Fencing journal
Today we started a tourney format. I fenced Kaitlin and found that she doesn't do what I want her to when it comes to being parried. She is tending to remise and I'm not getting the riposte on time as I'm holding the parry and collapsing the distance to try to force her to back out. I should collapse the distance harder and keep the parry seated or she'll never back out. Doesn't help that the pneumonia is kicking me, but then I go 5-4 with Kaitlin which to me is like insult to injury. I won't go 5-4 with anyone else in the pools. Time to start fencing like I mean it.
And speaking of people in the class's tendencies, I think that I may as well go through some of the folks.
Jess - has a decent parry riposte and I can't get away with disengages as she'll attack into them and time me out being an epeeist. The thing to do is set her up with feint short, then parry riposte with the distance in my favor. I can also set up anything that gets me in close since she can't in-fight.
Christina - Just using disengage setups with her, as well as straight attacks at proper distance. She gets mesmerized by her own footwork when she moves forward and back, and setting up my footwork so that the distance is collapsing when she comes forward instead of following her motion allows me to straight lunge and she has trouble parrying it.
Kaitlin - I'm going to be using the same tactics with her as I use against Christina next time I fence her. She's going to be one of the toughest in the class going forward, but I should still be able to straight lunge and score. She has good offensive ability and needs to be lead rather than allowing her to get attacks started.
Ron - Heavy handed and can't stop a disengage from 6(3) to 4. He also can't stop a double disengage as his parries get bigger as he misses my blade. Straight attacks also work at proper distance most of the time. His ripostes are often off because he's pulling his arm back to try to make them and is using too much muscle.
Steven (Little) - Straight attacks work, as well as attacks with disengage. His parries are good, ripostes are slow or non-existent. He also has poor form in his footwork as his front foot is almost always pointed to the side. He will always remise if he is parried or misses. Very seldom will go for a counter parry. Also he's a beat attacker who falls for line disengage and runs onto tips.
Steven (tall) - Counter Parry works, as well as any attack with disengage. Telegraphs his attacks which is very helpful. If he didn't they would much harder to deal with. Has good hand speed and can counter parry. Best to just not allow him to parry and control the action by playing offense. His offense isn't bad.
Skylar - Lefty who attacks the same way every time. He extends into 6(3), then hitches his arm all the way back and attacks in 4. In a tourney I would first try countering into that since he is always pulling his arm back and see if I get the call. If I did get the call that he was in prep, I would use that until he stopped hitching the arm. He can't defend a straight attack after his attack falls short, and he can't at all stop a disengage attack.
Shae - He needs to get better shoes. He seems shocked when I hit him from distance. Poor judge of what a lunge distance is from others which can be taken advantage of. Disengages work though. Has a decent first parry.
Aaron - Has a bad sense of distance. Straight attacks and disengages all work. His attacks are all very short and his parries are medium. He tends to stick out his arm in counter a lot thinking he can just muscle it through a parry or get a touch first with a long reach. Should be able to feint short to make him counter and then pick him up in a bind or parry for the score.
Sam - Haven't fenced him much. Will get back to him.
And speaking of people in the class's tendencies, I think that I may as well go through some of the folks.
Jess - has a decent parry riposte and I can't get away with disengages as she'll attack into them and time me out being an epeeist. The thing to do is set her up with feint short, then parry riposte with the distance in my favor. I can also set up anything that gets me in close since she can't in-fight.
Christina - Just using disengage setups with her, as well as straight attacks at proper distance. She gets mesmerized by her own footwork when she moves forward and back, and setting up my footwork so that the distance is collapsing when she comes forward instead of following her motion allows me to straight lunge and she has trouble parrying it.
Kaitlin - I'm going to be using the same tactics with her as I use against Christina next time I fence her. She's going to be one of the toughest in the class going forward, but I should still be able to straight lunge and score. She has good offensive ability and needs to be lead rather than allowing her to get attacks started.
Ron - Heavy handed and can't stop a disengage from 6(3) to 4. He also can't stop a double disengage as his parries get bigger as he misses my blade. Straight attacks also work at proper distance most of the time. His ripostes are often off because he's pulling his arm back to try to make them and is using too much muscle.
Steven (Little) - Straight attacks work, as well as attacks with disengage. His parries are good, ripostes are slow or non-existent. He also has poor form in his footwork as his front foot is almost always pointed to the side. He will always remise if he is parried or misses. Very seldom will go for a counter parry. Also he's a beat attacker who falls for line disengage and runs onto tips.
Steven (tall) - Counter Parry works, as well as any attack with disengage. Telegraphs his attacks which is very helpful. If he didn't they would much harder to deal with. Has good hand speed and can counter parry. Best to just not allow him to parry and control the action by playing offense. His offense isn't bad.
Skylar - Lefty who attacks the same way every time. He extends into 6(3), then hitches his arm all the way back and attacks in 4. In a tourney I would first try countering into that since he is always pulling his arm back and see if I get the call. If I did get the call that he was in prep, I would use that until he stopped hitching the arm. He can't defend a straight attack after his attack falls short, and he can't at all stop a disengage attack.
Shae - He needs to get better shoes. He seems shocked when I hit him from distance. Poor judge of what a lunge distance is from others which can be taken advantage of. Disengages work though. Has a decent first parry.
Aaron - Has a bad sense of distance. Straight attacks and disengages all work. His attacks are all very short and his parries are medium. He tends to stick out his arm in counter a lot thinking he can just muscle it through a parry or get a touch first with a long reach. Should be able to feint short to make him counter and then pick him up in a bind or parry for the score.
Sam - Haven't fenced him much. Will get back to him.