Obsession                                                                                By: Bob DiGiambattista
Is fencing an obsession? Is this compulsion to stand man to man or woman to woman, as the case may be, a disease of the mind? Is this desire to stand on a strip of gym floor best left only a desire? Should this date with destiny be suppressed or focused upon?

What is Obsession? Obsession is Captain Ahab and Moby Dick. Was Ahab really crazy or was he the only man for the job? Was this a clash of two titans, a dance of gladiators? An obsessed man hunting an obsessed whale hunting an obsessed man? Was Moby Dick as crazy as Ahab? If Moby Dick had arms would they have dueled with swords instead of harpoon and wave? And what of the hapless whaling crew... were they the round of pool play or the direct eliminations?

If the “Theory of Relativity” holds true neither were crazy. I am not referring to Einstein’s theory. I am referring to a different Theory of Relativity. If one understands the Theory it is easy to understand obsession.

THEORY OF RELATIVITY

The Theory of Relativity is the unspoken feelings of all true competitors. Obsession is the impetus behind the truly driven. Artists, musicians, athletes, madmen are familiar with its mystical power. Obsession separates the soldiers from the warriors, the fools from the daring, and the insightful from the visionaries.

Obsession is The World Series and the Super bowl. It is world champions and serial killers. It is the difference between winning and losing. It is the difference between living and dying. It is the quest for the holy grail and the finding of Pompeii.

Obsession is a mother taking care of children for twenty years. Obsession is a father walking, in a snow storm, to get milk for his kids. Obsession is working a hundred feet in the air for ten bucks an hour. Obsession is surviving a plane crash and dragging yourself out of the jungle. Obsession is climbing Mt. Everest. Obsession is going to the Moon to see if it can be done. It is Orville and Wilbur Wright learning to fly.

It is an overpowering sense that I will not be denied. It is that fear in the back of your brain that refuses to let you die until you are finished. It is working through frustration and pain no matter the cost. It is the feeling you would rather die than give up. It is the courage to try new things. It is the courage to refuse old habits. It is the surge of adrenalin, in a bid, for a trophy worth peanuts. It is the disgust you feel for a quitter. It is adventure. It is pain. It is the variety of insanity that surrounds us. Obsession is the fork in the trail of life.

Obsession is the path chosen and the journey begun. It is the strip of gym floor that must be walked. The itch of desire that must be scratched. It is the appointment with destiny that must be kept.

As one stands on the brink of tomorrow, staring at the edge of forever, obsession blinds the mind’s eye to everything save the glint of steel and the shine of gold. The target area blazes with an eerie white light the cracks in an opponents defense, blue diamonds to be plucked from a sparkling stream. Some are oblivious to the magic of obsession, others strive for it unfulfilled, yet others embrace its sorcery and bathe in its glory. The fires of obsession must be fed with moments of victory and the wood of broken dreams.

Vince Lombardi, the coach of the Green Bay Packers, once said “Winning isn’t everything... it’s the only thing”. Was he insane? perhaps. Obsessed? most definitely. Vince Lombardi was probably a fencer at heart.

What was the original question?   “Is fencing an obsession”?   Most definitely.
  

What is Fencing?  Part 1                                                             By: Jessica Pratt

What is Fencing?  Part 2                                                             By: Jessica Pratt
An Art Develops

Of what I have read, the dueling that would later develop into modern fencing originated in Germany. The first attempts to establish a single, organized approach to fencing was generated in this country during the 14^th century, with the founding of the Fraternity of St. Mark, commonly known as the Marxbruder in Frankfurt, Germany. It was used to teach students skills for use in war and in duels of honor. They were a very powerful group who jealously guarded their techniques, which later became orthodox fencing movements that survived into modern times, though, the early methods were somewhat rough-and-ready, in that, wrestling tricks were allowed.

The first book of fencing, Treaties on Arms, marked the birth of fencing as a scientific art. It was written by Diego de Valera, who wrote it sometime between 1458 and 1471.

