Candy Canes and Competition- Sabre Style: A Fencing Match To Remember Just Before the Holidays

"Happy holidays, Otto!"

Theo ran up to me just as I finished my latest lesson, his little foil in one hand, a bunch of candy canes in the other and a Santa hat swaying back and forth on top of his head.  His little cheeks were flush, and he was panting after running around the studio for the past fifteen minutes, giving out candy canes like a pint-sized, sword-wielding Santa Claus.  "Hey, thanks, kiddo," I said, taking one of the candy canes he held out to me.  "Are you going to teach me another move today?"

"Not today," Theo frowned.  "I have to practice for a competition." 

Apparently, one of the reasons for  Theo's elation was not just because the holidays were in the air, but also because he was recently selected to compete in a local Westchester fencing bout.  I high-fived Theo in congratulations and asked him how the competitions are set up.  Apparently, they are divided into categories by age and the type of weapon used. For example, the category of junior foil would encompass all fencers between the ages of 8-12.  Intermediate épée covers all such fencers between the ages of 14-18.  The competition is county-wide, but also attracts fencing schools from both the city and upstate New York.  At our school, tryouts for all positions are held over a two-day period. To be selected is one of the highest honors the Academy can bestow upon a student.  While the adults such as myself treat these fencing lessons as merely recreational, they are almost a way of life for the younger students, some of whom have been studying fencing since they could practically walk.

Theo beckoned me over to five fencing lanes in the corner of the room, where the intermediate sabre tryouts were occurring.   The air was suddenly filled with heavy metal clangs, the electric buzzing of points being scored and the frenzied intensity of young boys and girls vying for a coveted spot among those who would represent the Academy's finest.  About ten fencers were battling their way to victory or defeat, and Theo informed me that I was watching the semi-final rounds.  Originally, approximately twenty-five teenaged sabre fighters tried out, and these were the cream of the crop.

In each lane (or piste, in technical fencing parlance), two fencers would square off against each other while a scorekeeper would keep track of who won each round.  After three rounds, the fencers would rotate, and at the end of the night, all of the scores would be tallied and the winners announced on the following day.  Theo and I each picked our favorites: his was a young girl with a small ponytail sticking out from the back of her helmet ("She's really pretty," Theo sheepishly confided in me), while mine was a tall, lanky boy who was quick on his feet and won three rounds in a row.  We watched as our favorites eventually met in the center piste for a showdown.

The chosen fighters would be part of the Academy's prestigious competition team.  In team competitions, matches are typically three minutes long, or up to five points.  Typically, there are five matches in a competition, making the highest possible score 45 points.  Unlike foil competitions, where points can be scored only by making contact with an opponent's torso with the tip of the foil, sabre competitors can score points with either the tip or cutting edges of the sabre anywhere above an opponent's waist, including the head and arms.

"I'll bet you one candy cane that the girl wins," Theo whispered excitedly.  "You're on, mister," I responded, shaking his hand.  With that, our two chosen fencers engaged each other in a truly dizzying display of clashing metal, lightning-quick reflexes and footwork so fast that they seemed to practically fly back and forth across the lane.  Unlike a foil match where the strikes are more limited to straight thrusts and lunges, strikes in sabre matches range from straight thrusts to swiping cuts and slicing arcs.   As we watched intently, the boy faked a left lunge, but at the last minute, changed his stance and landed a hit on the girl's upper torso.  Not to be outdone, the girl then scored two quick, slicing hits in rapid succession, her sabre cutting through the air with a majestic swish!  The boy tried to parry about a split second too late.  Theo and I were getting out of breath just watching them. 

Another thing I noticed was how much more effort it took for them to aim their strikes with the sabres, which are much heavier than a mere foil.  In addition, the enlarged, bell-curved hilt makes it more challenging to aim the sabre, although it does provide greater protection to one's sword hand.  Within the first minute, both fencers were drenched in sweat, and their breathing came from behind their masks in quick huffs with each lunge, slice and parry.  Truly, these two were among the best of the best at the Academy.

At the end of the match (which the girl won), Theo toddled up to the girl and chatted her up, his eyes filled with a small puppy crush.  Clearly, he was enjoying his best Christmas ever.  And I went home with my own small Christmas present: a smile on my face, another round of education in this wonderful sport and, as the old Christmas poem goes, visions of sabres dancing in my head.

And with that, dear readers, may I say, "Happy holidays to all, and to all a good night!"

The Sword and The Arrow: Learning La Flèche From An Unlikely Teacher While Taking On Droopy The Tin Man

So, after a wonderful Thanksgiving with friends, family and a whole lot of turkey (even if I was in Canada, where it was merely a typical Thursday), it was time to buckle back down and put some of that consumed protein to use at the Fencing Academy.  As my training had gotten slightly sidetracked due to the holiday, I was excited to once again pick up my foil and remind my quadriceps what a real workout is like.

As I sat on the Academy's polished wooden floor, stretching out my legs in preparation for my lesson and running through the lunges, parries and combinations I had learned thus far, I noticed that the other fencing students were apparently reacquainting their bodies with the art of the sword as well.  Everyone seemed to take a little longer to warm up, groaned a little louder while practicing their lunges or ran out of breath a little faster than usual.  Some serious motivation was needed for everyone in the room.

