Principle 1:

Do not forget that Karate begins and ends with respect

This is fairly self explanatory but is worth considering from a fencing perspective. Fencing has a long tradition of respect; for your opponent, for your training partner, for your coach and for the president. It is an integral part of the sport and one should be mindful of this at all times.     

The Twenty Guiding Principles of Karate

I was given a book at Xmas regarding the Twenty Guiding Principles of Karate as written by Gichin Funakoshi.* You may wonder what relevance these will have for fencers but let me detail them for you and see what you think....
1. Do not forget that Karate begins and ends with respect
2. There is no first strike in Karate
3. Karate stands on the side of justice
4. First know yourself, then know others
5. Mentality over technique
6. The mind must be set free
7. Calamity springs from carelessness
8. Karate goes beyond the dojo
9. Karate is a lifelong pursuit
10. Apply the way of Karate to all things. Therein lies its beauty
11. Karate is like boiling water: without heat, it returns to its tepid state
12. Do not think of winning. Think, rather, of not losing
13. Make adjustments according to your opponent
14. The outcome of a battle depends on how one handles emptiness and fullness (weakness and strength)
15. Think of the opponent's hands and feet as swords
16. When you step beyond your own gate, you face a million enemies
17. Ready stance is for beginners; later one stands in natural stance
18. Perform kata exactly; actual combat is another matter
19. Do not forget the employment or withdrawal of power, the extension or contraction of the body, the swift or leisurely application of technique 
20. Be constantly mindful, diligent and resourceful in your pursuit of the way   

So there you are, the guiding principles as specified by the founder himself. The relevance to fencing of some of them is obvious, others not so. I will leave them with you to ponder for a while, then I will return to the subject in subsequent posts......


* "The Twenty Guiding Principles of Karate - the Spritual Legacy of the Master" Gichin Funakoshi. Translated by John Teramoto. Kodansha International 2003      

The Theory of Relativity

One of the things that has always amused me as a coach is how the enthusiasm and energy levels of fights between young students rises meteorically when it concerns siblings. I was coaching a group of younglings this weekend and things were going pretty well, quite relaxed and some good fencing until brother and sister Eduardo and Francesca faced off. Then it was carnage a go go! Francesca (who I think is about nine or ten) suddenly became a whirling dervish when faced with her brother, but at least they didn't hurt each other.... too much!
I had to smile later on when presiding a fight. Francesca was judging for her brother and raised her hand enthusiastically signalling a hit. I halted the fight even though I hadn't seen a hit and enquired "So Eduardo has scored a good hit...?" I could almost see the cogs whirring as realisation dawned that she was just about to award her brother a point. Hand still held proudly aloft, she frowned and said definitely "NO....."
As I said, I had to smile..... Just one of the perilous but humorous dangers of coaching children!       

Happy Birthday Ali

Muhammad Ali is 70 today. Here’s a selection of quotes from The Greatest


"Champions aren't made in gyms, champions are made from something they have deep inside them - a desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have last-minute stamina, they have to be a little faster, they have to have the skill and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill."

"When you can whip any man in the world, you never know peace."

"A man who views the world the same at 50 as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life."

"I'm the best. I just haven't played yet." Ali on golf

"I'm so fast that last night I turned off the light switch in my hotel room and was in bed before the room was dark."

"The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses - behind the lines, in the gym, and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights."

"I think maybe my Parkinson's is God's way of reminding me what is important. It slowed me down and caused me to listen rather than talk. Actually, people pay more attention to me now because I don't talk as much."

Fifty steps, one hundred steps

I read an interesting Japanese saying recently; "Gojuppo hyappo" which translates as "fifty steps, one hundred steps" i.e. if you have taken fifty steps then make the effort to complete one hundred. This seems to be very apt as another year turns before us and we enter 2012. It is very easy to start something at this time of the year and then never finish it, whether it be that improved lunge, new diet, fitness regime, or that book you've been meaning to write. In fencing terms some budding fencers will walk into a salle for the first time ever this year, some student will win their first fight whilst other athletes will be hoping to stride onto the Olympic stage. Life is really nothing but a series of steps at the end of the day and whether you are taking a new path or struggling bravely along the old it serves well to take one at a time and keep putting one foot in front of the other. The path of fencing and indeed of life is really an endless one but it takes spirit sometimes to keep walking. Take all obstacles one step at a time; after all, we are all on the same path. Happy New Year to you all.  

And whilst I'm here.....

...... Happy Xmas to all you folks who keep on dropping by! And best wishes for a prosperous and successful New Year.  

Injury? Opportunity? Or Injuritunity….?

I have recently been talking to my students at length about utilising opportunities when they arise in fencing. One strange opportunity that I have been given over the last seven months is chronic tennis elbow. This is described as a low impact medical injury but anyone who has had it will know it is high impact on the sufferer. Basically it is like someone sticking a red hot needle into your elbow on a continuous basis. I injured mine at epee and have been unable to fence competitively (or do any circular actions against resistance) since mid-May. Initially this proved very frustrating and a tad depressing but I have come to regard it as an opportunity. Why? Well I have been able to spend more time on my coaching, particularly with our budding foilists and it has proven to time well spent. There is now a great sense of camaraderie within the group and I am getting regular requests for individual lessons. I have also taken great pleasure in seeing some new coaches beginning to thrive. This is really the ultimate pleasure for a coach, seeing some of his students taking on the mantle and enjoying it. So I guess the moral of the tale is that even though something may initially appear to be a major pain in the backside it can turn out to be an opportunity in the end!       