As time went on, all across Europe, dueling became more and more a part of everyday life. Swordsmen, influenced by the scholarly bent of the Renaissance, began studying and analyzing swordplay with hopes of finding and isolating scientific principles based on human responses that could be counted on to work time and again. In other words, creating moves that could block the opponents moves and moves that could get through their defense for the touch.

At this time, more schools of fencing began to appear. They expressed new styles and techniques that challenged the old rough-and-ready schools like the Marxbruder. Great fencing masters began to emerge like Achille Marozzo, considered the greatest teacher of his time, who’s techniques, though primitive by today’s standards, were far advanced beyond any other fighting systems of the period. Others included Camillo Agrippa who simplified fencing technique and emphasized logic rather than romantic fancy, Ridolfo Capo Ferro who encouraged the approach of fencing along a strait line rather than circling the opponent, and Salvato Fabris who brought together the best ideas of many fencing masters to create one well-defined style.

The greatest change in fencing in the 1500’s, and probably greatest transformation in fencing technique, came with the development of the rapier. Unlike the older edged weapons, the rapier was long bladed and designed exclusively for thrusting and poking. This poking sword was beautifully balanced, excellent in attack, and good for keeping at a distance. The sword was developed in Italy and helped further the idea of fencing being an exercise of speed and skill rather than brute force. Because of its heavy weight, it was hard to defend with, so the free hand, protected by a gauntlet or dagger, was used to deflect the opponent’s sword. Rapier fencing was thus a two-handed contest between two swordsmen.

This new form of fighting stirred up some controversy. For centuries, swords had been designed for cutting important parts off of one’s body. Suddenly, men were poking neat, lethal holes in one another. The old schools looked on rapier play with contempt. Their attitude was best summed up in the writings of fencing master George Silver. In his work Paradoxes of Defense (1599) he heaped much jest on the rapier and its practitioners and dismissed rapier play as “school-tricks and juggling gambalds.”

Despite all this, by the end of the first quarter of the 17^th century, the point weapon was supreme. And the reason was simple: guided by an economic motion, the possession of a needle sharp point likely to kill an enemy in one hit quickly got the job done.

During the 16^th and 17^th centuries, dueling experienced a universal growth. Along the way, two distinct approaches to fencing became dominant in the European Community, the French school and the Italian school. The French method was one of academic thought that depended heavily on strategy. The Italian style favored a strong physical game. As time went on, the two developed a rivalry that continues to this day.

In the later half of the 17^th century, the sword and swords-manship changed dramatically with the change in gentlemen’s dress. In France the court of Louis XIV set the fashion of silk stockings, breeches, and brocaded coats into style, replacing that of the doublet and hose, top boots, and cloaks. The long rapier did not go well with this new look, so French courtiers began wearing a shorter sword, appropriately later named the small sword. The court sword, as it was known then, turned out to be an excellent weapon for fencing because it was both lighter and stronger than the rapier, so it could be used for defense as well as offense. As a result, the modern one-handed fencing technique developed.

The Beginnings of a Sport

A special blunt tipped and highly bendable version of the court sword was developed for practice. It was called the foil. With this new invention, something very important took place in the fencing world: fencing gained respectability. With this sword, the mechanics of swordplay could be explored and practiced to a much greater degree without severely hurting someone. The fencing master became a learned man of breeding, a combination teacher, historian, artist, scientist, and philosopher, and the fencing school became a place where noble families sent their sons to gain refinement. Beforehand it was just a way of settling disputes. Now, it was becoming a respectable sport.

The more academic and sports-like fencing became the more guns were being used in personal combat. This brought an end to the carrying of swords and, by the end of the 18^th century; the age of the sword as queen of weapons had ended.

Once fencing as a means of combat was over, the sport was able to take shape. In the 1800’s the sabre and the epee were introduced into fencing. The sabre, originally curved, reintroduced slicing into fencing. It is the only sword that still allows a cutting motion. The epee is what is left of a triangular bladed sword known as the colichemarde. It is the weapon most closely resembling the old-style dueling sword.

