Pacing Guide

 This is a pacing guide for a six-week beginning rapier course. You may find that you can cover material more quickly or slowly depending on your students' grasp of the material. You can make even the simplest lessons more challenging simply by adding mobility or doing actions in time.


Week 1

safety and gear
parts of the sword
on guard position
basic footwork
hand positions
simple attacks

Week 2

review footwork and hand positions
simple attacks
simple parries
circular parries

Week 3

review footwork and hand positions
simple attacks
simple parries
attacking from out of measure
single feints
counter attacks
Begin free sparring - Make sure that students are not trying to use techniques they haven't learned yet.

Week 4

review footwork
simple attacks
simple parries
blade seizures
parry/riposte or disengagement in time

Week 5

review footwork
simple attacks
simple parries
beats (simple and circular)
expulsions

Week 6

Review all content and prepare for authorization! Go over the rules, ask important questions, and otherwise prepare your fencer for the authorization process.

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