Kung Fu & Fencing

So, what has Kung Fu got to do with fencing you may ask? Well, a few weeks ago I was able to go to the theatre and see the Shao Lin monks from China demonstrate their expertise in their art. One of the things that struck me was the total control of their movement and this resonated with something that I have been ruminating over. My regular students know that I have my own fencing alphabet; the three D's of fencing are "distance, distance, distance", the three f's are "footwork, footwork, footwork" etc and so it goes on. However I have now come up with the three m's of fencing "MoMentuM". I've come to realise that at the end of the day one of the most important things a fencer must be able to do is control their momentum on the piste. If they cannot do this they are liable to throw themselves on the end of the opponent's point or not get their distance right in order to deliver attacks. Momentum can be controlled through being aware of the centre of balance and it's relation to the hips; once your centre of balance is beyond the width of your hips you are in trouble in terms of balance and watching the monks in action it was obvious how well they controlled this aspect of their art. As a fencer you can control your momentum by not straightening your legs, keeping your center of balance through your hips and sinking your weight between your hips by keeping a good bend in your legs. So many fencers make the mistake of 'going penguin' i.e. straightening their legs and waddling along the piste, therefore their balance is completely disrupted. I have attempted to add one of my informal sketches that I use in lessons to illustrate what I mean; it's the first time I've tried it so hopefully it works! 

Hopefully this illustration gives you an idea of what I'm talking about. If this turns out to be legible I might use a few more in my files. 
Once you're got good control of your momentum all things flow from there......