In 1896 fencing truly took its place as a sport when it was included in the very first of the modern Olympic Games. It was one of only four sports to have been included in every Game. At first, only men’s foil (gold won by Gravalotte of France) and sabre (won by Georgeades of Greece) events are held. Then, in 1900, epee (won by Fonst of Cuba) took its place in the Games. In 1904, the first (and so far only) American fencer won the gold metal, Albertson Van Zo Post, who, incidentally, was on loan to Cuba for the Games. But, during the Olympic events, people began to notice a problem with the sport: no two countries had the exact same rules. So, in 1913, the Federation Interationale d’Escrime (a.k.a. the FIE) was founded in Paris for the purpose of unifying the sport’s rules. Last in Olympic news, to show that everyone is created equal, women’s foil was added to the events in 1924, epee in 1996, and sabre, well, hopefully some time soon.

Thanks to things like the Olympic Games, the 20^th century has been dubbed, by some, the Age of Competition. But it was also noted for other things, like bringing electricity to the sport. Electric fencing was first hooked into the epee in the 1930’s. Then it charged the foil in the 1950’s. The sabre was the last, finally plugging into technology in the 1980’s.

So, despite the fact that fencing is centuries old, it is a constantly changing sport, that is still popular today. Starting from drawings on walls, to a medieval form of warfare, to a way of settling disputes, to an art, and now to a sport, truly the history of fencing is the history of mankind.

Sparring                                                                                               By: John Proctor
The magic of sparring is having the time to work on moves without the pressure of competition. It is an essential part of the work out. Free play perfects moves previously learned in a lesson. The practice allows the fencer to knit his game together into a few moves to guard with or score touches. Some people who never compete will spar as part of their health regimen.

Lessons teach correct form and work on the theory of how the technique is going to be used. It is important to train perfectly and to build good habits from the start. But the lesson is not the end all to learning. Once a fencer has gained a decent amount of control over their movements it becomes crucial to actually fence. An intelligent teacher will match up good sparring partners. Partners should be aware of what the other is trying to do, yet still be able to work on their own skills. Sometimes two people mesh and produce beautiful movements, at other times different styles clash and give the opportunity to work out quirks. A compassionate and experienced fencer can recognize different ability levels and work in mutually beneficial ways.

Sparring is an art and it takes experience to know what the other person is willing to tolerate, when to slow things down and when to push the difficulty level. The work is fun and healthy, often creative and spontaneous. It teaches the patron how to pace him self, since sessions can last much longer than a fencing bout. It also burns a lot of calories and conditions the body.

It is interesting to see how few movements are forced between experienced swordsman during sparring. This is because there is plenty of time and nobody is fighting for points with a time limit. If a risky move is fumbled there is time to try it again and again and again. Attention may be given to aggression, traps, defense, psychology, timing, technique, rhythm, courage, anything. Some moments are simply spent getting revved up and enjoying the moment. Or relaxing. It is a moment of play, when the swords are engaged.

Sparring teaches cooperation. It takes talent and puts it to work. Everyone usually excels at some skill and both parties can capitalize on the other. This is a great way to say, “how do you do,” without actually saying anything. If you are ever working out and become frustrated or ashamed of your performance the best thing to do is go another five thousand touches. Time will become meaningless and whatever strands of concentration are lost will be regained as focus eventually settles on the work.

Sparring is one tool every fencer should use. No, it is not as intense as competing, dueling, putting on a demonstration, or standing up on stage, but it is the life and blood of fencing.

Observation and Adaptation                                                             By: John Proctor

                It is hard to say how much fencing prowess depends on having great skill and strength. A large part of learning to compete is made up of experience and observation.  Sometimes bouts are won before they begin by knowing what to do against a particular opponent.  Then again, circumstances often change while swords are being crossed and critical decisions have to be made.  Either way, learning by experience and using intelligence plays a big part in making moves.

