Tournament Tips: Mid-Fight Checklists!

When sparring or in tournaments, have you ever found yourself in an exchange where swords collide, but no hits occur, so you separate? What do we do with this time? How do we best utilize this moment of peace in a stressful situation? Checklists and not just any checklists! Checklists you can do mid-exchange to optimize your fights!
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Today, we will be discussing my advice on maximizing the calm between exchanges: mid-fight checklists. This will kick off a new series I am calling Tournament Tips, a collection of helpful tips and tricks for HEMA tournament participants. 

​Gesellen Fechten 2025 Summary

Before we get started, let’s talk a little bit about a tournament I was just at, Gesellen Fechten 2025! This was my first tournament back since my surgery and it was great to see people and train with old friends. Overall, my club won two medals and I finished 12th  in sword and buckler and 11th in sabre. Longsword was challenging since it was my first Tier A longsword tournament. I finished in the bottom middle of the pack but walked away with plenty of lessons learned to improve going forward.
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The tournament was well run (which I can selfishly say since I was part of the staff). Most importantly, everyone on my team had fun and learned a lot. We had a few fencers who competed in their first or second tournament and they had such a good experience that they plan to continue competing!

​Mid-Fight Checklists

​A common mistake I find myself and others making is entering an exchange unprepared or already at a disadvantage. For example, I (featured on the left) started an exchange with my hands too far forward, and I threw them in front of my sword, which got them hit. 

This exchange happened towards the middle of the bout after an exchange where no one got hit. My form loosened up just enough in-between exchanges resulting in me losing the round. This is where Mid-Fight Checklists come in!

Mid-Fight Checklists are a list of quick things you can check before the next exchange. For example, when I disengage from an exchange, I run through the following checklist:

1. Get in a guard
2. Center your feet
3. Check hands

The purpose of the first item on this checklist is to ensure that I am in a fighting position in the event my opponent attacks me. The second item is to provide a foundation so I can attack my opponent. The third item is to ensure my hands are correctly positioned so they do not go ahead of my sword when I attack.

The most important detail of these mid-fight checklists is that they are quick and straightforward to execute. The second most important part is that they are tailored to the fencer. Some fencers may have an exceptional foundation in wrestling or Olympic fencing, so they never have to worry about their feet. In that case, maybe they do not need the second item and can focus on their guards and hand positioning.
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This is where practice and training come in. The goal is to minimize the number of things you need to check for yourself mid-fight. For example, at this point in sword and buckler, after a disengage, I almost always bring my sword hand behind my buckler. I do not actively check that with mid-fight checklists. However, I do have a habit of disengaging and loosening up my guards, which leads me to check still to make sure my form is correct. Funny enough, some fencers who have sparred me have seen me do this and describe it as me “calibrating live”.

Closing Thoughts

Mid-Fight Checklists are not just things you write down and never think about again. They must be drilled to ensure they are automatic when the event arises. However, once you get into the habit of checking your form between exchanges, you may notice that snappy and panicky actions are reduced. Something is calming when you take the time to re-establish your form before the next bout of swords.
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So what are your ideas for mid-fight checklists? I would love to hear your thoughts and things you need to check to ensure your exchanges always end in your favor.