Fencing Footwork and Stance: A Beginner's Guide

If you are starting fencing, the first thing a good coach will teach you is not how to hold a blade, but how to stand and move. This guide walks through the on guard stance and the basic footwork every fencer, in foil, epee or sabre, builds their game on.

Why footwork comes before the blade

New students often expect fencing to be about fast hands. In reality, the feet decide most exchanges before the blades even meet. Good footwork lets you control distance, set up attacks, and stay balanced enough to react when your opponent does something unexpected. Weak footwork means you are always a step behind, no matter how quick your hand is.

This is one reason fencing is such a good match for a wide range of people. It rewards patience, coordination and calm decision making, not just raw speed. At Fencing Masters, footwork and fundamentals are where every student starts, whether they are 7 years old or well into adulthood.

The on guard stance

The on guard position is the base you return to between actions. The basics look like this:

• Feet at right angles to each other, front foot pointing at your opponent, back foot pointing out to the side.
• Feet roughly shoulder width apart, in line with each other rather than side by side.
• Knees bent, weight sitting evenly between both legs.
• Back straight, front arm relaxed and pointing forward, rear arm bent for balance.

Held correctly, this stance feels stable but springy, ready to move in any direction without wasted motion. Held poorly, with weight too far forward or knees locked straight, it becomes slow and easy to knock off balance.

Good footwork is quiet. If you can hear or see a fencer stomping around the strip, their balance is working against them, not for them.

Advancing and retreating

Advance and retreat are the two footwork actions you will use most in every single bout.

Advance (stepping forward): the front foot moves forward first, then the back foot follows to reset the same stance width. Retreat (stepping back): the back foot moves first, then the front foot follows.

The key habit to build early is keeping the feet moving as a pair rather than crossing them or bringing them too close together. Crossed feet mean you cannot change direction quickly, and that is often the moment an opponent chooses to attack.

The lunge

The lunge is the classic fencing attack, and it is built entirely on the stance you have already learned.

1. The front foot lifts and drives forward while the front arm extends first.
2. The back leg pushes off and straightens to power the movement.
3. The front foot lands heel first, knee bent directly above the ankle.
4. The back arm swings back for balance as the body extends into the lunge.

A common beginner mistake is leading with the shoulders or leaning the upper body forward before the legs move. This looks fast but actually slows the attack down and throws off balance, which is exactly why this is best corrected early with hands on coaching rather than guesswork.

Recovery: getting back to guard

An attack is only useful if you can recover safely afterward. Recovery means returning from the lunge back to the on guard stance, either forward (continuing the attack) or backward (resetting distance). This is often the part beginners rush, but a controlled recovery is what keeps you safe from a counterattack.

Balance as the real goal

Every drill above is really teaching the same underlying skill: balance. A fencer with strong balance can change speed, change direction, and change distance without telegraphing the change to their opponent. This is trained gradually, through repetition, not memorised in a single session.

It is also worth saying plainly that this guide is an introduction, not a substitute for coaching. Small details, weight distribution, timing, how far to step, are best corrected in person by a qualified coach who can watch your movement and adjust it in real time. If you are new to the sport, our complete beginner’s guide to fencing is a good next stop, and our glossary of fencing terms is handy for the vocabulary that comes with all this footwork.

Why learn this properly, and why now

Footwork is one of those skills that is much easier to learn correctly from day one than to fix later. Fencing Masters has been coaching students of all ages, from about 4 for private lessons and 7 for group classes, right up to adults, since 1995. Our founder and head coach, Jeffrey Lopez, leads a team of NROC-registered coaches with real competition experience, and every first session includes all the equipment you need, no experience required.

There really is no better time to start than now. A trial lesson costs you nothing but an hour, and it is the fastest way to feel what proper on guard stance and footwork are supposed to feel like, rather than just reading about them.

Ready to put this into practice on the strip? Book a trial lesson with Fencing Masters and let one of our coaches get your footwork right from the very first step.