Lesson 7

This lesson covers the feint.

The Feint

The feint is a technique used to goad your opponent into making an expected response to an attack so that it may be decieved.  The technique that will be introduced is the feint direct - decieve.  Click here to view a short clip showing this technique. Note that the clip shows the technique executed a number of times.

The action moves as follows from an invitation in third.

Instructor comes on guard in third
 The Student presents the blade to the instructor's inside line. This should be practiced with a simple extension of the arm and also with a step forward.
The instructor parries the blade in fourth closing the inside line.
 The student disengages to foil the pary, makes a full extension of the arm and lunges
The instructor is hit in the high outside line.

Feints may be made into any open line to evoke a response from the opponent.

The Circular Parry

or change parry is made against feinting actions or actions where you are not sure exactly what type of attack your opponent is making.  As with any technique you should not rely to much on this one type of parry. 

The circular parry is made by defining a circle with the point of your sword around the opponent's arm.  This circle helps to assure that the enemy's blade is "picked up" by your sword.  For example, if you are in the invitation in third and your opponent attacks in the high inside line you would make a clockwise circle bringing their sword into your outside line.  Unlike simple parries you end up in the same position that you started in.

From the invitation the circle is counter-clockwise, from second it is counter-clockwise and from first it is clockwise.