This evening I fenced "new" George, the former saberist, David, Jeremy, Jay, and George. Although I still have much to work on and improve it is nice to be able to see how far I've come from June. And not just in terms of fencing but general physical fitness. I almost never get totally exhausted like I used to every time I went fencing. Well, yesterday I was pretty exhausted by the end, and I had only fenced three (and a half) people—just each one for a long time and working hard. They were: a younger kid whose name I don't know (last name Henry?), who I did very well against, working on footwork, "check steps", second intentions, etc; then switched to foil and fenced Rick briefly, then that Russian (I think) foilist, for a long time; then back to epee and finishing up with a good 20 minutes or more fencing Russ.
Afterward Russ mentioned some things I could improve (smaller blade movements, extending before advancing, etc) and some things I do well, like infighting and "running away". Okay, perhaps he phrased it more like "retreating quickly from fleches", allowing a chance to parry and riposte. He mentioned how that was working well against Kevin in the Bladefest tournament. So today I went in thinking about, among other things, keeping distance and/or playing with distance/tempo, and infighting.
Notes from this evening's practice:
- Remember to extend arm first before advance-attacking! I keep getting hit on the arm, often because I'm advance-attacking with a bent arm.
- Tempo and footwork stuff: More patience! More sustained focus and attention, in order to catch those fleeting moments of opportunity. A very active form of meditation. :)
- More infighting practice. Also working on how to create infighting situations.
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