                Of particular importance is recognizing the characteristics of how another fencer moves and thinks.  Being able to quickly assess what the adversary does well and what is junk is important.  No two fencers move or think exactly alike so this can be difficult. Since there is no way to scientifically quantify how to observe and adapt to different adversaries it is best to sift through a few things.  When you walk into a room full of swordsmen try to get a feel for the atmosphere.  How they move, talk, and scrimmage.   What are they saying to each other?  Is anyone behaving in a certain way or saying anything significant and if so, what kind of details are they showing with their actions?  Some fencers look dopey and don’t say much and are as deadly as poison, others act like clowns or might appear particularly nasty, and are as lethal as cyanide.  Some people have the air of being awesome but are not particularly a problem.  Short, fat, tall, skinny, weak, strong, you just cannot tell unless you look at the details, relate what you know to other experiences, and look some more.

                Once a bout is underway there is less time to make observations and prepare for what might be.  Events speed up at this point and it is up to your point of view to put them into perspective.  Not easy.  The pinnacle achievement is when you are able to work under maximum stress with control and thrive on the moment. 

                If a barbaric fencer swings wildly with a stiff hand that sends a shock up your arm and he attacks without let up, it is best to counter attack.  Remember, the key word is wild and without control.  There may not be anything significant to defend against and the point of his sword may not touch your target.  Keep good distance and run him around as much as possible, see if it is possible to tire him out.  When the time feels right attack into his aggressive motion, don’t focus on anything else except touching him decisively.  You might get beat around a bit but the object is to touch the target with the tip of the sword.

                If a barbaric fencer swings wildly with a stiff hand that sends a shock up your arm and he attacks without let up… but his attacks fall a little short and run out of steam just before coming too near, parry and riposte.  Keep good distance and run him around as much as possible.  Encourage the bull to attack and get as near as you can without being touched, then decisively parry and riposte.  Since he falls short, or you are able to keep good distance, whichever the case may be, tire him out even more by your defense and choose when to riposte.   As an alternative choice you might counter attack but be careful, if your opponent doesn’t have a great drive with his attack, even if he is a little wild, he might be ready to parry and riposte himself.

                Note:  The above two paragraphs illustrate what appears to present a similar opponent at first glance but one small, yet noteworthy detail changes how he is to be reckoned with.  So it is with every person.  What is odd is two completely different adversaries might be defended against by the exact same move yet another pair who are almost alike in every way need a completely different approach. 

                If a fencer seems to be very relaxed and moves with you cordially as if they were encouraging your own talented motions watch out.  Approach them very cautiously and try to discover what they are about.  They might be very good with traps, meaning they are skilled with sneaking up and attacking at the worst possible time.  If they seem almost too easy to touch be doubly aware, they might have an astounding parry and riposte.  Stay away from them until you can learn how to disturb their movements from a safe distance. 

                The worst fencers are the ones who are skilled with strategy, technique, and can build upon one tactical sequence after another.  This means they have answers to answers in never ending succession.  They have probably already observed which defensive and offensive areas you favor.  (But don’t count on it, give them a full dose of opportunity to be sloppy.)   They have chosen a plan right down to the last line and detail.  They are acutely aware of your behavior and could probably tell you better than a highly paid psychiatrist what all your childhood phobias were, except they are only interested in drilling you full of holes.  Well, do not be overwhelmed by any of this.  Sometimes these fencers miss the obvious and get caught up in their own carefully laid plans.  Go blank, relax, and play the game as best you can.  Be very neutral and peripheral with any conscious thoughts.  Be highly sensitive to stimuli and ready to pivot on a dime.  If anything you try is successful then capitalize on this to the very last touch.  Do not get involved in a chess game with these villains. 

                But there are exceptions to every rule.  The point is to observe what is significant as soon as possible. Do not give up but be realistic to what can be accomplished with your particular amount of experience.  Learn exactly where your adversary’s moves or thoughts are significant and where he places his actions.  Everything should boil down to one approach, one line of defense. Learning to observe and adapt takes a long time and is best done under adverse situations with many people. 

