Most fencing exercises focus on the performance of a skill, or a single skill for each of the two fencers paired for the exercise. Technical skill development is the goal. However, it is possible to use drills to develop tactical decision making. One of those exercises is the analysis / engagement exercise.
As the name implies, there are two components to this exercise. The analysis component consists of observing and analyzing the opponent’s actions of the exercise. The compromise part is based on deciding on a course of action and executing it without hesitation and with all the speed and power.
The process requires that both the fencers and the coach are involved:
(1) The coach assigns a pair of actions to the fencer who will respond to the initiation of the fencer’s movement. For example, the responding shooter may choose a 6th or 4th side stop.
(2) The coach assigns a pair of actions to the initiating fencer that will logically override the responder’s actions. For example, the initiator can choose between a straight push and a disengage.
(3) Without talking to the other fencer, and based solely on their best assessment of what that fencer’s action will be, the two fencers choose the action to take. When the choice is made, the fencer announces “ready”.
(4) In the “close” command, both shooters execute their chosen action at full speed with full commitment to the action. Shooters cannot change the action in the middle of the execution; for responder, the choice is correct, defeating the opponent’s action, or incorrect, resulting in a hit (or at least a well-executed error for those who have accuracy problems). The reverse is true for the starting fencer.
(5) The fencers then analyze what they have observed in this trial to determine their actions for the next repetition of the drill. Initially, the options will be largely guesswork. However, as the two fencers repeat the exercise, they will eventually detect signals or patterns that reveal the opponent’s course of action. Vincent Bradford, who first described this exercise, suggests 7 to 10 repetitions before switching roles. I suggest you run a full cycle of 15 reps, based on one side of the knockout bout, to give ample opportunity for the analysis to work.
For a fencer executing an attack, this exercise rewards total commitment to the attack. Obviously, a choice based on a correct analysis of the defending fencer’s course of action will easily hit the mark. However, a properly executed full engagement attack can also defeat a defense that should be successful but is poorly executed.
At the simplest level, this drill can be performed from an essentially static position with the fencers only employing a lunge. A more realistic and challenging drill introduces the initiator’s footwork preparation, with the appropriate footwork choices by the responder.
The benefits of the analysis / engagement mock lie in its two main components. Shooters receive training in the execution of the skills, in the same way that they would receive it in any exercise. However, at the same time they are learning to study the opponent’s actions and make predictions of future actions. And based on that observation and prediction, they are learning to make tactical decisions and fully commit to the success of those decisions. This exercise format will help you develop better tactics with improved fighting spirit.