Point control is the ability to put the tip of the blade exactly where you meant to, at speed, while someone is trying to move that target away. In épée it matters more than in the other two weapons. The best targets are small (a wrist, a forearm, the top of a foot), there is no right of way to fall back on, and the tip has to land with at least 750 grams of pressure to register, so a glancing touch on the edge of the wrist often does not register.
Most of the touches described on the (y-) Tactics page, like the stop-hit to the wrist and the toe touch, depend on this skill.
(y-) Mental Model
Move the point first. The hand starts the action and steers the tip, the arm extends behind it, and the feet arrive last to deliver it. If the body moves first, the point has to catch up, and it wobbles on the way.
Accuracy comes from the fingers. The big muscles of the arm and shoulder move the blade far and fast, but they are too coarse for a target the size of a wrist. The final few centimeters of adjustment come from the thumb and index finger.
(y-) The Grip
| Part | Job |
|---|---|
| Thumb and index | The manipulators. They steer the point. Most of the fine adjustment happens here. |
| Other fingers | The aids. They hold the grip against the palm and add pressure for beats and parries. |
| Wrist | Stays mostly neutral. Big wrist movements swing the tip wide and open your own forearm. |
The (y-) Equipment page notes that the pistol grip dominates modern épée for point control. A French grip gives more reach, since you can hold it farther back, but it is harder to make small, precise corrections with.
Hold the grip firmly enough that a beat does not knock the blade out of line, and loosely enough that the fingers can still move. A white-knuckle grip makes the point drift and tires the forearm within a few bouts.
(y-) Targets and Angles
| Target | How to reach it |
|---|---|
| Top of the wrist | Angulate down over the bell guard, which covers the hand but not the wrist behind it. |
| Outside forearm | A small angle from sixte, hand slightly higher than the point. Useful when their arm is extended. |
| Underside of arm | Angle up from below when they hold the hand high. Harder to reach and easy to fall short. |
| Body | The largest target, but it is behind the arm and the guard, so you usually need to close distance to get there. |
| Foot / toe | Drop the point while their front foot is close. Fast, but the drop exposes your head and arm while you do it. |
An angulated hit means the point arrives at an angle to the blade line rather than straight down it. You get it by setting the hand off to one side and steering the tip back toward the target, so the tip comes around the guard. It takes a lot of repetition before it holds up under pressure.
(y-) Drills
| Drill | How |
|---|---|
| Wall target | Tape small circles (coin size and larger) on a wall pad at wrist, chest, and knee height. Extend and hit each one, then do it from a lunge. |
| Hanging ball | Hang a tennis ball on a string at chest height. Hit it, then hit it again as it swings. Then try it on the backswing. |
| Partner glove | Partner holds up a fencing glove and moves it slowly. Hit the back of the glove only. Speed it up as you get consistent. |
| Hand-before-foot | From en garde, extend fully and only then lunge. Partner or coach watches that the hand finishes first every time. |
| Tired reps | Finish a footwork conditioning set, then go straight to the wall target. Point control has to hold up at the end of a bout too. |
Keep the sets short and the standard strict. Twenty clean hits are worth more than a hundred where the tip lands somewhere near the circle.
(y-) Common Mistakes
| Mistake | Fix |
|---|---|
| Body moves before the hand | Drill hand-before-foot until the extension starts every attack. |
| Gripping too hard | Relax the last three fingers. Only the thumb and index finger need to work. |
| Steering with the shoulder | Keep the shoulder down and quiet. Make the last correction with the fingers. |
| Big wrist circles | Keep disengages and angles small so your own forearm stays covered. |
| Practicing only when fresh | Add point work after conditioning, when your arm is already tired. |
Sources
(y-) Bladework | (y-) Tactics | (y-) Fencing Lefties | (y-) Equipment
(y) Return to Fencing | (y) Return to Notes | (y) Return to Home