Parry (fencing) Information & Parry (fencing) Links at HealthHaven.com

A parry is a fencing bladework manoeuvre intended to deflect or block an incoming attack.

[edit] Execution

To execute a parry, fencers strike the opponent's foible, or the area near the tip of the blade, with their forte, or the part of the blade near the handle of the sword. This deflects the opponent's blade away from them, protecting them and placing them in a good position to strike back. Approximations of the precise parries are made often during bouts, but are usually accurate enough to be classed as parries.

In épée, because of absence of priority rules (see right-of-way), a parry can be classed as anything that prevents the opponent's attack from landing.

[edit] Use

The primary function of a parry is to prevent an opponent's attack from landing, although other techniques - like simply dodging the opponent's attack - are also used. However, the rules governing the parry give it more tactical significance:

In foil and sabre, there is a rule known as priority, or right-of-way. To gain a point, a fencer must land a hit while having the priority. The first fencer to commence an attack often gains the priority. If the attack results in a successful hit, the fencer gains a point. However, if the attack fails, the priority is transferred to the defender. Defending with a parry causes the attack to fail, both physically and as far as the priority rule is concerned. Taking a parry, therefore, means that the attacker is in an awkward position (with their arm extended and sometimes off-balance), having just committed to attacking, and the defender has the priority, as well as the best position to riposte, or strike after parrying.

More advanced fencers can, instead of immediately riposting after successfully taking a parry, initiate a prise de fer ("taking of the blade") in which they move the opponent's blade to a different position and then hit them.

[edit] Classification

Name	Description (foil and épée)	Description (sabre)
Prime - Parry 1	Blade down and to the inside of the nipple, wrist pronated. Sometimes known as the "Looking at your watch" Parry.	Blade points down and cutting edge faces away from the fencer's flank side.
Seconde - Parry 2	Blade down and to the outside, wrist pronated.	Arm half-extended laterally, blade pointing forward with downward incline, cutting edge facing towards fencer's flank side.
Tierce - Parry 3	Blade up and to the outside, wrist pronated. Not often used in either Foil or Épée.	Standard en garde but rotated so cutting edge faces further in the flank direction, i.e. guard kept low, sword upright with a slight forward tilt, cutting edge facing 45º to the flank side.
Quarte - Parry 4	Blade up and to the inside, wrist pronated. This parry can be Lateral or Circular, as can most all parries. The Counter Parry. The Circular Parry, also known as "Contre Quarte", is a circular or oval shape. It begins in either the neutral or carte position, and with a twist of the wrist it ends in the carte parry.	Similar to tierce on the chest side or prime flipped upside-down; guard low, cutting edge facing away from flank, sword upright with slight chest-direction tilt.
Quinte - Parry 5	Blade up and to the inside, wrist supponated (last four parries are normally supponated) or pronated (an exception to the rule). Not often used in Foil or Épée	Blade held up almost horizontally with bent arm, cutting edge facing upward or forward, blade has a slight tilt meaning that the point is higher than the guard.
Sixte - Parry 6	Blade up and to the outside, wrist supinated. This parry can be Lateral or Circular. The Lateral Parry is from Quarte to Sixte. The Circular Parry, also known as "Counter Sixte", is a D shaped parry, dropping the points and bringing it up on the inside bringing your point back towards your En Guard line.
Septime - Parry 7	Blade down and to the inside, wrist supinated. Point dropped, the wrist is in the same place as in Quarte. This parry is semi-circular, the point is dropped from Quarte to Septime (or the opposite).
Octave - Parry 8	Blade down and to the outside, wrist supinated. Point is dropped, the wrist is in the same place as in Sixte. This parry is semi-circular, the point is dropped from Sixte to Octave (or the opposite).
Neuvieme - Parry 9	This parry was originally used by the Mongols who fought on horseback. As opponents rode past one another, they could swing at each others' back. The defensive move was to bring the blade back over the shoulder with the cutting edge upward and the point downward, thus defeating the lateral cut to the back. It is used only occasionally in modern fencing, to protect one's back when an attack continues as the fencers cross one another.

[edit] References

Know the game: Fencing
Fencing: Techniques of foil, épée and sabre - Brian Pitman

[edit] External links

Contents

[edit] Execution

[edit] Use

[edit] Classification

[edit] References

[edit] External links