The material below represents my understanding of some very sophisticated material presented by Buckie Leach on foil tactics. My view of what he presented may or may not coincide with his understanding.

Many of these options are intended to answer the fencer who comes forward slowly in control with their hand back--often finishing with a flick. This modern foil game often baffles us older fencers that didn't grow up with this style. There's a lot here that can make a foil fencer (young or even old) more ready to handle the modern foil game.

Using the half retreat advance lunge

When the opponent is coming forward but not attacking one option is to steal the attack with the half retreat advance lunge. To do this you need to get the opponent following you, meaning that you have to move with some energy.

• Start with the teacher going forward. On the student’s initiative they make a half retreat advance lunge.
• Now the student goes forward and controls the distance and when they do the action.
• After you’ve made this touch 2 times the opponent will probably come forward stronger ready to attack as the fencer changes directions. So on the third action, make a parry riposte instead of an attack. To set this up take the half step back and advance—stop and take the deep parry. What you're doing is giving the opponent who is launching an attack the impression that you've made a right of way mistake and are making a counterattack. The attacker then commits to finish, and at the last moment is surprised by your parry.
• Now make the preparation more complicated with a quick double advance and then retreat as a preparation. Now make the double advance begin to retreat and do the half retreat advance lunge. As an alternative make the double advance then lunge as a surprise. If the opponent chases you as you begin to retreat, make false counterattack parry riposte (as described in the next section).

Comments: During the program I said to Buckie that in some cases the fencer only needs a lunge not an advance lunge to reach the opponent. His concern was that with a half retreat lunge or half retreat fleshe the director is more likely to call this a counterattack than with the advance lunge that looks more like an attack. When you work with this action, you'll find out that determining the right of way isn't going to be easy and different directors will look at it differently. If the director is not giving the right of way to the half retreat advance lunge, then try the half retreat advance--parry riposte which is also describe above. Note that when you do the parry riposte action you will be quite close to the opponent. Be careful to take a large and quick parry and let the arm move a lot (no time just to use the fingers).

False distance

When the opponent is coming forward slowly but with the intention of attacking, get the opponent to finish by using a false counterattack. Buckie does the false counterattack with a half advance. It’s very hard for the opponent to ignore the action with this close distance. It encourages him not only to finish but to finish in the line that the fencer opens (the opponent is unlikely to disengage). It feels quite risky to do this and requires some courage! During the program he worked with 4 options off the false counter attack

• False counterattack, parry riposte
• False counterattack, retreat out of distance and attack (TOTA)
• False counterattack, counterattack moving forward (AIFT)
• False counterattack, counterattack and get away (retreating)

A way to prepare the false action is to do the double advance from the previous drill and then make the false action as the opponent comes forward with an attack.

False parry

Instead of the false counterattack you can also take a half step forward with a false parry. Then you really have the same options as above, parry riposte, counterattack with lunge, counterattack get away or retreat out of distance and attack

Buckie had some great answers for what to do if you do the false parry and opponent pulls the arm back. In the low line—false four—followed by a quick parry seven. Or false seven—eight parry riposte. If they withdraw in the high lines you could make the false four—then a quick reaching forward in six.

To practice these skills have the leader step forward making a feint and withdrawal into the low line. The student either stands still (at first) or makes a half step forward with false four parry, then when the teacher withdraws their arm (low) the student can make a quick parry seven (reaching out to take the withdrawing blade). Another option would be to retreat and wait and parry late with counterfour after the teacher puts the blade back on target, or retreat and parry with distance then attack. After trying these options try false parry counterattack with lunge, or false parry hit and get away from the opponent.

Simultaneous

In modern foil we see almost as many simultaneous actions as in saber. With a simultaneous action you really have similar options as with active defense that we just discussed—with each begin by going forward giving the opponent the sense that you are going to finish then make one of the following:

• Finish for the simultaneous action
• False forward parry riposte
• Another option would be to try and hit sooner than normal in case the opponent hesitates just a bit
• False forward retreat out of distance and attack (a little tougher)
• False forward retreat breaking the distance to get the opponent to attack then make false parry (counterattack) riposte
• False forward retreat breaking distance and if the opponent does not following half retreat advance lunge.

Line

• Student steps back with line keeps the line and makes the touch
• Student steps back with line when the opponent stops the student starts forward slowly then attacks (dropping the point as you come forward slowly can help throw off the opponent too)
• If the line is made as the teacher withdraws the arm Buckie suggested to retreat quickly and break the distance to be sure to get the attack. Otherwise the director may disregard the line.
• To take the line Buckie suggested rushing forward and only making the parry at the last possible moment.

Making the flick

·        Buckie teaches to really let go of the weapon with the lower three fingers. (He pointed out that others don’t necessarily teach it this way). This helps the flick to really fly. He’s looking for a hit that’s solid with the point and does not include blade contact with the target at the same time. One reason to do it this way is in case they change the rules to require a more square on hit.

·        A good way to teach beginners is to start with the hand in the low line and lift the point release the fingers and flick. With two right handed fencers flick to the front shoulder by letting the hand (starting in a low six position) go up and across the chest and rotate the wrist slightly (into the four position) and flick to the front shoulder—can also practice to the back, let the blade move back (swing more).

