The Critical Margin

Sometimes in fencing millimetres can be critical. I was embroiled in a fight at the Salle last night where I hit my opponent several times but the hit didn't register. I saw the hit land and saw the depression on my opponent's lame but it wasn't quite enough to make the connection. The margin must have quite literally been fractions of a centimetre. It's easy to get annoyed and frustrated when this happens but that wouldn't help anything so it's much better to try and figure it out. In the case of this fight my opponent was taller and had a greater reach than me. I hadn't fenced him for a long time and in fact there aren't many taller people in the club. Therefore he was an exceptional adversary. Also, I was fighting for points so I was (unfortunately) slightly more tense and my reach was hampered as a result. If I had relaxed and extended my arm just that little bit further I would have had a couple more points than I got and may have won the fight. It's easy to figure this through after the event but it's important to do it during the fight as well. Another aspect of a critical margin also occurred during the fight. I noticed my opponent had the habit of exposing his flank so decided to attack him into the low line to exploit this. My first attempt missed by literally a centimetre but gave me the confidence that it was a viable approach as he was unable to parry it. My second attempt a few hits later failed to land but eventually I planted one fair and square in the exact area I was aiming for and my shout of triumph rang round the salle. I may not have won the overall fight but I had solved an intellectual and technical puzzle which can sometimes be reward enough. It's also fun! It can be a minute change in technique that can tip the balance of a fight so consider this well.