Classified Blade Compound Attacks: Modern and Classic

The compound attack occupies a central place in the fencing technique. It consists of one or more feint single attacks followed by a final single attack, all as one continuous action. Each action is meant to elicit and keep the opponent’s parry reaction moving, opening up new lines for the finishing attack. The more actions included, the more fencing time periods the attack requires. This article explores the variety of compound attacks likely to be found in both modern and classical fencing.

Compound attacks are generally initiated by one of four actions:

Straight push as a feint for an attack that starts and continues in a line.

Withdraw as a feint from an attack starting on one line and moving around the bell to another line, either vertically or horizontally.

Coupe as a feint for an attack that starts on one line and moves around the point to another line.

Change of hook as a provocation to provoke movement of the hand and blade by the opponent.

In modern fencing, actions that require more than two actions are rare and are vulnerable to parry blows. This limits the range of commonly found compound attacks to nine:

(1) straight push feint, disengage

(2) feint straight push, counter attack

(3) fake straight lunge, straight lunge

(4) fake release, release (the One-Two)

(5) fake disconnection, counterdisconnection (the Double)

(6) Feint disengagement, direct push

The initial commit change action draws three probable responses to a final action. It should be noted that traditional definitions of compound attacks do not include commit change as an initial action. However, the intent of the change, the multiple fencing time periods, and the result of the following actions are essentially composite:

(7) if the opponent does not take any action: change of engagement, direct lunge.

(8 if the opponent presses back to block the open line: change of engagement, disengage.

(9) if the opponent begins to change the commit to return to the original commit: change of commit, counter-disengage.

Note that the three compound actions that end with a direct attack in this list are often described as merely continuations of the simple attack. Actually, if you are brandishing your eyes wide open, they are clearly two-part actions in their tactical conception, even if they appear to the ref and opponent to be simple attacks.

Classical fencers, with a greater emphasis on swordwork until World War II, had a much wider range of compound attacks to choose from. Many of these can still be useful as teaching exercises. The following list is based on works by Maurice Grandiere (1906), Felix Grave (1934), and Jules Campos (1981):

(10) feint disengage, disengage, disengage (the One-Two-Three)

(11) Fake Disconnect, Disconnect, Counter Disconnect (The One-Two and Fool Counter)

(12) Feint disengage, disengage, disengage, disengage (the One-Two-Three-Four)

(13) feint disconnection, counterdisconnection, disconnection (the double disconnection)

(14) fake disengage, counter-disengage, disengage, disengage (the Double-One-Two)

(15) feint disengage, counterengage, counterengage (the Triple)

(16) Fake disengage, counter-disengage, disengage, disengage, disengage (the Double-One-Two-Three)

(17) feint disengagement, counterengagement, disengagement, counterengagement (the Double and the Roll)

(18) feint coupe, disengage (the Coupe and Disengage)

(19) feint cut, cut (Double Cut)

(20) feint coupe, unhook, unhook (the Coupe and One-Two)

(21) fake coupé, disengagement, counter-engagement (the Coupe and the Double)

(22) feint coupe, coupe, disengage (the Double Coupe and Disengage)

The last classic compound attack, initiated with the change of engagement, was (23) the Tour d’Epee, formed by a double change of engagement, hit and release.

Undoubtedly, there are other compound actions that have been taught and used over the years. And as fencing evolves, it seems likely that we’ll see other actions added to this list. This provides a variety of actions that can be taught for use in combat and used as exercises to develop sword control and finger dexterity.