Fencing tactics

All this has to be done with minimum effort and maximum grace, which makes footwork arguably the most important aspect of a fencer's training regimen.

In fact, in the first half of the 20th century it was common practice to put fencers through six months to a year of footwork before they were ever allowed to hold a sword.

This is due to the width of the piste — no more than 2 m — and rules dictating a halt once fencers come into contact, pass each other, or turn their backs.

The fencing stance and movements may appear artificial, but they have evolved over centuries of trial and error to afford optimal protection and mobility.

Fencers tend to stand somewhat side-on to the principal direction of movement (the fencing line), leading with the weapon side (right for a right-hander, left for a left-hander).

The fencer is now in a position where he/she is well balanced, able to use his/her leg muscles to generate rapid bursts of speed and change directions with comparative ease.

The most common way of delivering an attack in fencing is the lunge, where the fencer reaches out with his/her front foot and straightens his/her back leg.

While cross-steps do have the advantage of range and speed, they may put a fencer in an awkward and frequently unbalanced position mid-step.

In the flèche, the fencer leans forward and takes a long running cross-step, generating most of the thrust with his/her front leg.

This also removed distortions caused by the introduction of electronic scoring where sabre bouts degenerated to both parties charging to get the hit in first before passing their opponent and therefore ceasing to be a valid target.

In general, Olympic fencing has put a premium on balance, speed, and athleticism in footwork, somewhat diluting orthodoxies regarding the classical stances and methods.

To a degree, this has led to increasing resemblance between fencing footwork and that of other martial arts, with the significant caveat that a scoring "touch" requires almost no power behind the blow, only timing and the ability to manipulate distance.