"Otto," a little voice to my right exclaimed, followed by the patter of little feet across the floor.  I looked up to see Theo, the ten-year old fencing dynamo I met back in early October.  As I would soon find out, my motivation had just arrived.  "Hey, kiddo," I smiled, high-fiving Theo's little hand as he smiled brightly back.  "You warming up with me today?"

"Sure," Theo nodded, bobbing his mop of brown hair back and forth as I stood up, working the last of the stiffness out of my calves.  We proceeded over to the Tin Men, assumed the en garde position and, standing side by side, began lunging in unison, our foils striking the practice dummies with precise TOCK's.  After ten gruelling minutes of decimating the poor dummies with our foils, Theo then volunteered to practice his footwork with me.  And so, we both moved over to a fencing lane and began shuffling back and forth for another five minutes.  I felt my calves warm up and my cheeks flush as my blood circulation picked up and my muscles began to burn in exquisite pain.  My spirits were raised as I increased my pace, spinning my foil in a disengage, a Parry Number Four and a quick lunge.

"You're getting faster," Theo remarked.  Hey, even if he was ten years old, a compliment from this mini-Zorro nevertheless gave me some comfort that I didn't look like a complete amateur.  "Thanks," I said.  "Hey, Theo.  Are you going to show me a new move today?"

Theo's smile grew even brighter.  Clearly, he was waiting for the next opportunity to show off.  He excitedly beckoned me back over to the Tin Men, stopping about fifteen feet from the middle dummy, which Theo and I had affectionately named "Droopy," on account of its sad little fencing helmet that hung precariously from its slumped wooden shoulders.

"Today," Theo announced, puffing out his tiny chest, "I'm gonna teach you la flèche." 

"As in 'the arrow'?"

Theo nodded.  La flèche, as I found out, is apparently one of the more advanced fencing moves, typically reserved for matches involving the épée rather than the basic foil.  Nevertheless, I was excited to learn a new maneuver.  Theo began to oscillate his little épée back and forth, a move meant to distract an opponent.  From his en garde position, he then stepped off his back foot, transferring his weight to his front foot while extending his sword arm forward in a surprisingly powerful strike. 

As he did so, he began to cross his legs, moving towards Droopy with what appeared to be an exaggerated walking stride, which turned into almost a run within less than a second.  With blazing speed, he appeared to almost glide towards Droopy, and in one smooth motion, the tip of his silvery blade sunk into Droopy's wooden heart with a resounding THUD.  Basically, this move was so named because it resembles the path that an arrow takes to its target and is used primarily as a finishing move, once an opponent's torso has been fully exposed.

"Cool," I whispered in awe.

"Now you try," Theo said.  With that, I attempted to imitate Theo's almost flawless style as best as I could.  I clumsily oscillated my foil back and forth, probably looking more confused than stealthy.  Then, I pushed off my back foot, throwing my sword arm out as I took three wide strides forward, focusing the tip of my foil on Droopy's heart.  Suddenly, my vision dropped away as I literally tripped over my own feet.  The next thing I knew, my foil clattered to the floor, from which I was staring up at Droopy's helmet.  Then, Theo's face appeared into view as he offered me a hand.  "Hmmm," he said as I got up, "let's try that again.  This time, keep your feet a bit wider apart.  Take lighter steps, increase your stride and don't bring your foil up so soon, or Droopy will see it coming."

Once again, Theo demonstrated an astuteness and articulation well beyond his years.  I took a deep breath and once again assumed the en garde position.  This time, I placed my feet into a stance about a half inch wider and crouched down about a quarter inch more than usual.  Once again, I boosted off my back foot, increasing my stride in a Herculean effort to show Droopy who runs this town.

However, Droopy once again had the last laugh. For a split second, I looked down at my feet to make sure that they weren't too close together.  In doing so, my sword arm went slightly wide, and my foil missed Droopy's wooden torso entirely.  I slammed head-on into the dummy, causing other students in the room to stop what they were doing and let out a sympathetic, "Ooooo!!!"  And once again, I found myself staring up at Droopy from the floor.  Theo's mop of brown hair slowly crept into my line of sight once more as I slowly got up.

For Attempt Number Three, I relaxed my legs a little more when I lifted by back foot.  As I focused my breathing and willed my legs forward, I raised my foil, this time loosening my wrist and narrowing my eyes, focusing the tip of my foil straight at Droopy's heart.  I felt my left foot move forward and then my right foot in front of it.  I increased my pace, seeing Droopy's torso racing into view.  Carefully, I thought.  Carefully....

THUD!

The tip of my foil landed in the center of Droopy's chest.  I broke out a sweaty smile behind my stifling helmet while Theo let out a victorious cry to my left.  I peeled off my helmet and slapped Theo's hand in a high-five.  "YAY," he exclaimed.  "Nice shot!"

"I have a good teacher, kiddo," I said.  We practiced the move for another ten minutes before my instructor emerged from the ladies' locker room and beckoned me over to start our lesson.  By this point, my muscles felt warm, relaxed and ready to spar.  My breathing was full.  I looked around at the other fencers, who were also now moving more quickly and with more agility.  I promised Theo that I would practice that move during the week.  Theo was excited at the prospect of reviewing my progress. 

And once again, I still couldn't believe that I was getting fencing tips from a ten-year old.