find the best coach you can. Only good coaches will truly raise the level of your game.
• Practice doesn't always lead to perfection. Do not overdo it. If you practice your current style, you are just practicing your bad habits.
• Make sure to analyze what you did and what didn't work. Take time to think about individual movements, which will give you an excellent kinesthetic understanding of the art of swordsmanship - you will improve your skills much faster than those who are just practicing. Remain calm and free to keep your body and mind working at the highest level.

Warnings

• If the coach is not watching your fights, try not to offend him / her when asked to do so. The last thing you need is for your coach to get angry and refuse to work with you.
• Never complete Ring of Death without full equipment. Even a simple exercise without a plastron can end in disaster. In the insane speed of exercise, people tend to get hit hard.
• Fencing is a potentially dangerous sport, so make sure your equipment is in good working order and that the conditions in which you practice fencing are not dangerous or harmful to your health.