What is an Elephant                                                                          By: Valerie Pratt

When I was a kid, I remember hearing the story about the five blind men and the elephant.  The five men had never encountered an elephant before, and of course, they had never seen one.  They had no idea what an elephant was.  One day, an elephant was brought to their village and they were very curious about it.  One of the men went up to the elephant and got a hold of its tail.  The tail was long, and thin, and willowy, so he told his friends, “ I think an elephant is very much like a rope.”  Another of the men went to the animal and walked into its side.  He felt the side and found it to be flat and smooth and unmovable.  He announced to his friends, “from my experience, I believe an elephant must be like a wall.”  A third from the group went and grabbed one of the elephant’s mighty legs.  He found the leg to be thick and sturdy, and well grounded.  He came away thinking that an elephant was very much like a tree.  When the fourth man went to the elephant, he encountered its trunk.  The trunk was long and slippery and kept trying to escape his grasp.  In his opinion, the elephant was like a snake.  The last member of the group went to the elephant, and he managed to find an ear.  I don’t recall what he thought the ear was like, but when he talked to his friends, his idea of an elephant was very different from the others.  So each of the men encountered the same beast, but, because they experienced something different, each man had a different idea of what an elephant was.  And each man, rightfully so, believed his opinion was correct.  Now that you have heard my story, let me ask you this ……. What is fencing?   

The Lunge                                                                          By: John Proctor

            When a movement in fencing is done well it looks simple.  If fact it is simple when it is done right.  Here is an example of our method of doing a lunge.  It takes a little work but once performed the lunge will give great freedom of movement and this makes swordplay more effective.
            Attacking with a lunge travels the furthest distance in the least amount of time with a single movement.  A good lunge shows balance, control, and has the ability to recover backwards, forwards, or to the center.  It allows the shoulders and neck to be relaxed and strains the back, hips, and knees as little as possible.  
            Before beginning the lunge a well-placed guard position is essential.  Are your heels in line, feet at right angles, knees softly but deeply bent, knees turned out in line with the toes?  Is your butt tucked under the torso without hunching your back?  Torso held erect, lower stomach tucked but stretched open like a big O around the navel?  Weight over the balls of your feet?  Hips in line with your shoulders, hips and shoulders comfortably placed in a neutral and natural position?  Chest opened by gently working and squeezing the muscles in the center of your upper back?  Shoulders relaxed?  Sit down (bend your knees), turn out (turn the knees out), tuck in, (your butt), erect (straighten the torso), and open (the chest).
            Before the lunge begins be sure to straighten your sword arm in a smooth, relaxed, but full stretch.  It takes practice to learn what a full stretch of the arm is.  As soon as a full stretch is reached the lunge begins by sharply lifting the front toe.  (Be careful to maintain your center of balance while doing this.)  The lower abdominal muscles should begin to contract a little bit and the torso lengthens and straightens even more.  No slouching in the body!
            Your push begins with a firm control of buttocks and stomach.  From here push strongly through the rear leg, driving power into the rear foot.  The rear foot remains flat and begins to push by levering off the entire outside sole of the rear foot.   The front toe is lifted even higher as the front foot kicks off, swinging vigorously from the knee.  The heel of your front foot should skim closely to the ground without actually sliding on the floor.  
            The rear arm is thrown back violently in line with the rear shoulder, fingers held together like a spear.  Violence is an understatement as the rear leg and rear arm flies open like a switchblade!  The rear hand is in supenation and should fall just below shoulder height and stay in line with the rear shoulder.
            Near the end of the lunge right before the front foot hits the ground you should reach maximum acceleration.  For a split-second the body, arms and legs are stretched as far as possible in their four directions.  The entire sole of the rear foot remains glued to the ground and does not slide forward at all.  Your front toe is lifted almost comically and your stomach and rear leg muscles contract with a final maximum effort.  During this time the lunge ends with the front heel landing first.  It is ok to let your front knee absorb some shock by flexing over the instep of the front foot, but it should settle back into a perpendicular position above the heel.
            It is important to sit down and plant yourself squarely into your lunge position.  To do this sink down into the hips and imagine you are opening them up at the same time.  The force of this shock is carried onto the bottom of the buttocks and upper half of the back of the forward leg.  This part of the leg works as a stretchy spring that absorbs the shock of the lunge.  
            The rear leg is extended into a comfortable but not locked position.  A long lunge should be flexible and deep but not so deep your hips drop below the level of the knees.  The deeper you lunge the further you can reach.  As your lunge deepens turn the front knee out more, sit down into the hips, tuck the buttocks, erect the torso and open the back and chest.  It is ok to lean the upper torso forward from the hips a few degrees but not to far as this will put to much weight on the front leg.   
            Be careful to work yourself into a deep lunge a little at a time over a period of months and preferably in tandem with some strength training, especially for the legs and abdominal muscles.

