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Step 1
Score fencing points by touching your opponent with the tip of your sword. The attacks come swiftly and involve a calm demeanor and a tactical approach. Every time you parry or stop an opponent from hitting you with the tip, it opens a spot for your tip to score.
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Step 2
Use the fake attack by assuming the attack position. Feet should be shoulder length apart, set for balance. Bend your wrist and raise your opposite hand. As your sword wrist begins to bend, your opponent should believe that an attack is forthcoming and will assume the position to ward off the attack.
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Step 3
Lower your sword as if you are getting ready to make the attack, but pull back as he begins to lower his sword to parry. As he spends energy and movement to ward off the fake attack, you can then send in the real point with a twist of the wrist, making your sword come from the opposite direction.
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Step 4
Retain eye contact while you set the stage for the fake attack. Fencing is partly a mental game, which relies on knowing the demeanor of your opponent so that you can tell when an attack is coming, even before the set up. To deliver a successful fake, you have to engage fully in the process by including the facial expressions and fighting look that says you are ready to deliver a touch and score a point. The psych-out makes the fake all the more successful.
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Step 5
Watch your opponent closely and take time at the beginning of the match to tap into his attitude and how he displays his preparedness when being attacked. An aggressive partner is a good choice to try the fake attack on because he will fall for the move in a moment of weakness when he is blinded by the drive to win. A passive fencer may back off of the fake and not follow through with a counter-attack, which is the goal of the fake attack.
