I had at least enough awarness to ask if I'd need knickers. I hadn't ever fenced in them before. Yes, I was told, I'd need them. Got them and the socks ordered a couple weeks ahead of time. Afterward, I was more diligent in my search for the rules, and have since read them thoroughly.
Training is a continual discovery process.
There are the mechanics of movement, to be sure, the baby steps of fencing. Footwork, lunging, sword position, all of which can receive continual refinement. There is a continual tendency to tense up when striving to do something. Yet we perform better when we relax. So the trick is to keep centered, balanced, relaxed, while trying to move with explosive speed, accurately, and in the face of a determined opponant.