Lesson 6: The Lunge
The lunge is one of the axioms of the attack, and one of the most vital to perfect. The lunge is the basic technique used to extend an attack quickly and effectively, while still maintaining the ability to control a retreat (in the instance of failure.) The attacking portion of the lunge is relatively simple, in-and-of itself. However, the attacking portion sets the stage for the recovery, which is the difficult portion.
The lunge is intended to quickly extend the reach of a fencer by thrusting the entire body forward to close the distance between fencers. We have discussed that the basic attack is the extension of the arm until straight. This is effective, yet relatively easy to foil. Simply stay out of the other's player's arm reach. The lunge follows the completed extension of the arm, by throwing the body forward in a single large step. The attacking fencer thus gains another good 2 or 3 feet on his/her attack. This, when done quickly and cleanly, can close the distance with enough surprise to win the point.
The difficulty of the lunge lies not in its success, but in its failure. The fencer who has just completed a lunge is in an extremely vulnerable position. Although defendable, it is nearly impossible to fence when stuck in a lunged position. The real challenge of the lunge is making a quick, balanced and clean recovery back to the basic fencing stance after the lunge is completed.
From the basic fencing the stance, the lunge is started as a simple attack with the arm thrust forward to the intended area until straight. With the lunge however, the forward motion of the arm is continued by thrusting the body forward.
After the arm is straight in an attack, the forward leg kicks out until the knee is straight. This does not mean kicking the leg up into a goose-step, but simply kicking the foot forward while keeping the thigh and hip immobile.
The back leg is now straightened in such a manner that the body is thrust forward toward the opponent. This (of course) has to be done while the forward leg is still in the air. This continues the straight attacking arm towards the opponent another 2 or 3 feet.
While still moving forward, the front foot now lands (heel first, toes rolling to the floor) in such a manner that the front leg is straight, and the back leg is nearly straight (but not quite. We will see why in a moment.)
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