Week 5: Attacks in Time

This session covers timed strikes, and relies on the opponent making an error which can be exploited. As such, attacks in time represent exploiting an opportunity which a more skilled fencer may not give away.

Attack in Time: This is a strike which interrupts an opponent's action, usually their preparation for a strike of their own. The opponent's forearm is the usual,bit not only,target. There are two phases to the attack in time:

1. Seeing the opportunity given away by the opponent and striking,
2. Defending against the strike the opponent is planning to make.

Start this execise following the regular leader/follower distance exercise and add the cues given below to signal the attack in time.

Against the vertical strike

1. One partner is leader and moves forwards and backwards. The other partner follows to maintain distance.
2. The partner giving the trigger (extends and) raises their sword arm to make a head strike.
3. The other partner strikes at the exposes forearm with an horizontal cut and immediately makes a head parry while withdrawing.
4. Swap roles. Start again.

Against the horizontal strike

1. One partner is leader and moves forwards and backwards. The other partner follows to maintain distance.
2. The partner giving the trigger (extends and) moves their sword hand to their inside line (to give a flank strike or stomach strike).
3. The other partner strikes at the exposes forearm with a vertical cut and immediately makes a parry of the face strike on the outside (or parry of the flank strike) while withdrawing.
4. Swap roles. Start again.

A variant of these exercises is almost identical except the partner giving the trigger for the attack in time is not the partner leading the distance management.