Fencing - The Advance

George Slay: Good evening, I am George Slay. I am one of the fencing instructors here at Recreational Fencing of Manassas. This lesson will cover basic footwork; advancing and retreating and again here to help me are Ivan Lopez and Don Rickerson. Gentlemen lets get in to a good on guard position, nice crouch, again if you remember from the last lesson we want to make sure that our feet are pointing straight ahead. Its classic blunder to have ones feet not pointed straight ahead or pointed to the side, throws of your balance. Now, the advance will be demonstrated by Ivan first here, its very simple and then we will have them go through some drills where both fencers advance and retreat and maintain the appropriate distance.

Ivan before I ask you to move I am just going to cover the basics which is we pushup with the rear foot while slightly lifting the toes of the front foot and pushing forward and then we bring the rear foot forward. Ivan go ahead and demonstrate an appropriate advance.

One more please. Excellent. Don since Ivan has come perilously close, dangerously close to you, Id like you to retreat at least two steps. The footwork is simply reversed here. We push up with the front and lift off with the back foot slightly. Don could you retreat again, excellent. Now, what I would like you to do is to synchronize your advance and retreat. Ill ask Ivan to advance and this will signal Don to retreat and then I have Don Advance and Ivan retreat.

Please focus on the feet and remember the torso should remain still. Ivan, go ahead and advance on Don, twice, okay, they are maintaining good distance. Don go ahead and advance on Ivan and take him back to the on guard line, excellent; thanks gentlemen. That covers our lesson on advances and retreats. In the next lesson, were going to combine an advance with an attack which is putting the point of the weapon on the opponents chest.