This 7 minute (7:15) video starts out with Christian Bauer talking about the so called "distance parry" in sabre where one fencer causes the other to miss by retreating. It is not a riposte, but rather a failed attack and then a new attack from the other side. (Attack (right): No, Attack (left): Yes)
Covered are the Parry and Riposte, Remise, Redoublement, Reprise
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Several interesting bits from the maestros interviewed are:
- When a fencer retreats, he can attack if he starts first.
- The standard parry and riposte is a "fundamental action of fencing" and fundamental to the theory of fencing. Opening distance is just opening distance. They go into the fundamentals of combat sports.
- The transition of attack to defense and back is a big concern. They don’t want the transition to be just with distance, but with a definative parry.
At 4:55 the video goes back to competition footage with slow motion replays showing examples of the actions.
Discuss this video at the Fencing Forums.