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Title
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The Epee : Combat Tactics
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Date
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January 1940
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volume
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5
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issue
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1
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page start
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8
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page end
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9
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content
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en
THE EPEE : Combat Tactics
Lt. P. C. Wehle, U.S.A.
The good epee man may now forget all that has gone before. At last he is about to fight. No longer need he worry about his form; no more need he concern himself with the position of his left arm or the grace of his movement. Such thoughts he dismisses from his mind; they have no place in the trial by combat. Only one idea does he entertain; only one thought is given harborage. He must concentrate on the problem at hand, what to do to win?
Before he crosses blades with his opponent he has, if he would insure the main chance, sundry chores to perform. First of all, he must go about the business of warming up. There are many means to this end; any and all are acceptable. A few calisthenics, a series of lunges, a sequence of attacks and parries worked out with a companion—in short, a sufficiency of directed exercise to warm the blood and melt the customary pre-bout frigidity is all that is desired in the warm-up period. A word of warning is necessary here; there is no need to be alarmed if the actions during the warm-up period are a bit wild. Jerkiness, poor timing, a sense of unreality—all these manifestations are normal before-the-battle symptoms. They are as fitting and as tell-tale as the raised hackles of a fighting cock. An epee man can use this supercharged feeling; it is part and parcel of him; it is vital to his game. Before a bout an epee man should feel as highly charged and vibrantly potential as a practical joker’s Leyden jar. Such tenseness and complete aliveness are bound to affect the scholastic nicety of movements during the warm-up session. So be it. The true fighter will ever feel on edge before combat. Should he feel otherwise he is either a very old man or a sufferer from thyroid deficiency.
And now the epee man is all warmed up and more than ready to go. Alas, his bout has not yet been called; he must wait. What to do? Should he sit and brood and munch his nails? Never! There are other chores to be done. He must look about him and see what he can see. Are there any ground rules? Who knows them? Does the director favor the attack or the stop action? Is the light favorable to any one direction? Is the ink sticky or fluid? What weakness can be discovered in the opponent’s tactics? A thousand such probings and pryings will serve to assuage the hurt of waiting and will aid in keeping the mind alert, this last quality being very, very important. It is necessary to have a fighting heart, yet that organ should not be permitted to pump so much hot blood to the brain that the intelligence is in danger of drowning. Such a condition spells certain curtains for any fighter. Instead of a rush of blood to the head the epee man might well use a rush of head to the blood. If he be wise he will busy himself not in agonizing, self-consuming brooding but in an earnest, honest “Information Please” sort of activity. He must beware the hush-hush, off-your-feet, don’t-talk, sit-down-and-be-quiet school of approach to the fighting of the day. Few men can be honestly phlegmatic before the jump-off. When the battle has been well under way the overabundance of tension will have disappeared. By this time the fighter can, and should, honestly rest. How sleep the brave? There is only one answer—SOUNDLY!
At very long last the moment has come; the epee man is called for his bout! Does he charge in blindly, gallantly? Does he hasten the business? Never, oh never! First of all, is the weapon properly prepared, is the mat slippery, where is the resin? Then there come the amenities. A snappy series of salutes to the judges, the director, and the opponent is in order. These preliminaries should not be slighted; they are important! Done in a slovenly manner these gestures to form and custom become cheap and worse than meaningless. The grand salute may have gone out with the academicians, but the spirit behind that elegant acknowledgment should and must remain in fencing. Having held up his end of the formalities, the epee man comes to the middle of the strip, there to meet his opponent. But he does not fight as yet! Do the opponent’s blade and bell appear to be within the prescribed limits? Did he dip his points in the ink pot? Is his blade perfectly straight? The inspection need not be irritating or brusque; it can be done at fencing distance. Actually, the director will check these items, but no harm can come of checking on the checker. And now (really, this time) the zero hour is at hand. There is the brisk command “Fence!” And then? And then it is root hog or die! No longer are there any socialities to be considered. Fang and cunning are to prevail.
Now each and every bout is a new problem requiring different study. It is impossible to prescribe for all situations, and this article will not attempt to accomplish more than a brief generalization of tactical problems and their possible treatment. To begin with, every opponent must be “felt out.” He is an unknown quantity, a dangerous person who, at first, appears impregnable. How near can you get to him? Crowd him a little, press him from distance—when does he resent your encroachment? Oh, he wants you to come to him. Then tread lightly, you have found that you are playing his game. NEVER PLAY THE OTHER FELLOW’S GAME! Sit back awhile; flout him a bit. If you can get him to come to you he will be working in an element not to his liking. So much the better. But suppose that, despite all your allurements, your opponent refuses the bait. Then you must carry the fight to him. But you must build up your attack carefully; there must be no wild rushing, no blind plunging. Instead, there must be cool and clever planning. Use every means at your command to force your opponent to show his weakness. False attacks, presses, beats—all should be used to find out the enemy’s reaction. Having found a breach, do not charge in at once. The enemy (presume he is a worthy foe) knows that he has shown his hand. He will be waiting for you. Play away from him for awhile. Worry your man in other departments; then let him have it. And, mind you, it is only when you have planned your attack, when you have reason to have faith in the ultimate success of your action—then, and then only, do you attack. NEVER ATTACK BLINDLY. And never attack with reservations! Go on in, whole hog. Obviously, attacks to the wrist and lower arm do not require an “all-out” action. It is when your target is the leg, body, or upper arm that you go completely “all out.” On such attacks you have committed your reserve; therefore, give everything that is in you.
Should your opponent be the aggressive, crowding type of fighter you may find yourself completely dominated—a sad state of affairs. You must then out-bluff your bluffer. Yell at him, beat his blade fiercely, ego him down. But do not rashly expose yourself. One thing is certain, you cannot permit the other fellow to outface you. Presuming, however, that your opponent is too superbly cocky to be dissuaded from his domineering tactics, what is there left to do? One thing—KEEP YOUR POINT OUT IN FRONT OF YOU! Deceive his blade as best you can, and pray that the big bully will spit himself. Remember, your point is your first line of defense. It is a tank trap and land mine in one. Championships have been won through the playing of a point-in-line game. Take heart!
So much for the general tactics of epee fencing. With the exception of the POINT clause they do not differ from the tactics of any weapon. Tactics merely mean the disposition and maneuvering of your forces on the field of battle. Intelligence, coupled with skill and the will to win—these qualities a man must have and must use if he would come out on top in any competition. Given these qualities, an epee man will ride close to the very top. Giving the best within him to the sport he has adopted as his own, the epee man will merit and receive a rich return.
