How do you handle multiple shooters, give each of them repetitions on the master’s bib, give them recovery time, create a sense of acceleration, and keep the drill moving? This is an issue that coaches need to address both in their practices and in warming up athletes for competition. One answer is tail training or a tail exercise.
Tail training involves shooters in the following process:
(1) The fencing master or a member of the team selected to direct the instructional positions in his place.
(2) The participating shooters line up in a queue (or line up one after the other).
(3) The first fencer executes one to three repetitions (up to five can be used in a small class with beginning fencers who need time to stabilize their actions). For example, the fencer might come on guard, move with preparatory footwork to the correct distance, and arrow (an example of a single repetition).
(4) The fencer then moves to the end of the line and the next fencer begins the assigned exercise.
Whenever possible, the fencer should be instructed to use multiple footwork patterns when doing multiple repetitions. For example, an attack could be executed with one forward lunge and recovery, forward lunge and forward recovery, and two forward lunges with the master stepping back accordingly. The teacher returns to the original position after each participant completes the assigned task. This means that the drill takes up a considerable amount of space in terms of floor length needed, but a relatively small space width. Operating the drill on a strip allows the drill to include the use of the strip as a tactical component, such as actions from the guard line or attacks to push the opponent from the rear of the strip.
The number of actions chosen should be selected based on the number of shooters, familiarity with the skill, and the shooter’s attention span. This means that this exercise may not be effective in a large group of beginners who need multiple repetitions of a skill, as it leaves the majority of the group on their feet and uninvolved for too long. This is not a format optimized for corrections.
However, with intermediate to advanced and elite level fencers, this exercise format moves quickly, inducing an element of acceleration and stress. The teacher can quickly present cues to encourage this acceleration. As soon as one fencer completes the set of repetitions, the next fencer should immediately be ready to move. This can create a sense of excitement in the drill and simulate the pressures of combat.
A rolling variation of this exercise can be created to offer more repetitions. The first fencer (Fencer A) across the line stands behind the coach and assumes the role of coach. The next fencer (Fencer B) executes the same skill and number of repetitions with this second coach (Fencer A). Fencer A is then released to land at the end of the line, fencer B becomes the coach of fencer C, and the cycle continues to repeat itself.
The tail lift can also be used as a competition warm-up format. Wojciechowski notes that he has proven effective in team warm-ups for building team spirit. In this usage, it has the advantage of allowing a trainer to work with all team members at the same time to provide full speed actions, maximizing their warm-up value.
The tail format offers considerable flexibility in fencing training for the intermediate or more advanced fencer. As such, it belongs in every fencing coach’s toolbox.