Sabre Fencing Exercises

Sabre is one of the three main types of fencing (the other two are foil and épée). The sabre's blade is a maximum of 41 inches and has a curved hand guard. Many of the attack and defense techniques used for épée and foil fencing are also used in sabre fencing. However, since sabre fencing uses the entire upper body, including the head and arms, as a target, certain techniques and strategies are specific to sabre fencing. In order to master your sabre, use a combination of general fencing and sabre specific exercises.

  1. Attack Drills

    • As with other types of fencing, sabre fencing requires a variety of attack techniques. A simple attack drill is the "saved lunge with undetermined distance" drill. To perform this, you will need a partner. Take turns so both of you practice your lunges. Begin with a lunge at your target from any distance. For your first lunge, your partner will have no reaction. Next, lunge as your partner mounts a delayed counterattack. Finish your lunge with an extension onto your target. Continue lunges with a variety of reactions from your partner, including an early counterattack, an early parry (the main defensive move) and a late parry.

      For more advanced attack drills, set distances from which you will attack. Like the first set of drills, have your partner rotate through different responses. Either predetermine what these responses will be or have your partner surprise you with a variety of counterattacks, parries and parries followed by the defender's riposte attack.

      As you attack, rotate between the major sabre attack techniques (the slash attack and the stab attack). Slashes are horizontal or vertical attacks against your opponent's lamé (fencing jacket), and stabs are straight forward attacks with your sabre's point.

    Tempo Excercises

    • Your ability to vary your tempo based on different match situations will ensure your overall success. Sabre fencing is often quite fast paced and will require in-match adjustments based on whether you are attacking from a distance, defending or feinting (false attacks). To find the best sets of tempos, practice with each tempo in sparring situations. Tempos include the preinitiative tempo (arm extension before leg movement), initiative tempo (arm extension a split second before leg movement), simultaneous tempo (arm and leg movements at the same time), saved tempo (arm movement following the start of the lunge) and lost tempo (arm movement after you complete the lunge). Practice each tempo in repetitions of 10, both with a partner and alone. If performing with a partner, vary your tempos based on your partner's attacks, counterattacks and parries.

    Parry Exercises

    • Parries are a group of fencing defensive moves designed to deflect the opponent's sword. To practice your parries, have a partner rotate through a variety of attacks. For each attack, attempt the appropriate parry technique. Parry techniques are defined by the region of your body that your opponent attempts to attack. If your opponent attempts to attack your body's four region (the middle-right size), use the parry of four. As the attack comes to your right side, deflect the sword with a slight movement to the right. Other common sabre parries include the parry of six (used for left-side attacks), the parry of seven (for lower-right attacks) and the parry of eight (for lower-left attacks).

      Practice each parry/attack combo in repetitions of 10. Vary your speeds from a slow practice pace to a full-speed match pace. Once you run through all the main parries, tell your partner to surprise you so you have to decide which parry to use on the fly.