Saturday, April 13, 2013

A to Z: Lunge


This awesome challenge is hosted by founder Arlee Bird at Tossing It Out, Damyanti Biswas at Amlokiblogs, Alex J. Cavanaugh, Tina Downey at Life is Good, DL Hammons at Cruising Altitude 2.0, Jeremy Hawkins at Retro-Zombie, Shannon Lawrence at The Warrior Muse, Matthew MacNish at The QQQE, Konstanz Silverbow at No Thought 2 Small, Stephen Tremp at Breakthrough Blogs, Livia Peterson at Leave it to Livia, L. Diane Wolfe at Spunk on a Stick, and Nicole at The Madlab Post

My A to Z theme is fencing and swordplay, focusing mainly on fencing terminology, but with a few favorite movie fencing moments thrown into the mix too.

L is for Lunge

Lunge: an attack made by extending the rear leg and landing on the bent front leg.

 
This is the move that everyone thinks of when they think of fencing, because it is THE attack position. A fencer can attack and have the right of way without the lunge, but a lunge is usually part of the attack position.
 
 
(This is a very clear picture of a fencer establishing right of way, in a nice lunge, and getting the hit/point because his opponent's parry has been unsuccessful)
 
In any attack, the attacker's blade must be moving towards the target (opponent) first to establish right of way, which then lets the director/referee know who started the attack and who "should" get the point. So, a lunge usually starts with the blade arm moving forward first, followed by the front leg and the rest of the body.
 (Inigo has a partial lunge and an attack, but the man in black successfully parries)
 
 
Of course, in a live fencing match between Olympic fencers, the blade is usually moving forward a fraction of a second before the fencer's body. Or the lunge could be preceded or replaced by any kind of forward movement. And that's just in the first established attack - this isn't getting into ripostes or what happens when both fencers seem to attack at the same exact time.
 
 
 (And this is what it often looks like and feels like in a competition - stretched out beyond the limits and in full movement)
 
Other L fencing words:
 
  • Lame': a metallic vest/jacket used to detect valid touches in foil and sabre. (This is worn with electrics, and not used when fencing "dry") 
  • Line: the main direction of an attack (eg., high/low, inside/outside), often equated to the parry that must be made to deflect the attack; also point in line.

  • In honor of this post today, I added 20 fencing lunges per leg into my exercise routine, and then did 20 front lunges. Ouch. I used to be in better shape. I think I need to add them in regularly.


    Happy A to Z!

     
     
     

    22 comments:

    Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

    I was going to say that you need to be in good shape to do those. And have a good sense of balance. Think I'll add those to my workout as well.

    M Pax said...

    Similar to lunges in my workouts... except I don't use swords. I think that would make a mess. :)

    Have a great weekend.

    Michael Offutt, Phantom Reader said...

    I think that I need to lose weight before I try some of these.

    Tyrean Martinson said...

    Alex - Lunges work on strength and balance, so they are a nice add.

    M Pax - I don't believe it would be messy, if you use the tips with buttons anyway. :)

    Michael - nah, just start them small, and not full out. I don't have the same flexibility I used to, so mine are more like Inigo's than the Olympic fencers.

    Unknown said...

    I do lunges, but without the swords.

    Unknown said...

    I do lunges, but without the swords.

    Jeff Hargett said...

    I'm a master at lunging...no, wait...I'm a master at lounging. Still enjoying this series!

    Luanne G. Smith said...

    But of course the man in black parried well. Disappointment, Inigo. Get used to it. :P

    Nick Wilford said...

    Looks like those lunges would be a good part of exercise.

    I did actually join a fencing club in school for a few months because my friend did it. But I've learnt much more from this series than I ever did from the class!

    Tyrean Martinson said...

    Morgan - Lunges are great exercise, with or without the swords.

    Jeff - Ha! I think I've mastered lounging too well. Glad you're enjoying the series.

    LG - Thankfully the man in black couldn't destroyed a swordsman like Inigo, it would have been liked destroying a stained glass window. :P

    Nick - Cool! Fencing club can be pretty fun, but it can also depend on the people involved too.

    Mark Means said...

    I can see how fencing lunges would be some great exercise.

    Very interesting stuff and when I think of lame', I always think of jackets that Elvis wore :D

    Michael Di Gesu said...

    Ouch! I remember doing lunges for years in aeeobics classes! That was YEARS ago. ... Bad knees now, but I can still feel the burn! Lol.

    Hope you're not in too much pain tomorrow sweets !

    Anonymous said...

    I couldn't do a lunge if my life depended on it. Great posts!




    Cynthia (The Sock Zone)

    Emily R. King said...

    Lunges hurt. But they give you a great butt! :D

    Michelle said...

    The lunges look strenuous on the thighs, and are probably good for the butt muscles...

    Anonymous said...

    My name is Inigo Montoya. I do not do the splits. Prepare to die.

    Julie Flanders said...

    I've done lunges like this for exercise and ended up so sore the next day! I can imagine fencing must be great for leg muscles.

    Nana Prah said...

    Cool post. You are the second blog I've read about fencing. I love the Princess Bride fencing scene.

    Tyrean Martinson said...

    Mark - That's funny. I hadn't thought of Elvis' jacket.

    Michael - I actually don't hurt that bad, which is good.

    blueflute - Thanks!

    Emily - True!

    Michelle - I think they work for both.

    Milo - LOL! Wonderful!

    Julie - fencing is great for overall body strength and endurance.

    Nana - Thanks! Glad you liked it!

    L. Diane Wolfe said...

    My husband showed me an exercise that is similar and involves holding weights as you do the lunge. Don't recommend doing more that two dozen the first day or you'll regret it.

    Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

    I think I'd pull something if I tried any lunges ;)
    Love your reference to the Princess Bride!!

    Andrea said...

    This is so interesting! I wish I had had this information when we watched the summer olympics, but we were still fascinated by the sport!