·        With a right handed fencer against the left he suggested going only to the shoulder and not to the back—lefties squirm more but the shoulder is generally available.

·        You can also change the line from this basic position quite easily to hit the chest or make an underhanded action to the flank.

·        For a tall fencer have them stand behind you and aim for the pad on your chest teaching jacket

·        Other simple drill to incorporate the flick is to simply start from a parry four position hit in lots of different lines or try the same exercise from six. If the student goes to flick to the shoulder and the teacher parries, go to a different line.

·        Several other more complicated actions included flick to the shoulder then make a closing parry in eight. Or flick to shoulder remise flick to shoulder.

·        He also talked about the importance of incorporating the flick with other actions. For example come forward with the hand withdrawn (teacher in the low line) and student flicks to the shoulder. Now come forward toward the shoulder deceive and hit flank then start withdrawn action and make a parry riposte.

·        It’s very important to be able to hit with the flick at different distances. As the student does an advance lunge the teacher stays away, steps in really short or keeps the distance a bit longer. Since it is difficult to hit at different times in the advance lunge, a good preparatory drill for this one is to have the student simply make advance lunge and try hitting at different times. Another way to practice this skill (with a straight hit) is that the student follows the distance and thrusts at different times during the advance lunge based on the distance.

·        A way to use the flick with the tactical material that we worked on was to make a false counter attack in the low line, with the flying six flick to the shoulder.

·        Similarly, if you expect a flick to your shoulder make a false parry four flying parry six to the shoulder.

Practicing attacks

·        A nice simple way to practice all your attacks is just to make a feint and try lots of different possibilities. Feint withdraw disengage high or low or flick to shoulder or go back to the same line.

·        Could execute the same drill with a beat.

Educating your opponent with preparation

When you prepare an attack, you allow yourself multiple actions off the same preparation. For example, touch one: fencer comes forward and makes a beat and withdraws the arm (high) in preparation for flick to the shoulder. The first time it works, now the second time make the same beat withdraw the opponent parries the shoulder attack to the flank. The third time the opponent will make an attack into the withdrawn action and the student make a parry riposte

Breaking the distance

A nice option is break the distance and attack feint low hit high

Or break distance and start forward low and parry flick back

1. teacher steps forward student does half retreat advance lunge
2. teacher steps forward student does half retreat advance and stop and parries with a flying six flick riposte

Glove games

Establish a distance that you can hit with advance lunge. Fencer A makes an advance lunge fencer B does one of the following:

• lets A hit him
• waits until lunge and steps back and takes over the attack
• pulls away fast and fencer a stops
• pulls away slowly and fencer a chases

Partner a makes slow advance b allows a to touch with advance lunge, or holds still then get away go, or does double retreat and the person who starts doesn’t go

Fencer with gloves. Leader moves and the other fencer does half step back and hit or advance after half step back

Push with double advance retreat—then get out or half retreat advance lunge

Leader footwork drills

·        Students advance at the leader drops his arm. If the leader stands still the students lunge, if he breaks the distance the students stop of if the teacher lunges the students step back out of distance and advance lunge.

·        Leader comes forward and at some point withdraws the hand. If the hand and foot movements are both fast then the student lunges. If slow then get away or get away and go. A harder one is if the leader has a fast hand but slow foot. The student should respond to the slow foot, meaning do not attack into it. T Also added teacher comes forward with extension—either take over the attack or beat attack in preparation.

·        Leader does advance lunge and students can either get away and go or stop and parry riposte.

Basic partner drills

·        Fencer a sets a pattern and fencer b practices half step back and attack whenever

·        Prepare double advance and then retreat strongly several times. Then double advance half step back and attack—the timing of this is crucial don’t do the half step back and go until the fencer’s front foot has hit the ground

·        Similar to glove game, fencer a begins to advance fencer b breaks the distance—stops or takes over the attack

·        Double drill: Both come forward and double then both come forward and parry—or take over the attack. I also like the attempt at a quick hit on the double drill.

Withdrawn arm drill

Teacher moves forward and backward and occasionally comes forward slowly withdrawing the arm. Since the teacher is moving slowly it is not safe to just attack into the preparation. The student needs to draw a finish so they make a half step forward with a false counterattack then

--either parry

--step back parry with distance and attack

--after hitting a few times make false action counter attack

--false counter attack step back out of distance

 --student can break distance, break distance and attack, break distance false counter attack parry riposte (or other false counterattack options)

Drill for learning to think tactically

·        Fencer a chooses an action and fencer b allows the touch

·        Fencer a executes the same action and fencer b preplans a solution (and fencer a allows the touch)

·        Fencer a starts again fencer b poses the same solution and fencer a solves.

·        Fencer a does it again and now fencer b solves

·        Continue for several rounds

·        The goal is to come up with simple solutions

·        For example fencer a does feint four deceive hit in six

·        Fencer b’s solution is to make false four close in six

·        Fencer a’s solution is to feint in four withdraw and go straight to four

·        Fencer b’s solution is to make false four counterattack