La Zone Dangereuse

(With absolutely no apologies to Kenny Loggins)

There's two parts to this game: one played from engagement, as close to the decision point as possible, as per CLA best practice; and one played starting at wide distance with an approach into engagement, more closely matching the “performance environment.”

This game starts as close to the point of decision as possible: engagment and subjection. The teaching/learning aim is to devlop a sense of when and how to deal with, for the attacker, how to use the defender's action to buy time to make the touch, and, for the defender, how to counter being subjected and make your own touch. Additionally, both the attacker and defender are challenged to maintain their safety while acting.

Skills demonstrated: This game plays with timing, and attacking safely.

Rules: In this game there is an attacker (A) and a defender (D). Both are seeking to make a touch on the other. The trick is the initial setup.

• D starts in either tierce or quarte as they please. They may not act until A subjects their blade. D may not move their feet through the game; only sword actions are allowed.
• A starts at close measure and engages D's sword, weak-on-weak.
• A subjects D's blade using a half-thrust, strong-on-weak engagement, etc. A may move in any way they deem useful to make the touch.
• Only when A's action to subject D is in progress (or complete) is D allowed to act.

Success criteria:

• A wins the game if they make a touch on D.
• D wins if they make a touch on A.
• If both make touches on each other, neither wins.
• If neither make touches, both win.

Notes: The trick for A is to use the tempo given them by D reacting to the subjection to make the touch, while positioning their blade to defend against whatever counter-attack D is making. This defence may be gained, in textbook fashion, by stepping around D on either the inside or outside attack path.

For D, the trick is to escape the subjection in such a way that they set themselves up to make a counter-attack on A. Textbook methods for this are to contest the subject with strength, or disengage to either re-take the engagement or to counter-attack immediately. Of course, D may choose to do nothing. In which case, A may simply strike.

Variants/Increasing complexity: D can move in any manner they see fit. They still may not act until A's subjection is in progress (or complete).

The is an extention to the basic game which adds the approach into engagement from wide distance, bringing the whole game to more closely a “live” sparring environment.

Rules: All the same rules apply in this game as applied in the simpler form above. The key difference is that the attacker (A) starts at wider distance from the defender (D) and approaches into just measure in order to subject the D.

In all other respects, the game remains the same. D is not permitted to act until A's subjection of their blade is in progress (or complete). D cannot move their feet – unless playing the variant above. A can move in any manner they see fit.

The success criteria also remain the same.

The complexity added to this extension of the basic game is the approach and picking the right line. In this way, the game more closely matches the fencing situation that will be encountered in the wild.

What if …..

What if, in the extension game, D refused to allow A to subject their blade, whether by changing blade alignment, xounter-posturing, etc? Does that change the core mechanisms at play here? I'm not sure it does. Fabris talks of approaching an opponent in exactly these terms.