What's-a-MATTeR you? Hey! A non-historical theory of fencing
I believe that many (most?) historical fencers don't really know what they are doing when they stand in front of their opponent during a sparring match, at least those with up to a few years experience don't. I don't mean that in a derogatory way. I certainly didn't used to know what I needed to be doing. Some people have a good intuition for fighting, and I think most of us learn to 'feel' our way through a match. However, I think having a 'theory of fencing' might be more useful than just winging it.
Hands up if you do any of the following:
You get nervous and confused, unsure what to do?
You revert to copying your opponent's guard?
You spend your time moving into book perfect guard positions?
You rush in or fail about, desperately hoping to catch them off guard, or 'smash through their defences'?
You think 'I'm going to do X technique' and then try to do this technique whether it's called for or not, probably without success?
It wasn't until I learned rapier that I developed a 'theory of fencing' that helped me, regardless of what weapon I was using. And then it was only when I developed my own understanding of the German 5 words that this cemented in place. However, most people probably don't want to learn complicated terminology and foreign or archaic words. Tempo, Vor, Nach, Indes, Strong, Weak - these are confusing to a lot of people.
So, here is a simple fencing theory that anyone should be able to understand and start applying, regardless of the weapon they are using. It uses the acronym MATTeR. It is largely about 'what matters the most' in fencing - sort of - but is also roughly in the order these things come into play in a fencing exchange. Arguably the letter R matters a lot more than the theory suggests, but I needed a blood sacrifice in the name of the acronym gods. Sorry letter R!
To be clear, a 'theory of fencing' is simply a model or framework to help you apply your fencing knowledge into practice. All models are wrong, some are useful. I hope this one is useful, at least as a starting point.
While this model is not historical, those in the know will see a lot of commonalities with English, Italian, German and Spanish swordplay.
M is for Measure
Only fools rush in. While there are many situations when you need to move in decisively, until these situations or opportunities present themselves, keep your distance (measure).
What distance is that? It is simply the distance that requires your opponent to step forwards in order to hit whatever part of your body is closest to them. That might be your head, or it might be your arm.
This will allow you time to react to any attack they make. But it also allows them time to react to you, so beware. This is why rushing in is dangerous, because they have time (time = distance, distance = time) to counter you. A skilled fencer will attack you as you are stepping forwards, closing distance faster than you expected.
Remember, distance is not determined by your reach, but by your opponent's reach.
Own this distance - it is yours to keep or to break, and if the opponent breaks it, it should be because you wanted them to break it.
If you can keep your distance then the opponent cannot hurt you. You might think that makes for a boring fencing match, but if you want to do a spectator sport may I suggest pole dancing?
I had a great spar the other day, messer vs arming sword. The vast majority of the fight was spent just out of distance, subtle changes of distance, lateral movement, small changes of guard, as we each sought to gain an advantage. To an outsider it may have looked boring, but to us it was magic.
Some of the best sources on measure are George Silver, and Spanish Rapier (LVD).
A is for Advantage
In tennis, when both players get 40 points they must now win two serves in a row to win the game. First they get the advantage, and then they score the winning point. But if they have the advantage and the other player scores, they go back to 40:40.
Fencing is kind of like that. At the start of the exchange both fencers are equal. They are outside Measure, and they know that moving into measure just gives their opponent an opportunity to launch an attack. So, what to do?
Seek an advantage. There are two main advantages:
Threat
Strength
Threat is simply about doing something that seems to threaten them - point your sword at them and move forwards a little, feint a cut to their hand, etc. If they don't fall for it then you haven't really gained an advantage. The main risk is if they react in an offensive way - they launch a cut or thrust at you. But if they react to it in a defensive way - they move to parry - then you have just gained a time advantage (see T!) .
Strength just means that you are blocking their most direct attack. You don't need to have your sword touching theirs. You just need to have it crossing their sword from your perspective, so if they did move their sword to make a cut of a thrust, your sword is already blocking the path, or you could block it (or even counter-attack them) with only a small movement. Once you gain a positional advantage the following may happen:
They do nothing - you might be able to capitalise on this with an attack, or you might need to reset (R).
They move their sword or their body. "I'm trapped", they think, so they move their sword elsewhere or take a step back and. Depending on how close you are to them, you have just gained a time advantage.
They attack anyway - you may be able to counter-attack them with your newfound time and positional advantage.
