The Place Where The Swords Cross

Most fencers spend as little time as possible in range of their opponent's sword, preferring to dart in with a step lunge and make an attack, before speedily withdrawing. This is traditionally thought of as the right thing to do, particularly if the opponent's sword had a real sharp point. Whilst fighting with epee recently I discovered that sometimes the reverse is true and it can pay to move in even closer and persist with your attack. Why? Well in many cases the opponent will back off so you can follow them. If they don't and you miss with your attack you run the risk of being hit as you recover. Finally, most opponent's are expecting you to recover (it's what we are all taught) so doing the opposite can be advantageous.
Moving into your opponent's reach is counter-intuitive and calls for a bit more nerve but then this is true of many things in life that are new, challenging or even frightening. Sometimes it takes courage to deal with unusual or intimidating circumstances but this is something we all need to do in the course of our life experiences. Sometimes rich experience comes in the place where the swords cross.......