Learn the circular parry (counter-parry): circle around the opposing blade, sixte and quarte, semicircle, riposte, common mistakes and a milestone check.
What do I do when my opponent always evades my parry? The honest answer: you pick up his blade in a circle. In the circular parry, your blade describes a circle around the opposing blade until it is back in its starting position, for example from sixte to sixte or from quarte to quarte [1]. Under FIE rules, parries are simple when made in the line of the attack, and circular (counter-parries) when made in the opposite line [2].
The FIE glossary calls the circular parry a "counter": it takes the name of the line in which it is executed, for example counter of sixte [3]. Anyone who cannot catch a feint or a disengagement with the simple parry needs it (practice).
Realistically: you learn the shape in a few sessions. Keeping the circle small and fast without losing the blade takes much longer – that is experience, not a study result.
The simple parry is the direct parry without a circular movement or a disengagement. The Hessian Fencing Association gives "from sixte to quarte" and "from octave to septime" as examples [1]. It is your starting point.
The blade of the attacked fencer describes a circle around the opposing blade until it is back in its starting position [1]. Practice standard: the circle comes from fingers and wrist, not from the whole arm, and it stays small. You catch the blade and take it with you. Practise this first with your coach's blade held still: you circle around it ten times per side without hitting, and only pay attention to the size and direction of the circle. Tempo comes afterwards.
The circular parry takes the name of the line in which it is executed [3]. From sixte comes counter of sixte, from quarte counter of quarte. The glossary also knows the semicircular parries, also called "semi-counters" or "demi-cercles" [3].
Semicircular parries lead the blade in an arc to another position, for example from sixte to octave or from quarte to septime [1]. The diagonal or counter-semicircular parry changes from high to low and vice versa, for example from quarte to octave [1].
The parry gives you the right to riposte. It must come immediately, without hesitation or delay, if you want to end any further action by the attacker [2]. After a parry you have many options: a riposte can be direct, by disengagement, with a cut-over (coupé), as a doublé or as a one-two [2].
Milestone: if you catch at least 18 of 20 slow disengagement thrusts from your partner with the circular parry and can riposte immediately, you move on to the stop hit and counter-attack. That is a practice standard, not a study value.
The circular parry is a fine wrist movement that you repeat often at first. Warm up wrist and forearm and take breaks when it pulls. A systematic review of fencing injuries found prevalences of 51.5 to 92.8 % in able-bodied fencers; study quality was very low to moderate [5]. That does not say the circular parry is dangerous. It says injuries are common in fencing and you should take warning signs seriously.
Wear mask, jacket and glove in every training session. This guide explains and motivates – it does not replace supervised training.
Choose your stimulus before you mix it. In a video experiment with beginners and experienced fencers, reaction time rose with the number of possible stimuli and responses; beginners lagged 25.5 to 34.8 % behind the experienced [4]. So first practise the circular parry against a single known stimulus, namely the disengagement thrust, and only then mix in simple parries. That way you build the decision piece by piece. This is a practice conclusion from a reaction-time study, not proof for the circular parry itself.
In the circular parry, the blade of the attacked fencer describes a circle around the opposing blade until it is back in its starting position, for example from sixte to sixte [1]. It is also called a counter-parry [3].
When you want to pick up a blade that arrives in the opposite line: under FIE rules, parries are called circular (counter-parries) when made in the line opposite to the attack [2].
The semicircular parry leads the blade in an arc to another position, for example from sixte to octave [1]. The circular parry ends in the starting position [1].
Yes. The FIE glossary names the counter-disengagement as an evasion of a circular parry [3]. So vary your parries.
Point in Line in Fencing: Securing the Right of Way in Foil and Sabre