You can either have a threat advantage or a positional (strength) advantage. If you can get both together then that is the chef's kiss - usually as some sort of high thrust or cut in opposition - but you might have to settle for one or the other as, often, a strength advantage puts your sword a little offline (making it non-threatening) whereas a threat advantage puts it online but doesn't give you a good crossing of the sword.
Want to know more?
Feigning the disadvantage: while I like to gain an advantage over my opponent, I also sometimes like to feign a disadvantage. This can involve opening yourself up for an attack, or making it appear I've made a mistake. As long as the disadvantage is small you can trick your opponent into taking an unwise action that you can capitalise on, as long as you have time.
T is for Timing
Take your time. This both means that you shouldn't rush and should wait for the opportunity to attack safely, but it also means that when the opportunity presents itself you must act decisively. Seize the time!
When is the time to attack?
When your opponent is stepping. They can't really abort what they are doing and change direction if they have their foot in the air.
When your opponent is repositioning their sword (maybe because of your positional advantage).
They have attacked and missed.
They are drawing their arm back so they can make an attack.
They have attacked and you have just parried them (assuming they are not currently attacking again).
I'd also say that, if they are attacking you from a position of weakness, you may be able to counter-attack them in such a way that you simultaneously attack and defend.
Also, if you have managed to sneak into distance so that you can hit them with only a movement of your hand/arm or the smallest of steps, then you probably have time to attack them before they can react. A distance advantage = a time advantage because distance = time.
Dal'Agocchi is the king of tempo.
Te is for Technique
I don't want to say too much about technique. These will be somewhat unique to you and your system of fencing. I've deliberately put techniques low in this framework. While they are often the first thing you learn, they are in some ways the least important beyond the basic set of techniques needed to gain an advantage, to make an attack, to parry, to close distance, etc. The basic techniques will include various guard positions that constrain your opponent, footwork, and of course basic attacks and parries.
Being able to do the right technique at the right time, and with the required proficiency, is what is needed. If you can't do this then your bag of techniques is largely useless. Having a core set of techniques that you use 90% of the time is more valuable than having bucket loads of techniques that you never use.
Variety of (and complexity of) technique becomes much more important once you get beyond that first strike - binds and grapples and other stuff that happens from the bind or at close distance. This is covered more in R.
Knowing more techniques doesn't necessarily mean you are the better fighter. A professional boxer uses the same 6 punches as an amateur boxer.
R - Resume and Reset
Someone has attacked. Someone has parried. A bind has happened. Regardless, the fight doesn't stop here. Even if you have landed a successful hit you need to block the coming afterblow and get the f out of distance! If they've parried, you've now got to decide whether to resume with another attack or to parry their riposte. And while you do all this you've got to decide whether to get out of distance and reset.
Resume is also where your more complicated techniques come in, and this is the difference between an experienced and non-experienced fencer. The experienced fencer will see the opportunity to move in for a grapple, or be able to perform some fancy disarm, and the non-experienced fencer won't have the skill or experience to recognise this or counter it. But notice that R is right at the bottom of this list, meaning there are a lot of other elements of fencing to perfect before you get to the point of being able to use these more advanced techniques.
Reset also happens even when there hasn't been an attack made. If you are at A and you are sturggling to gain an advantage, you might reset and move back out of distance before any blow is attempted.
The key things to member here are:
The fight doesn't end on the first attack made, even if it lands. Stop stopping!
Always think about getting out of distance as soon as you've done what you need to do.
When in doubt, reset and try again.
The trick is knowing when to resume and when to reset. An inexperienced fencer might keep attacking long after their advantage has disappeared, whereas an experienced fencer knows when to press home an attack and when to get out of there.
Example time!
Here is a simple example of the framework in action:
Measure: Both fencers stay just out of measure, moving a little forwards, a little to the side, each looking for an opportunity.
Advantage: Fencer A positions their sword in a point-forward guard, making subtle adjustments to the point to either threaten their opponent or gain a crossing of the swords.
Timing: Fencer B moves their sword to avoid the crossing. At that moment, Fencer A seizes the opportunity and springs forwards with an attack before B can reposition their defence.
Technique: Throughout this exchange, both fencers use the techniques they have learned – guards, attacks, parries and footwork. But it is their understanding of measure, advantage and timing that determines when and how they use them.
Resume and Reset: Perhaps Fencer B parries the attack, perhaps not. Fencer A sees an opportunity to continue the fight and moves in for a grapple, but Fencer B counters it. The swords clash once again. Fencer A recognises that the opportunity has passed and swiftly retreats out of distance. Both fencers reset, ready to start again.
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