Intent                                                                                 By: John Proctor

            Maybe the heart of swordplay is having the ability to protect yourself.   Even if you are able to stab the other person you have to be able to guard yourself from all attacks.  Touching the other person and causing damage is good defense as long as it can be done without getting hit in return.  
                This is easy enough to grasp until it becomes clear that fashions and circumstances change.  How people see, how they feel, and how they approach conflict differs from place to place.  In combat some fighters are very determined and will sacrifice their lives in order to find an opening strike, like Kamikaze pilots in WWII.  Others will scrimmage behind the lines until an overwhelming advantage is found before pressing an attack.  Strategies change.  The motivation and ability of the fighter is different from time to time.  It is important to understand what these differences are.

                Dueling can be even more confusing since most duels were fought with specific rules that changed in different periods.   At one time a duel was the only way to settle a quarrel since there was no greater power to settle a dispute for conflicting parties.  It was felt the person who deserved justice should have the courage and resolution to end the fight honorably.  Since luck and the unexpected often plays a sneaky hand in many quarrels, it was felt the duelist who fought to defend, or avenge a wrong would be looked on favorably by the gods.  Because this crowd of volatile dissenters usually lived by the sword’s edge a duel probably gave them an excuse to practice martial skills.  On the other hand a duel might improve one’s status, sometimes it could even give the opportunity to remove troublesome competition.  A few disreputable characters even fought duels as professional champions in place of another.  A duel could be used in many ways for concealed intentions.
                 Yet duels often slid into the realm of being a semi-quasi game with its own etiquette’s and formalities.  An honorable gentleman might feel rewarded by putting on a good show of courage.   Striking with stalwart blows and recklessly standing in the face of deadly thrusts were a dangerous means of giving a good account of ones attributes.  The way character was displayed during the fray often had more meaning than winning or losing.  But there must have been some bravo’s whose only interest was in showing a shrewd hand and put top priority in winning by any means.  Decisiveness and courage must have played an important function along with skill.  Yet the idea of preserving life or honor got mixed up.
                Whatever a duels focus the swords were just as sharp so a good question becomes, how do you train for a duel?  Now the duelist has to guess what conditions they will have to train for.  Training for duels comes into its own right as an occupation.  Eventually the safe method of training for mortal conflict can turn into a sport.

                Fencing as sport can be the most confusing of all.  On one hand any rules can be made up and they don’t matter much as long as they are enforced correctly.  They might be designed to actually help a duelist who was obligated to fight at dawn.  Rules could cause the fencers to look like a pair of beautiful, artistic dancers.  They might be made for fun and as healthy exercise.  Rules can put competition into perspective.  The rules could even be used to draw a crowd in the effort to make money. 
               It is hard enough to know how to train for sport.  It is even harder to understand how others will approach their own way of fencing.  Especially when dealing with a group of people who develop their own methods.  Most difficult is to understand what a referee is seeing and how they might affect the way fencing is being done.  
                    It also helps the fencer to understand different kinds of fencing if they know where they’re own interest lies.  Learning the desired outcome of anything is a great way to improve accomplishments.  So it seems fencing is a subjective sport and this is important because understanding objectives affects how it is done.   

