Footwork, footwork and more footwork. If you hate it, and who doesn't, then I want you to read this excellent post from the Fencing.net discussion forum.
"When you talk about strength and speed, you are generally dealing with the explosive power needed to produce acceleration and then the strength needed to stabilize and control various resulting inertias.
Interestingly, one of the most important factors in developing speed, particularly when discussing fencing, is the ability to perform exact, efficient movements, while being relaxed.
The first key factor in developing speed is practicing slowly, focusing on the technique, and really truly listening to your body. Being aware of your body is essential for developing speed of any kind, because it provides vital feedback in determining the efficiency of your movement. You can in turn use that feedback to eliminate the development of unnecessary inertias.
Think about how important it is for a runner to maintain a relaxed upper-body... Even though it is their legs that produce the speed, a relaxed upper-body means that very little effort is required of the muscles to stabilize the extraneous inertias generated by unnecessary movements.
This is type of slow relaxed training is extremely important; it is something that anyone can do. There are many other speed development exercises available, various plyometrics, power-assisted, pre-exhaustions, etc… but an extremely small number of people are at a point where they need to start looking to those training methods for assistance. In fact, participating in those advanced training programs without proper knowledge/supervision can end an athlete’s career.
Remember that footwork drills are delayed gratification exercises. The work that you put in one season usually shows itself in your results the next season. It takes time, and in time you will become faster, even without focusing on speed, because you are more comfortable.
Being quick to the wrong distance is a disaster, so remember it's not always about speed on the piste."
The piste is the fencing strip. I particularly like the last paragraph. You have to own the distance, if you do so you will control the bout, and footwork is the means to doing so. What troubles me about practice is that footwork is often relegated to something that has to be gotten out of the way. I try to practice slow, in balance, footwork at home since often the footwork drills at practice, especially when conducted by the sempai, are more about speed than precision.
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