Tonight's lesson was on how to capitalize on a feint. The simple answer: run them down and stab them in the face!
How do we get there? It depends on how deep your opponent feints and if they react to you.
1. Opponent does a simple feint by extending their arm on a straight line, ignoring your blade. Their tip is at least 1/3 of the way down your blade. They have just put themselves at a leverage disadvantage. As the defender, you just have to move your blade on theirs and advance (passing steps are nice).
2. Similar to 1, but your opponent is slightly smarter and does not stay still after initiating the feint. As the withdraw their blade, follow it with your blade and press the advantage. The caveat here is if your opponent's feint is very shallow, in which case you should not chase them down because they did not give you the advantage.
3. A smart opponent sees you advancing after their failed feint and decides to push your blade to the side. As you advance and feel resistance, performance a cavazione, raising your hilt, and stab them in the stomach. Raising your hilt keeps you from getting stabbed in the face after your opponent realizes that your blade has once again moved in a deadly way. An off-hand parry could work too.
4. What if you're fighting someone using a high guard (ex: Fabris or most Spanish fencers)? As thy come into the feint, gain their blade and keep pushing down/around in a circular motion, again raising your hilt, and stabthem in the stomach. Another option is just use an off hand parry and stab your opponent.
