Ealing Fencing Blog 3

But once we got round and kitted up (you would think that after the third week I would have known that the jacket zip is done up from the back, not the front) there was only 45 minutes left of the class.

We practised and tried to perfect the parries and ripostes we had learnt the week before and after getting into the 'left-foot horizontal' and 'right foot vertical' position while bending the knees, I thought I would crack fencing this week.

Yet again, I was left disappointed and a tad humiliated as poor little David was partnered up with me and was clearly tugging at the teachers arm wanting to swap partners.

For someone so little and young, he's definitely very nifty and I felt cheated, only being told after the class that David was a very good fencer and competed for the school.

The 'newbies' were paired up with the 'old-hands' and it was good to get a little reassurance and practise with Oliver.

Although I knew what I should be doing and with my competitive streak urging me to lunge at my opponent, I still couldn't get to grips with the fact that fencers are spurred on to attack and 'knife' their opponents.

In week three we learnt about 'le sentiment du fer', the fencer's sense of touch where you figure out how loose or tight your opponent is holding their foil.

With this you can then counteract the foil, defend yourself by pushing it to one side, moving your hand and weapon in a semi-circle around your opponents extended foil and then lunge.

Theory seems there but perhaps next week I'll master the moves.