The Graceful Swan

As promised, here is the post on 'the graceful swan'. Fencers who enter into competitions are more often then not, fast movers. They bob around quite a lot, ducking and weaving. At one competition I saw, one fencer was doing just that when I was fencing him. He evidently thought that my firm rooted stance was nowhere near as good as his, obviously better, light of foot technique. He openly laughed as I set off after him, and he sprung backwards lightly. I began to feel slightly annoyed at this point, and I decided to attack. I lunged forward, and simultaneously, my opponent jabbed at me , hitting me on the shoulder. Both of our lights came on at the same time. My opponent turned to the referee, expectantly. It was clear that he was expecting the point.

'The attack is from this side' The referee said, indicating me. My opponent literally screamed 'What?!', and demanded an explanation. This is it:

Fencers should try and be like a swan. Bobbing is all very well, but it turns your lunges into jabs, which makes you draw your arm backwards, instead of an extension. Keeping your feet on the ground, you can still move quickly, but you can control your upper body, keeping your cool. Be like a swan. Be calm in the upper body, fast in the lower body. Make fast one. Silence the other.