Angles & Flicks in Epee Fencing

Video Transcript

"This approach for Epee attacks is called angulation. I also want to talk about Flicks. These are two ways you can get around this bell guard. Which, as we said protects the hand. So, as you're protecting your hand you're also trying to devise ways to get around the bell guard of your opponent. The first way is angulation. And, angulation is just turning it's a fancy word for turning the angle of the blade in order to get around corners. And, to some extent this weapon was designed to get around corners. So, angulation if I can demonstrate with Syree is just a angling of the blade so that I can get easily around her guard around her wrist. Remember, any touch that has sufficient power behind it on any part of the body is a touch an Epee. So, by turning my blade just a little bit I can get around those corners and get behind her bell guard. When you are thinking about angulation, you want to try to remember to keep the control is coming still from your forefinger and your thumb not from your own wrist. If I can show you. If you use your wrist to angulate, the more you do that the more you're in danger of breaking your wrist. Which, is what we call bending the wrist and an Epee. That means this is exposed. A wrist that is bent too far comes out around my bell guard and suddenly I'm at risk for being hit. So, as much as you can keep the angulation that point control with your thumb and forefinger. This is another one of those instances where point control, which is best learned in foil becomes really important in Epee. Another way to get around the bell guard and I won't show it on Syree. Because, it can actually hurt your opponent a little bit is a Flick. And, a Flick is just a quick flick of your wrist that actually works with the blade to turn the blade slightly and land a hit. Flicks take a lot of practice, actually. Because, you don't want to ever land a flick with the splat of your blade. You want to land a flick with the tip of the blade. So, I recommend that you practice the Flick. You practice it often. And, I recommend that you practice with a dummy or with a wall."