How to do the Balestra & Quartata in Advanced Fencing Footwork

Video Transcript

"My name is Brad Bogus. I am going to guide you through a few advanced footwork techniques. Now with everything you need to know the basics. In fencing footwork is the most important part of the entire sport. Most fencers win or lose a point based on their footwork. You have to keep the distance, you have to close distance and you have to do it quickly and methodically and this is a good way to actually to advance your footwork to a place where you can gain good points. The first I will show you is known as the ballestra. A balestra is a quick, hop or leap forward or backward. So you are in stance that is a balestra. It is like an advance only still of actually making the advance. What you are doing is quickly and effectively by hopping forward. A lot of times you will use a balestra to start a lunge. So if you want to close an attack very quickly, balestra lunge. What is doing you is getting you a lot of distance very fast. Now I will show you what In Quartata is. When I was talking earlier about counter attacks, you want to be able to maneuver your body away so that you can avoid their attack. So if In Quartata makes an attack on you and in Quartata is turning your body the opposite way of your opponent exposing your back but effectively dodging their blade with your back foot coming out, the back of your heal facing your opponent and you get down like this. That is known as In Quartata. It is a way of putting pass by you making your counter attack and avoiding their play all together. With In Quartata you wan to make sure that you land your counterattack before your back foot steps outside of the strip otherwise you will get awarded a penalty and your point will not count. If you are facing your opponent and then make the attack In Quartata you avoid them in sudden dramatic way, make a counter attack and you will take their point away from them. "