Sabre Strategy Level 2: Open Eyes Fencing

[@SlicerSabre]

The clip at 2:03 comes from this must-watch video by CyrusofChaos: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aIWxgHibZ6ySm5o

[@anthony2384]

We urgently need more content like this, we honestly don’t get enough of these lesson type videos for fencing. Keep up the great work.

[@stevep1762]

This is really interesting and expresses the sort of thing I've been saying recently better than me. Two important things to add. 1: To go open eye, your front foot of your prep step has to be about to land at the point where you have seen what your opponent is doing and can react. This decision point allows you to change direction, or take a second step or pull out of a lunge. These open eye preparations are often small and multiple for that reason. If you've just lifted your front foot when you see what your opponent is doing, you can't react to it until you land, which is no use with a big prep. 2: There's a big dependency on your reaction time vs your opponent. I can fence open eye against same age/older fencers very comfortably, but I can't do that against fast juniors who can out-react me, so I'm forced to play rock-paper-scissors. I also can't do it against really fast power attacks as I don't have time to change it up effectively, so am forced to look for a low-percentage parry.

[@oldschooljeremy8124]

The George R. R. Martin of fencing videographers. ; )

[@albertbresca8904]

you had to go there ... a game of thrones reference...lol

[@Demphure]

This is what my Russian coach teaches

[@raoulkurvitz6305]

Yes, this is the traditional Russian school, and they are really that goddammed good in it. I've met them on piste a lot, inc. Rakita and Krovopuskov - the superstars of 70'ies, and many of them were just invincible. However, this strategy demands to keep into longer distances, which can be easily beaten by young and "almost inhuman" long-distance speed-rockets like Oh; or on the contrary: guys like Szilagyi, Sameli or Apithy, who would call you to short distances instead, and beat you quite closed-eyedly then. My conclusion: in these days a successful fencer should be able to switch over from one strategy to another, and also to be able to dictate the opponent these switch-overs of the strategies or tactics.

[@flyingsquirrel1486]

yo just thinking of picking up fencing - whats ur opinion on starting with foil and then trying saber?

[@SlicerSabre]

It's probably easier to transfer from foil to sabre than vice versa but if you have already decided on sabre then it's fine to start with that. The best thing would probably to go for whichever weapon is most popular local to you.

[@majdurakovic8431]

Foil

[@stevep1762]

watch?v=EdMA1zfs-Bk The Sabre, I want to learn the sabre.

[@raoulkurvitz6305]

Oh, no - I've met Zero fencers who have successfully switched from foil to sabre - these 2 things are so very different. However, foil is really useful and easier to start with if you wish to switch to epeé. Sabre is to start with, and to finish with, you see 😃. But then again: Mr Slicer is right that it depends on which weapon of fencing is most promoted in your country. In mine (🇪🇪) it is all about epeé now - the girls won olympic team gold in the previous year + individual bronze (Katrina Lehis), and the boys are continuously on the very top as well - while sabre has been completely annihilated, which is an extremely sad story. 😭. Korea's campaign in sabre, on the contrary, has been massive, and as a romantically devoted sabriste, I dream to be born there in my next life... And in UK it's all mostly about foil as I understood, no need to switch over from it to anything, but I may be mistaken - just a distant viewer's hunch. Yeah, it depends, look around close to you (or change your country! 😁)

[@wanderinggoatinchicago4594]

Is level 3, switching between both?

[@SlicerSabre]

I will leave you in suspense....

[@jontantan3871]

​@@SlicerSabrestill waiting!

[@ColinHsu-c2v]

@@SlicerSabre same

[@ryanrichardson1187]

So is the main strategy behind using closed eyed vs open eyed fencing the difference of if you are fairly sure of what the opponent is going to do a closed eye prepared action is the best bet to counter? And then the alternative being that if you are uncertain of what the opponent will do next do use open eye reactive fencing? Or is there more to it than that? Otherwise thank you for the in depth video :)

[@teeesen]

Great video. But where are the women?

[@SlicerSabre]

1:24 , 2:35 , 2:44

[@teeesen]

Ok. There were a few. And I know you have several other videos focussing on Women’s sabre. I’ll show this to my sabre class along with part 1. The multiple exposure video is great. Looking forward to part 3.

[@SlicerSabre]

@@teeesen I am a man so I watch more men's sabre than women's as it has more of an impact on me. The way I make videos is by taking clips from every bout I watch to create a library of different kinds of touches and bouts. Since I watch more men's fencing my catalogue has a heavy male bias which results in most of the videos I make being male-centric. I definitely believe that men can learn from women in fencing, and that women need more representation in fencing media but I only have so much time on my hands.