"That's pretty good," replied Sterling calmly. "However, you're giving away the fact that you're about to dodge or parry my attack. Try this stance!"Sterling held his sword before him guardingly and took an almost neutral stance as he leaned forward a little. Instantly, he sprang off of his back foot, lunging at Heidi like a shot--almost startling her! Parrying her sword aside, the Dark Elf stopped himself just short of knocking her over and gently backed off!
"With my stance, you were not quite sure about what I was going to do--be it a parry, dodge, or a thrust." added the Drow Swordsman. "Just because I'm leaning slightly forward and I have my blade in a guard positon, that does not mean that I am going to charge straight at you or that I am going to stay on the defensive! I could have retreated, blocked an attack, or sidestepped a blow. The important thing to remember is that you must always keep your opponent guessing while you keep your center of gravity. If you can do both of those things simultaneously, then you will have won half of your battles before you've drawn first blood! Now you try it!"
Sterling helped Heidi find her center of gravity and a good stance, which he had her practice repeatedly. After the Drow instructor was satisfied that his student had finally gotten the basics, the Swordsman said, "Now let's try a few basic swings, thrusts, blocks, and parries with your sword."
Dropping into his fighting stance again, the Drow said, "Okay, Heidi, attack me as if I was one of the Regulators hell bent on killing you! Don't hold back, show me what you've got!"
A Point To Ponder
