Always hold your parries well away from your body. Practice getting the best angle possible to stop an attack. Make your actions smooth, using small circles. Parry the opponent's blade; do not hit it. The parry should be waiting for the attack, not moving against it. Always proceed from On Guard to the parry position. After the parry, return to On Guard. Vary the angle of the blade to what you feel would be the best position to defend.

The simpliest and most common defense technique used in fencing.