Preparing for Freeplay

I have been training historical fencers for over twenty years. For many swordsmen and swordswomen, expert freeplay (also called sparring or fencing) is the pinnacle of the art; both desirable and hard to attain. In this book, I describe the step-by-step process I use to take students from absolute beginner to expert fencer.

This is system can be applied to any style of fencing because it is not about the specifics of technique. It is about the process of developing skill. It includes instruction on:

• Overcoming personal challenges, such as fear of injury, or fear of embarrasment.
• Overcoming practical challenges, like developing fencing memory.
• Building the bridge between set drill and competitive freeplay, through gradually increasing the complexity of the drill.
• Setting up different freeplay contexts to develop key skills.