The Dark Side of Fencing                                                             By: Valerie Pratt

            

We all remember the scene near the end of “Return of the Jedi” where Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker are fighting with lightsabers. Luke is beaten and Vader is through with him. And then Vader reads Luke’s mind and discovers he has a sister who might be turned to the dark side. Well, that’s all the incentive Luke needs.  He gets angry and starts yelling and going ballistic and starts beating Vader. 

                Well folks, that’s Hollywood.  In real life, it doesn’t work that way.  Getting angry during a fencing bout doesn’t guarantee victory instead it usually assures defeat. 
                Not too long ago, I was in an epee competition with 20 some competitors.  I placed 18^th going into the Direct Elimination (DE) rounds. My first DE was against a young man about 16 or 17 years old who placed 14^th.  That didn’t put him too much higher than me, and normally we would be pretty evenly matched.  However, I don’t usually have strong DEs, so I didn’t have a lot of expectations going in.  On the other hand, while fencing the young man, I was given the impression that he expected to win.

                My opponent scored the first 2 points rather easily.  I did get the next point, but after that, the first period was fenced very cautiously and ended with a score of 3-2 in his favor.  During the second period, my adversary was getting impatient with the slow pace and became a little more aggressive.  His eagerness allowed me to take the lead 7-5.  During the third and final period, my opponent was very unhappy and became quite aggressive.  Each time he attacked and I scored he became more angry over the situation. The angrier he became, the worse he fenced, and the worse he fenced, the angrier he became.  It got to the point that when the director would say “fence”, he would charge at me without even having his epee pointed on me.  All I had to do was extend my arm and he would run onto my point.  I ended up winning 15-8. When it was over, he was so furious he threw his mask down. He shook my hand, but it was grudgingly.  He went away from that competition without realizing what I and the people watching could tell, he was his own worst enemy.  His anger unbalanced him and stole any control he might have had.
                Maybe it was because of his youth that his anger was able to control his actions.  I have often seen the young or inexperienced fencer being ruled by his or her emotions.  However, anger can affect anyone.

                We once had a very good fencer who was an extremely calm person.  Nothing seemed to jar him.  He was able to execute fencing moves beautifully and with deadly results.  He attacked with precision.  If his blade was attacked he could derobe without effort and counter-attack.  If he was attacked, his parry-riposte was phenomenal. He managed these feats because his calm personality gave him remarkable control.  Then one night he came in and was sparring with people, but if he missed a touch or failed to pick up a parry, he got angry with himself.  And, as with my young opponent, the angrier he got, the more mistakes he made.  Everyone else was doing pretty well against him that night.  No big deal, everybody has a bad day.  However, it was a night that would repeat itself over and over again.  It started slow, but as time progressed it would happen more frequently.  We all tried to tell our friend what was happening.  We told him when he started to get angry he had to stop, take a few breaths, count to 10.   He had to do whatever it took to calm down, because when he let his anger get the better of him, he was a lousy fencer.  It had gotten so bad that once, when I was getting coaching lessons for an upcoming competition, I was told to try different things to make him angry, and therefore easier to defeat.  (Whether this is ethical or not is a different discussion, the point is that it was that obvious what his weak spot was.)  It wasn’t that he ignored our advice; he just couldn’t control what was happening.

                I have seen anger negatively affect many fencers.  Although I see it mostly with the younger less experienced fencers, I have seen it with 20+ year veterans as well.  Age or experience is not always the determining factor.  I have also had the chance to see fencers who were very angry about something, (their opponent, bad decisions, sometimes things unrelated) fence their bouts so beautifully that others would have no idea of the inner turmoil they were feeling.
                So, my advice to you is to not give into your anger, for that leads to the “dark side of the force”.  And, although it might work in the movies, we are not fighting a choreographed duel to the death, we are fencing for points.

