What Is Forward Head Posture?

The combat posture is a posture unique to fencing. This is the position where the fencer begins to prepare for battle. All fencing activities are performed in such a specific posture. According to the technical and tactical characteristics of each sword and the actual combat needs, the actual combat postures are different. With the continuous development of the fencing sport, actual combat postures are required to be more natural and flexible, in order to meet the needs of long-distance and continuous forward-backward movement, multiple footwork connection changes, fast, fast start, and suddenness.

Combat posture

There are two requirements for actual combat postures: first, to keep the body stable and flexible. It can move quickly in any direction at any time, change between steps, connect and coordinate, and prepare for the next action. The second is to keep the muscle groups and joints naturally relaxed (moderate tension) is conducive to offensive and defensive actions. According to the above two requirements, the rationality of the actual combat posture should be analyzed from the forward and backward positions of the body's center of gravity between the two feet (higher, lower, higher and lower) and the distance between the two feet.

The height of the center of gravity and the front and back directly affect the smoothness of the movement, and the length of the distance between the two feet directly affects the bearing capacity of the legs and the bending of the knees, and the favorable angle of the calf and the ground. If the center of gravity is high, the movement resistance is small, but it is not stable and has a large omen. If the center of gravity is low, the movement is smooth, but the legs are bent and the bearing capacity is large, which affects the angle of force. Therefore, the start is slow and the stride is small. If it is forward, the front leg is stressed too much, which affects the start and speed of forward movement; if the center of gravity is behind, the hind leg is stressed, which affects the start and speed when moving backward. Therefore, in the actual combat position, the center of gravity of the body should be placed in an appropriate position, and the appropriate distance between the two feet should also be taken. ^[1]

Reasonable actual combat postures should be based on the principles of biomechanics, starting from the characteristics of one-on-one fierce confrontation of fencing, and understanding from a dialectical point of view. Individual differences in actual combat postures are large. Moreover, in complex and changing confrontations, with the changes in the distance, rhythm, and timing of the two sides of the combat, and the need for tactical actions, the actual combat postures need to be continuously "fine-tuned".

(1) The position of the foot: the right foot is forward, the toe is forward; the left foot is rear, and the heel is perpendicular to the extension of the right heel and the toe is inward. The feet are at right angles, and the distance between the feet is one and a half feet, about the same width as the shoulders.

(2) The position of the legs: the front legs and knees are on the vertical line of the forefoot, the knee angle is about 115.4º, the ankle angle is about 64.9º, the hind legs and knees are on the vertical line of the hind toe, the knee angle is about 135 °, and the rear The pedal angle is about 53 °, and the center of gravity of the body is located between the feet (fulcrum).

(3) The position of the sword holding arm: The palm of the sword holder is tilted upwards inward, the sword body and the forearm are in the same straight line, the sword tip is the same height as his neck, and points to the third part of the opponent. The elbow angle is about 123.1 °, and the elbow is about 10.15 cm from the right side of the body. The blade, forearm, upper arm and torso remain on the same longitudinal plane.

(4) Non-swording arm position: The arm is bent and lifted naturally at the side of the body, the upper arm and the trunk are at an angle of about 70 °, the forearm and the upper arm are at an angle of about 80 °, and the wrist is naturally relaxed.

(5) Head and torso position: The torso is slightly chested, the shoulders are naturally relaxed, the head is straight, facing the opponent in front, and both eyes are looking up ^[1]