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- Bending and straightening on guard. Push through the tops of the feet, releasing the heels slightly, and slowly bend the ankles knees
and hip joints. Then straighten and bend a number of times emphasizing lengthening through the head. The action is smooth
and strong, feeling in opposition to the floor at all times.
- Weight transfer. From a wide on guard, transfer weight back and forth to improve movement in the knees, hips and ankles. Think back
as you start forward and forward as you start back. Once you’re comfortable start to lift and drop feet in place and
then begin little advances and retreats.
- Half advances and retreats. Start with the legs fairly straight. Bend aiming your weight into the back foot and releasing
the front foot into a half advance. Be sure to put the toe down right away followed by ankle and knee bend. Recover back to
guard position and repeat a number of times. Now make a number of half retreats with the same focus.
- Half steps then step the other direction. After the half advance above go directly into a retreat. Same with half retreat advance. Keep the
knees moving the whole time.
- Whole advances in slow motion. Practice half advance bringing the weight to the middle then let the front knee continue forward
and bring the back foot up finishing the advance. Same with retreats.
- Emphasis on finishing the step. A good front knee bend and pushing with the back let is crucial to an accelerating advance. Practice
accelerating single advances and accelerated retreats.
- Advances and retreats of different lengths. Execute a number of full advances starting each step very slowly and mixing up the lengths of the
advances. Then same exercise with retreats and add half retreat into another retreat.
- Jump forward and back. Practice jumping forward and back. The difference between advances and retreats and jumps is that your first foot
is in the air when you push off the back foot.
- Understanding fast and slow. You can start a step slowly or quickly (by swinging the leg more quickly). Mix up slow and fast advances
and retreats.
- Tying advances together. Try drop step then step drop step. Practice two (or three) advances followed by two (or three) retreats.
- Changing speed. Practice two advances first both slowly, then slow then fast, fast then slow.
- Waiting longer (hesitating) before a retreat. Practice opening into the retreat with a hesitation (giving the opponent the sense that you’ve
stopped) and then retreat. Retreat hesitate retreat.
- Warming up the lunge. Get into the end of the lunge position and transfer weight back and forth.
Occasionally recover from the lunge and step back into the lunge and resume transferring weight.
- Lunge focusing on front leg. Take lunges of different lengths focusing on the kick and staying back on the back leg. Have a soft landing and recover carefully.
- Emphasis on acceleration. To accelerate focus on the back leg. Practice clean accelerating lunges of different lengths.
- Emphasis on recovering from the lunge. Start in a lunge position and be sure to recover by pushing off the front foot and bending the
back leg.
- Forward recovery lunge. Lunge then recover forward. Add a second lunge.
- Staying back as you begin to lunge. Try the following sequence. Lift the back foot, drop it and lunge. Then make it a half retreat
lunge then an advance lunge.
- Accelerated attack. Begin a slow nonthreatening advance then accelerated advance lunge.
- Attack with full advance lunge. Take two retreats then quickly advance lunge.
- Suddenly lunge from a retreat. Retreat several times then suddenly lunge.
- Emphasis on tieing steps together and speed change. Make a slow advance followed by quick advance lunge.
- Fast slow fast. Make a fast advance or jump followed by a slow beginning of the next step then quickly finish the advance and lunge.
Add a slow step at the beginning of the action.
- Slide.
Practice half advance jump forward.
- Fleshe.
Start by bring the weight into the front foot and fleshe (or flunge) in sabre. Also practice advance and fleshe, retreat and
fleshe.
- Standing position. From a relaxed straight legged position, bend and aim the weight properly to advance, retreat, lunge, or fleshe.
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