Advanced
As you grow as a swordsman your view of certain things will change. Your sword will become an extension of your arm that you now judge distance with. You will start to think about every detail of a simple swing; where does the energy start and where does it end up, if i twist my hips right I can get more power in my swing and so on. With every answer comes more questions and more practice. The road of mastery is long and winding, enjoy it.
Advanced Foot Work
Your legs carry you to and through your target. Weak legs won't carry you very far or very accurately. Leg conditioning is extremely important. You need to be able to move quickly and precisely. Remember, it only takes an inch to decide whether you walk home or are buried.
First, stance-
Your legs are a large target, they are half your body and are only defened by the bottom half of your shield, your sword and your ability to move your legs out of harm's way. Adopt a stance that lets you move quickly to ensure that you don't find yourself with all your weight on one leg with a sword swiftly moving at it.
Second, movement-
I will repeat this from the basics: Move with purpose or do not move at all. This is the single most important concept in swordsmanship. Empty movement is a waste, think of your movement in relation to chess. If you just move your pieces around without thought you will quickly lose that game. Think of your movement as a succession of moments, look carefully at each moment of each single movement and see where you can best maximize every part of your body in each moment. With every transition think, where are my weak points, what availible targets would my opponent have, how can I reduce those or take advantage of them. Finally, mastering movement takes lots of thought and practice as described above. The more you think of what your doing the sooner you will not have to think as it simply just happens.
Finally, disatance-
Generally, you judge the distance between you and your opponent by your distance from his shield as his shield is attached to his arm. Being within range but well defended is your goal. Always try to be on the edge of range. This will allow you to evade attacks simply by moving slightly.
Advanced Sword Work
Blocking-
When blocking try not to compromise your defense. To block your sword arm turn your wrist out to block but keep your sword tip in the same place to prevent an attack on the inside of your sword arm on your shoulder. Simple movements yeild less openings.
Swinging-
As you swing you expose your arm, therefore you need to either be quick enough to hit your target and block your opponents rebuttle or swing in a way that blocks your opponents rebuttle as it attacks. Both are difficult but not impossible. Think of the angles involved and find a way to shorten or adjust them to your advantage. By this I mean as you swing you are following a specific angle, now see what angles of attack your opponent has. Now adjust these, either by moving your body slightly or turning your wrist as you swing to bring your hand up to block your shoulder with your blade. Techniques like these are challenging, but without challenge there is no growth. Simply, think about what you do on as detailed a level as possible, think of where your arm, hand, sword is at every moment of a swing, and see what can be improved.