Fencing & Sherlock Holmes

With the release of the new Sherlock Holmes film I thought I’d post some of his quotes which in my opinion relate well to fencing. Which is after all, all about solving problems……..


“You see, but you do not observe. The distinction is clear”

“The little things are infinitely the most important”

“There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact”

“There should be no combination of events for which the wit of man cannot conceive an explanation”

“Education never ends Watson. It is a series of lesson with the greatest for last”

“Things must be done decently and in order”

“We can but try”

Think about them and see if you can see the relevance.......

Stealing Arrows

I watched a John Woo film called “Red Cliff” last night and was struck by one particular scene. The story was about a group of Lords who stood up to a tyrannical Prime Minister in ancient China despite being out-numbered and isolated. At one point they run out of arrows and their venerable and knowledgeable chancellor hatches a cunning plot to steal some from the enemy. He sails some ships toward the enemy fleet in a thick fog and provokes the complacent enemy generals into firing volley after volley into his cleverly padded flotilla, thus collecting a huge amount of arrows for their cause. The enemy do not realise they have been duped until it is too late, believing that their superior resources and strength will gain them victory. Their over-confidence in their own strength proves costly.


It struck me that there are parallels in fencing. Have you ever met an opponent who was so sure of one technique that they used nothing else? Perhaps a compound attack or a parry riposte that they did repeatedly? In effect they are presenting you with an opportunity to steal their arrows…. That compound attack could be provoked and defeated by revealing an opening then doing successive parries. That parry riposte could be defeated by a first counter. There are always opportunities to turn an opponent’s strength against them….

Leaving a Legacy

My Coach has finally had his book published, thus securing his fencing legacy in print! I’m proud to say that some of my line drawings have been included and although biased I can recommend the book as a good introduction to fencing and tactics.* If you’re interested you can find more details here
http://www.crowood.com/details.asp?isbn=9781847973054&t=Fencing:-Crowood-Sports-Guides---Skills,-Tactics,-Training
or check out Amazon.

Maybe one day I’ll turn this blog into a book… I’ve already got a title in mind….



*I receive no royalties for this advertising!!

A little piece of advice - the Coaches' Dilemma

“In criticizing, the teacher is hoping to teach. That’s all” Bankei


One of the most difficult things about being a coach is being able to build a relationship with the student that allows for constructive criticism to be exchanged. Whilst praise is important, it is only one half of the job. If it is not supplemented with constructive advice on improvement then it will just falsely inflate the student’s opinion of their abilities.
It is a delicate aspect of the coaches' work and I have seen many a young coach falter the first time they run a class and have to give advice on improvement as they don’t know how to phrase it, neither do they wish to cause affront. Like most things though, there are techniques that can make this easier for both the student and the teacher.

Always start from a neutral position: Start your feedback with something neutral like “I’ve been watching you fence for a while now and have a few observations if you’re interested….” This invites the attention and participation of a student and gives you as the coach an indication of their willingness to connect.

Move to a positive first: Continue with a positive statement such as “you have a very good lunge”. This gets a positive vibe going.

Avoid the “but” word: Don’t finish your praise with “but” as this does two things; it prevents the student absorbing the positive message by leaving no sentence break and it also subconsciously negates the first part of your positive feedback. Try using other words instead of “but” such as “however” or pause and use phrases like “it seems to me that…..” or “I did notice that…..” Have a look at the following sentence and experiment with other phrases like the above to see which impact you prefer. “You’ve got a really good lunge….. but your parry riposte could be improved”

Use positive words: Never say “your parry riposte is bad”. Rather try “your parry riposte would be even better if…” It’s a subconscious law that the human brain will fixate on negativity and even reproduce that behaviour subconsciously. It’s a bit like the story about the best magical medicine in the world. It would heal anything as long as you don’t think of a monkey whilst drinking it…..

Clearly demonstrate what you are explaining: Always accompany verbal feedback with a physical demonstration if possible.

Give a goal: Throw in something that gives the student something to aim at and a reason to take the feedback on board. “Doing it this way will mean you’ll get more hits” or “Retaining point control will allow you to make your riposte quicker” etc

Finish with praise: Any feedback discussion should always end with something positive. A brief “well done” or “keep up the good work” is a good finishing line.

Be prepared for the student to rebuff advice: Some people need time to digest information and may not take it in initially. Last Saturday a student responded to my advice on their distance work on compound attacks with “Well I haven’t been well this week and I probably shouldn’t be fencing at all really….” I just smiled and said “Ok, but do think about the different distances between a compound and simple attack. It will help you score more points”. Without wishing to be generalist and gender-ist, I find ladies are much better at listening to and considering advice. Men (and particularly young men) are not so disposed to listen so you might have to repeat it a few times.

Giving feedback is a skill but like most skills it can be improved with a little thought and plenty of practice. Feedback on this post is welcomed!!