As you gain confidence in yourself and your technique, you will be able to distinguish between the various ''kinds'' of fencers.  Miyamoto Mushashi wrote a book in the early 1600s called ''The Book of Five Rings'', which I would highly reccomend.  In it, Mushashi describes different elements, and instructs the reader to study them.  In brief, you can relate to other fencing techniques to the four elements:  Air, earth, fire, water, and null.  The best fencers can recognise and use all four techniques, integrating them into their game to their best advantage.

Perhaps the easiest of the four techniques to recognise is Earth.  Earth-y fencers use a lot of power in their handwork, with very strong parries, and lots of attacks
against your blade.  The Earth fencer disdains most footwork, rarely if ever giving ground.  When an Earth fencer parries, you are ''PARRIED!''.  When they attack, they ''ATTACK!'' with little pretence of subtlety.  They depend on the sheer power of their attacks and defences to accomplish their ends. While this is not usually the best strategy, it can work very well if your opponent is timid, or is prone to hesitation.  There are times when the best thing to do is a strong, confident, and straightforward attack.  The major weakness here is the lack of sublety, and the grounded, ''sitting duck'' mentality keeping them from being able to stay within striking range and thus take advantage of opportunities when they happen.

Fire fencers burn brightly.  They are very agressive, with lots of movement.  Back and forth they go, putting up a smokescreen of extranious moves to confuse and befuddle you into submission.  While they are often the first to score, ''fire'' fencers often leave themselves open to a pre-emptive first strike by an adventurous opponent, attacking into an overly elaborate preparation.  Some-times if an ''earth'' or ''fire'' fencer can be lured into a ''charging-rhino'' attack, they can even be tricked into jumping onto the end of your blade for you!   Both ''earth'' and ''fire'' fencers use strong, heavy-handed attacks against your blade both to parry, and to attack.  While this may be an initially effective tactic, this excessive energy can be turned against them.  Try studying judo.

Air fencers are considerably more subtle than their fire counterparts.  With the almost magical ability to be just beyond your reach,  air fencers will rarely allow their blades to be touched by you. Wether this is the result of childhood trauma, personal fastidiousness, or just plain sneakiness, air fencers have a flair for the subtle evasion of any physical contact, such as parries,  your riposte, etc.  This does not neccesarily mean air fencers are better.   Subtlety is perhaps the single most important attribute to develop as a fencer, while ''air'' perhaps is closest to a subtle ideal, many air fencers lack the ''killer instinct'' neccesary to exploit an opponent's weaknesses.  Like their fire cousins, however, ''air'' fencers can waste time and effort if they allow themselves to make large motions with their swords when they parry, and with overly elaborate attacks.  Panic often manifests in an air fencer as the transformation into a human windmill, back-pedaling and wildly swinging thier weapons in a circle in front of them like the propeller on  an airplane.  While an air fencer can find this defence initially effective, a persistent attacker who continues to press the advantage will eventually land a touch, spiralling boldly into the center of the ''parry vortex'' if there is no riposte from the erstwhile defender to discourage this tactic.

Water fencers often bob and weave like toy boats in a food processer.  Nearly as hard to catch as the elusive air fencer, water fencers rely on superior footwork and sheer athletic ability to win their matches.  Water fencers have learned that a moving target is harder to hit.  Water fencers often use odd angles in their attacks, going around your defence if they cannot get through it.  Water fencers have also discovered that if you use a very soft blade, it is possible to whip the tip of their blade around their opponent's parry, and set off a buzzer when fencing with electrical equipment.  I like to call this popular form of attacking ''olympic fly-fishing.''  However, no matter how fast and athletic you are, fencers that spend too much time bobbing back and forth are vulnerable to tricks of timing.  An attack at precicely the right time (usually while the opponent is in mid-step, and moving forward) has an excellent chance of succeeding.

A null fencer is none of these.  Null fencers read their opponents strengths, and uses them to their advantage.  Null fencers study their opponents weaknesses and
exploits them sparingly.  Null fencers are always courteous and fair.  Null fencers know that however good they may actually be, there is still plenty to be learned, and take lessons not only their coaches and fencing masters, but from their peers and raw beginners as well.  Most of all Null fencers obey rule #2 -- HAVE FUN!
 

The Sport And Art Of The Sword
Chapter One: The Pre-History Of Fencing
Chapter Two: Through The Ages
Chapter Three: The Evolution Of Fencing
Chapter Four: Modern Fencing
Chapter Five: Da Rules
Chapter Six: An Exercise Regimen
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