Here we see Adam wearing all his gearSo you showed up to fighter practice and this big green guy started telling you what to do. But you got to your dorm room and now you can't remember any of it. No worries I have created the Virtual Fighter Practice just for you.
Important pieces of armor are; shoes,
pants, cup, jacket, gloves, mask, and perhaps a gorget.
Here we see Adam wearing all his gear
See the fighting rules for specifics on armor requirements. If you
are new to fencing make sure you have shoes, pants, and a cup the
rest can be provided for you. Here is an example of an acceptable
gorget. 
Now it is time to take a stance. This is called the engarde position. While in the engarde position your feet should be shoulder width apart, your knees should be bent, your front foot should point forward, your off hand should be up, and your front hand, knee, and foot should all be in one line.
Now that you know how to stand it is time to start going places. To do this we use advance and retreat. To advance simply move your front foot 1-3 inches forward and then move the back foot the same distance. This should leave you back in engarde. To retreat move the back foot 1-3 inches back and then move the front foot the same distance. Again this should leave you in engarde.
Wow we are doing well. We can stand and move around. But what do we do if some jerk tries to stab us with a sword. Well we could retreat. In fact often retreating is the correct solution. However if all we ever did was run away we would never get a chance to stab anyone. That is why we have parries. There are 4 basic parries. They are numbered 4,6,7, and 8. Better not to ask why they are numbered that way and just go with it.
Parries are all made with the forte, or lower third of the sword. I have described the parries from the point of view of the person performing them. Thus when I refer to the left I meen the parrier's left.
Parry 4 is designed to protect against
an attack to the inside of the sword. If I am right handed this means
an attack to the left of the sword. If I am left handed it means to
the right. Natalia is left handed, so, when she does a parry 4 she
turns her arm at the elbow to the right, thus moving her sword across
her body and deflecting any incoming swords. 
Notice that her point remains on line. This is important so that she
may counter attack effectively.
Parry 6 is designed to protect against
an attack to the outside of the sword. If I am right handed this
means an attack to the right of the sword. If I am left handed it
means to the left. Natalia is left handed, so, when she does a parry
6 she turns her arm at the elbow to the left, thus moving her sword
across her arm and deflecting any incoming swords. 
Parry 7 is designed to protect against
an attack to the back leg. If I am right handed this means an attack
to the left leg. If I am left handed it means to the right leg.
Natalia is left handed, so, when she does a parry 7 she drops the
sword down and turns at the elbow to the right, thus moving her sword
across her lower body and deflecting any incoming swords. 
Parry 8 is designed to protect against
an attack to the front leg. If I am right handed this means an attack
to the right leg. If I am left handed it means to the left leg.
Natalia is left handed, so, when she does a parry 8 she drops the
sword down and turns at the elbow to the left, thus moving her sword
across her left leg and deflecting any incoming swords. 
Now for the best part, sticking someone with the pointy end of your
sword. Most of the time this requires a lunge. The lunge is done in 4
parts. Starting from engarde, 
Andrew first extends his sword. 
Notice that in this picture he has already started to move his front
leg. This is not correct. Simply extend the sword. Second he moves
his front foot forward 1-3 inches. 
Now Andrew is in the lunge. If he were attacking someone they would
have already been touched or made a defense. If they have made a
defense it is important to get out of the lunge cleanly. To do this
Andrew first retracts his arm. 
Notice that he has not yet moved his feet. It is important to move
the sword before the feet so that you can use it to defend yourself.
Finally Andrew will recover his front foot, placing him back in
engarde. This is called recover back. If with the lunge he has forced
his opponent back he would leave the front foot in place and move the
back foot forward, again placing him in engarde, but having moved him
forward. This is called recover forward.
You can of course attack any part of the body. Not just strait ahead.
Here Natalia attacks to 4 then 6 then 7 then 8. 
Finally you know all there is to know about fencing (well not quite but all the basics any way) and it is time to start practicing. Well you will need some drills!
The first thing we do at Scola is to line everyone up 
and do basic drills. First we practice engarde. To do so we begin in
a relaxed position. 
On the command of engarde we assume the engarde position. 
This is followed by the command of relax, when we again assume the
relaxed position. This is repeated many times to teach the body how
we want it to stand.
Next we practice advancing and retreating. When our instructor calls advance everyone advances. When they call retreat everyone retreats. Again this is done many times. This is to make advance and retreat so basic to our bodies that we would never have to think about how to do it.
Finally we practice lunging by the numbers. On the command of 1 we extend, on 2 we lunge, on 3 we recover our swords, and on 4 we recover our feet. Again this is repeated many times.
Now about a half hour has passed and it is time for some advanced
drills. Here I will describe the parry drill. The parry drill is done
with a partner, and without masks. Because of this it is important
that everything is done slowly and in a controlled manner. Also it is
important to move slowly to build muscle memory. You and your partner
begin by facing each other. The leader, in this case myself (left) ,
initiates with an attack to 4. My partner, Corvo (right), waits for
me to fully extend and then makes a parry 4. 
Next, Corvo attacks to 4. I wait for her to fully extend, recover my
blade to standard engarde, and then I parry 4. 
Now, I attack to 6. Corvo again waits for me to fully extend,
recovers her blade, and then parries to 6. 
Now, Corvo attacks to 6. I wait for her to fully extend, recover my
blade, and parry 6. 
Now, I attack to 7. Corvo parries 7. 
Corvo attacks to 7, and I parry 7. 
I attack to 8 and Corvo parries 8. 
Corvo attacks to 8 and I parry 8. 
Now, the drill is complete and I begin again with an attack to 4.
Repeat this many times to build muscle memory. Also it is important
to switch leads because the motion is slightly different.
Now you know all the basics of fencing. It is a lot of information and will require much practice to learn. To speed things up practice on your own, not just at fighter practice.
Begin by practicing engarde. This can be used as a study break, or while you are watching TV. Every time a commercial comes on jump up out of your chair and stand in engarde. When the show comes back sit back down. Next commercial stand up again only switch feet. This will be hard at first. Our everyday lives don't strengthen these muscles enough to stand in engarde for 3 minutes. However if you are in for a long day of fencing you will appreciate having built the muscles.
Once you have engarde down so that you can stand there forever practice advancing and retreating. Just march up and down the hall. You don't need a sword, but if you like a meter stick works nicely. Your friends will think you are nuts, but you will be a better fencer for it.
Also practice your point control. Again use the meter stick if you have no sword. Just pick some small spots on the wall or curtain or whatever and stab them with only extension, lightest possible touch again and again. It is important to move very slowly. A common mistake is to judge the range wrong and come up short. If this happens do not lean into the shot, doing so will have a negative affect on your fencing. Instead move a little bit closer and try again. For a more advanced drill try hitting the target with a small lunge.
If you practice on your own, and show up to fighter practice every week you will quickly become an effective fighter. The more time you put into it the better you will be. Most importantly have fun. I hope you have found this document useful.
By: Logan the Bright and Shiny (Mike Williams)
Feel free to print/link to/and or distribute this in any way you like, so long as you leave my name on it.
