“Fléche” – arrow. Not exactly a word in English, but a word in fencing, which like all martial arts has a dialect of its own. In this case many of the terms come from French.
But this is not a case of bringing a sword to a bowfight. No, here the fencer is the arrow. It’s a technique used most often in épée, the weapon I trained most in. Here the rules are simple. Whoever hits first gets the point. The whole body is the target. “To fleche” is one of the best ways to strike first on your opponent’s most vulnerable point.
It begins at the sword tip. It leads the way, stretching towards the spot where it will land. The blade, the guard, the hand follow in line, smooth and direct. The arm straightens from the half-bent en garde position until it too forms the arrow shaft. The shoulder dips into line, then the back, and then the feet leave the ground. You never get horizontal of course, but the arrow’s point hits before your feet return to the piste.
Many things must go right if this attack is to succeed.
Distance: Too close and your opponent can hit you first. Too far away and you can be parried, exposed to an unfailing riposte. Exactly right (and it depends on how tall, how fast they are) and you will hit.
Timing: Not when your opponent is retreating. Not when they are executing their own fleche, or some other attack you need to deal with. The best time is when you see a pause, a faint relaxation, a momentary distraction, an instant of indecision. Then, their feet, their hand will be too slow, and you will hit.
Speed: Not every arrow must fly fast. Some do, let fly before you’re even conscious of the moment. Others bend their way through the air, drawing the response too soon, leaving your opponent defenceless. And you will hit.
Target: The body is of course the easiest, the biggest. The head too, though it’s not always considered the done thing to dent your opponent’s mask. But they’re not the closest to you. The arrow that flies furthest may not reach. Safer but harder are the shoulder, upper arm, forearm, hand. You could even go for the toe, though I only managed that once or twice. Pick the right target and you will hit.
I’ve tried lots of sports, somehow even more since March 2020, but there’s almost nothing quite as satisfying as a well-executed fleche. In my later years on the piste it become and instinct. Something in my eyes, hand, feet connected with those elements I listed earlier. I’d find myself landing just past almost any opponent, my light bright on the scoring box. Does it hurt? It can – someone’s whole bodyweight concentrated behind a steel tip a quarter of an inch across. It can draw blood even through your protective clothing, and bruises of all sorts of interesting colours often result. But a perfect fleche – right distance, well timed, good speed and on target – feels just like a tap, a touch from your opponent, who is also a friend in this most individual of sports: “touché”.
Open Field 