At RASP 2023, I took a fantastic lesson with Maestro David Coblentz on Francesco Antonio Marcelli's rapier & dagger. Marcelli was a Southern Italian (Neapolitan) fencing master in the latter-half of the 17th Century.
One of the keys to improving a fencer is making the drills feel closer to a real bout. This “random cues” drill is a nice step in that direction. It’s like a very unstructured option drill.
You've parried your opponent but every time you try to riposte, your shot doesn't land or they counter-parry it. Why is that? It could be you're choosing the wrong riposte action for the job. This post & video goes over four basic blade actions depending on the tactical situation required.
Here's a super simple, level-2 option drill to improve your tactical decision making skills.
