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Clovis Deladrier’s Target Practice and Warm Ups

Clovis Deladrier (b. 1886 d.1947) was the Maître d’Armes of the First Infantry Regiment and the 12th Artillery Regiment of the Belgian Army (1906-26) and Head Fencing Master at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis from 1927 until his death in 1947. In the very last pages of his text, published only a year after his death, featured the following photographs of Maître Deladrier’s students’ target practice and Maître performing warm-up exercises.

Clovis Deladrier, “Modern Fencing”, Arco Publishing Company, New York, 1973.

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Warming-up Exercises. Before going into a bout or a lesson, the fencer should practice the exercises demonstrated in the following photographs until he feels warm and relaxed.

Fig. 1. Dummy Foil for target practice.
Fig. 2. Group practice on dummy foil.
Fig. 3. Warming-up exercise.
Fig. 4. Swinging ball for épée practice.
Fig. 5. Dummy épée for target practice.
Fig. 6. Group practice on dummy épées.
Fig. 7. Sabre dummy.
Fig. 8. Practice on sabre dummy.
Fig. 9. The Naval Academy fencing loft.
Figs. 10-11. Some warming up exercises.
Figs. 12-16. Some warming-up exercises.

Hugo Castello’s Fencing Warm Ups

Fencing warm ups and conditioning are key components to becoming a powerful fencer. They help tone, strengthen, and attune one’s body to one’s will.  In his book Fencing, Hugo Castello outlined a series of exercises and warm ups for fencers. Hugo Castello succeeded his father, Julio Castello, as the coach of New York University’s fencing program in 1947.

Castello, Hugo & Castello, James. Fencing. The Ronald Press Company. New York. 1962. Pages 83-89.

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Warm-Up Exercises for Fencing. The following exercises (as illustrated) are of special importance to the fencer, and should form part of the regular warm-up period:

1. From attention, bend and touch the floor in front of the toes (keep the knees straight). Recover and reach overhead and back, flexing the back as far as possible. Repeat.

Hugo castellos fencing warm ups

2. From stride position, with arms extended at the sides at shoulder height, turn the trunk from the hips as far to the right as possible; repeat to the left.

Twist at the waist

3. From stride position, with arms extended at the sides at shoulder height, reach and touch the right toe with the left hand, recover, repeat to the left.

Toe touches to warm up for fencing

4. From the On Guard position, lunge on the right leg. Without recovering to the On Guard, shift the position of the feet 90 degrees and lunge on the left leg. Repeat.

Lunches to warm up for fencing

5. From the lunge position, turn on the heels and sink into a deep knee bend position on the lead leg. Recover to the lunge position. Reverse the lunge and repeat on the other side.

Deep knee bends

The regular fencing footwork-on guard, advance, retreat, lunge, advance and lunge, fleche, and combinations of these actions-should also form part of the preliminary warm-up.