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Step 1
Wear fencing gloves to protect your hands and wrists from your opponent's sword tip. The wrist of the glove goes over your sleeve rather than underneath to prevent the sword from going inside your sleeve and poking your wrist or arm.
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Step 2
Bend your sword hand at a ninety-degree angle with your sword pointing outward along the strip. Rather than holding your elbow against your ribcage, move it out so that you have a couple inches of space between your elbow and ribcage.
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Step 3
Hold your non-sword arm upwards at a ninety-degree angle. Keep this arm up and angled until you lunge at your opponent. Then bring your arm down to counter the forward movement of your body.
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Step 4
Point the sword with a slight bend inwards in a straight line in front of your body. If you allow the sword to lean inward just slightly, you close the space off creating a protected space for yourself. If it leans outward, you create a vulnerable space for your opponent to move in on you.
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Step 5
Carry the sword with the point protected to prevent injuring spectators. Hold the point downward when standing still but not competing. Put the sword down if you need to use both hands to put your helmet on.
