The Indefinables

No, this is not the title of a Kevin Costner movie about gangsters but something I nicked from Maestro Andy the other night. We were coaching a lesson on counter time, particularly the act of inviting an attack so you could parry riposte it and I mentioned to him that because I have been assisting him for nigh on 15 odd years we probably make techniques look relatively simple in the demo stage of a lesson. I kind of know what Andy will do and he kind of knows my rhythms etc. I continued with my exposition to the end that this particular technique is actually quite subtle and whilst mechanically simple (i.e. you step in and open your line so that you look vulnerable, then parry riposte the inevitable attack) it is actually quite difficult to do convincingly. You either get it or you don't. He agreed and said "Yes, it's the indefinables.....". I thought "Hmmm - I'm having that for the blog..." So here we are Dear Reader!
The point I am trying to make is that it is sometimes relatively easy to grasp the basic mechanics of something but the spirit of it can sometimes take years to finally comprehend. You can practice a technique for a long time before it actually starts working. In some martial arts a Kata can be repeated for a very long time before final comprehension makes it really work. In fact in some of the Kata from some sword schools the real meaning and application has been lost in the translation to the modern discipline, such as Sword combinations designed for fighting in enclosed spaces etc.
Another example from fencing is the step-feint-disengage attack. If the step is too long you fail, because you have insufficient room to conduct the compound attack. If it is too short the feint will be unconvincing and will not provoke your opponent's parry. You need what is referred to in astronomy circles as a 'goldilocks'* step. Not too long, not too short, but just right..... This is just one instance of some of the indefinables of fencing and it's what makes doing it and coaching it such fun.

*For those of you who are unfamiliar with astro-physics in the exo-planetary department, in order for a planet to evolve life it must lie in an orbit from it's star that is just the right temperature; not too hot, not too cold hence the 'goldilocks zone'.