Sabre Fencing Level 1 - Ability

  • Footwork:
    The Stance advance, retire, half-steps, lunge and recover, step-lunge

  • Blade manipulation:
    The grip and change of grip. The salute
    Cut to head, cheek, flank.
    The 'first triangle' (tirece, quarte, quinte)

  • Blade manipulation:
    Parry-cut-parry exercises:
    -Tierce-head-tierce,
    -Quarte-cheek-tierce,
    -Quinte-flank-tierce.

  • The Hit:
    Multiple cuts demonstrating manipulation of the handle:-
    head-cheek, head-cheek-head, cheek-head.

  • Defence: Back parry of quinte and riposte to flank.

    Sabre Fencing Level 2 - Competence

  • Footwork:
    Accelerated step-lunge,
    step forward followed by check step and lunge,
    jump forward (balestra).

  • Blade manipulation:
    -beat cut to head,
    -beat cut to cheek,

  • The hit:
    Chest cut.
    Cut to outside wrist.

  • Offence:
    Attack to head; direct and by cut-over.
    Attack to cheek; direct and by cut-over.

  • Defence: Parry-cut exercises:-
    -Quinte-flank-quinte-head,
    -Quarte-cheek-quarte-flank,
    -Tierce-head-tierce-flank-tierce-chest.

  • Tactics:
    First counter-riposte on the lunge; tierce-head and quinte-flank.
    Use of 'point-in-line' to 'take-over' the attack.
    Use of distance to 'take-over' the attack.

    Sabre Fencing Level 3 - Proficiency

  • Footwork:
    Step and lunge at various cadences,
    balestra-lunge,
    short-lunge and recover followed by a step back.

  • Blade manipulation:
    Beat direct & cut-over attack from quarte.
    Cut wrist and redouble whilst retiring.

  • The hit 1: Cut-parry-cut exercises:-
    -Head-tierce-head..... Head-quinte-head
    -Head-tierce-flank..... Head-quinte-fllank
    -Head-tierce-chest..... Head-quinte-chest

  • The hit 2:-
    -Compound attack of head-flank
    -Compound attack of head-chest
    -Compound attack of flank-head
    -Attack flank-pause-flank

  • Defence:
    double parries and successive parries of:
    -quinte-quarte, quinte-tierce,
    -quarte-tiertce, quarte-quinte
    -quinte-seconde, seconde-quinte
    - the above followed by riposte

  • Distance:
    Stop cut parry-riposte exercises whilst retiring .

  • Tactics:
    Simple or compound attack on the opponent’s recovery.
    The tactical circle

    Sabre Fencing Level 4 - Excellence

  • Footwork:
    Maintaining distance and hitting to any open target -
    (the coach constantly moving between all guards.)
    A sequence of 3 hits whilst retiring.

  • Blade manipulation:
    Derobement by one-two
    Line followed by stop cut –parry-riposte

  • The hit:
    Parry of tierce, quarte & quinte followed by simple riposte by observation.
    Parry of tierce, quarte & quinte followed by compound riposte by observation.

  • Distance:
    Broken-time attack by step-feint-head & tierce lunge.
    As above in counter-time.
    As above with quinte parry-riposte if attacked on preparation.

  • Defence:
    First counter-riposte, direct and indirect.
    First counter-riposte, compound.

  • Tactics:
    First counter riposte followed by remise.
    From the line - derobement, stop-cut or parry and riposte.
    The tactical square

    Sabre Fencing Level 5 - Distinction

  • Footwork:
    Accelerated step-lunge with beat and direct attack.
    From half-step completing indirect or compound attack with step-lunge.

  • Blade manipulation:
    From high seconde; simple and compound attack.
    From high seconde; seconde riposte direct and indirect.
    Simple attack introduced by change of guard.

  • The hit:
    Speed exercises of:-
    - Cut head, chest, flank, under-arm & quinte riposte.
    -Cut inside-, outside arm, quinte or prime riposte.
    -Cut outside-, inside arm, quinte riposte.

  • Defence:
    Inducement by feint-parry or pause, and parry riposte from the exposed line.
    Prime parry riposte against beat attack.

  • Tactics:
    Simple attack on the opponent’s preparation or on recovery from feint.
    Broken-time attack or riposte on the opponent’s recovery.
    Counter-time performed on the opponent’s recovery
    Line and seconde prise de fer against point in line.