Fun with Fencing                                                             By: Valerie Pratt

           

On the night of May 2^nd, 2002, something magical happened at The Fencing Exchange. There were no classes, sparring was set aside, competitions were left for another time.  Instead the fencers were given a chance to play!  Chris Beaudoin, Toni Kazmeirczchak, Steph Johnson, Carlo Savo, Val Pratt, Carol Gargon, and yes, even John Proctor got to enjoy a night of fun and games.

     The night started with a round-robin pool of dueling.  Historically, duels were usually fought until either first blood, till someone was unable to continue, or to the death.  Our dueling was “until someone was unable to continue”.  Before the fighting began, John gave a quick anatomy lesson which included the amount of damage hits to certain parts of the body would cause. 

     The rules were simple.  Fencing would be done “in the round” (fencers would not be restricted to staying on a strip.)  There were 4 judges with equal power. If it was determined that one person was “unable to continue,” the victor would receive 2 points, and the loser would get 0 points.  However, if it were decided that both fencers were “unable to continue,” both would receive 1 point.  There was no time limit.

     With the rules established, we were ready to begin.  The group was well varied.  Some were experienced duelists, some had dueled once or twice, and some, well, when handed the epee, looked at it as though it could possibly be something from Star Wars for all they knew.  Regardless of the experience each person had, when the command to duel was given, everyone showed equal enthusiasm for the task at hand.

     Once the fighting began, no one could say any of the bouts were dull or predictable.  Sometimes the opponents would stalk and study each other like two cats just waiting for the right moment to pounce.  Other bouts looked more like a barroom brawl.  (Body contact is allowed in dueling.)  Occasionally a bout would have to be halted because one of the judges would get trapped against the wall and were in danger of becoming the one “unable to continue” instead of the duelists.  Everyone’s survival instincts were in high gear.  When it was all over nobody walked away undefeated.  John almost achieved that honor, but in his last bout, Steph was determined not to let that happen, she hit him with a clean shot, earning the 2 points.  Toni earned the title of most interesting score for the night.  Every one of her bouts ended in a double touch. If Toni was defeated, she was determined she wasn’t going down alone.

     At this time, Carlo had to leave, which was sad but fortunate, because our next game involved teams.  So with Carlo gone, we had 2 teams of 3 people each.

     Chris and John were chosen to be the team leaders.  (They were not chosen for their fencing prowess or their male superiority, simply, there were 4 women and 2 men, it was the easiest, most logical way to choose 2 leaders.)  Carol and Toni made up the rest of Chris’ team called “The Chipmunks.”  Val and Steph finished John’s team, “The Chameleons.”

     Each fencer was given a balloon to put on their chest and a sabre with a pin attached to the tip.  Each team also had one balloon in its “end zone.”  The object was to either pop all the balloons on the fencers of a team, or to pop the balloon in their end zone.

     In the first round, John sent Val and Steph after the Chipmunks end zone balloon while he guarded their own.   Chris had his team move forward altogether.  With 3 against 2, Val was taken out early and Steph soon followed.  John was left alone.  Although he fought valiantly, he was easily defeated.

     In the second round, although John tried giving his team commands to advance or retreat, the result was similar.  The big difference was that Steph was the first to pop, with Val going soon behind her.  Again John was alone and was soon defeated.

     For the third and final round, the Chameleons changed strategy.  When the command was given, all 3 advanced toward the enemy. Steph and Val faced off against Chris and Toni, while John met Carol. Fortune smiled upon the Chameleons, Toni was taken out early, leaving Steph and Val against Chris, while John still battled Carol.  John yelled to his teammates to hold off Chris while he took care of Carol, they were not to do anything brave and stupid, but wait for him.  Five minutes later, John was still commanding his team to hold off Chris while he took care of Carol (OoooKay John, how much longer is it going to take you to finish Carol?)  Finally a balloon popped.  Luckily for the Chameleons, it was Carol’s.   With Carol out of the way, Chris was easily disposed of.  The Chameleons finally got a victory.  Alas, like the Cinderella story, the clock struck 10:00 and the magical night of fun and games had to end.