Shared Principles

Fenced in the first rounds of the epee competition last night and rather enjoyed myself. Was a bit nervous at the start and then noticed this other strange feeling... what was it... By Jiminy it was a combat rush! I'm not going to dwell on my scores but suffice it to say I did better than I thought I would. There were a few things that I wanted to find out, namely whether some of what I call the universal principles of fencing held true for epee. Not surprisingly they did:
Keep your point in line - particularly helpful in epee where you can attack down your opponent's line to reach their wrist or forearm, but equally applicable in foil. In general if your point is in line with the target area you can always stop thrust as a last resort, although this is more effective at epee.
Reach is important - if you've got a long arm... use it! If you haven't, get close enough to negate the advantage.
Simple things work well - lunges, beats and engagements are very effective. More complicated moves are risky and opponents will respond differently. In epee compounds are almost unheard of as they take up valuable time and leave you vulnerable to a stop. With foil and a right of way the whole thing is different though....
A good parry riposte in time works wonders - rare at epee but vital at foil; practice it well!
Thinking and observing really help - watch your prospective opponents to see what they do. Works at any weapon!
Now we'll see how I do next week in the DE!