What's your goal?

It's at this time of year that people tend to re-assess the direction they're going in and set themselves new goals to strive for over the next twelve months. I've certainly got a few of these that I'm considering at present. One of the things you need to remember when sorting out what you want to achieve in life is to make the goals you are aiming at achievable. It's best to start small and work your way towards something than aim too high and get despondent when you can't attain the virtually impossible heights you have set yourself to climb. This is why many people fail when trying to lose weight or quit smoking. Just suddenly stopping something is very difficult, so maybe it's better to cut down to start off with until you naturally stop. Also, if you're learning something new, don't expect to become an expert overnight, some things can take a lifetime to develop. At the moment I am developing my knowledge of the art of Japanese Calligraphy. Trouble is, the more I study it the more I realise I have a huge amount to learn! I'm not even good enough to be called bad yet! So I have set myself a goal to practice the simple strokes repeatedly. It may not be very excting but it's a start...

So in fencing terms, if you're struggling with a particular technique don't expect it to happen naturally just because you've set yourself a goal; start by trying to get it right once out of five or three times out of ten. Sometimes just trying to actually do it is a pretty good achievement!

Whatever your goal in 2007 I wish you well with it, so to all the readers of this blog, Happy New Year, may it be a successful and prosperous one!

Festive Greetings

Just a quick note to wish my huge readership of this blog a very Merry Xmas and a Happy and successful New Year!

"Secret Teachings"

Last night I was asked (Probably half in jest) to teach some secret techniques. Well, there's an interesting paradox about fencing and martial arts in general. The more secret something is the less astoundingly important and effective it's likely to be. For hundreds of years European fencing masters talked of "Passe Secreta" or secret moves that would ensure victory. This in all truth is nothing more than a marketing ploy to keep you coming back for more lessons!

A fencing Master named Thibaust invented the Mysterious Circle which was meant to provide an arithmetically certain method of victory. In reality it was so unwieldy that it never worked in a combat situation. However, as it was widely adopted by the Spanish School of fencing, Spanish fencers were unreasonably feared for many years!

The paradox is that it is actually the supposedly basic and obvious techniques that are more likely to ensure you victory on the piste. If you can master the art of footwork, timing and distance, your chances of victory are greatly increased! Complex techniqes are only likely to work in rare circumstances; it's the everyday that you must master.... So unfortunately I have no secrets to teach; just the foundations of the art.

Another Quote of the Week

A young monk found himself on the banks of a wide strong river. Seeing his master on the opposite bank he cried "Master, how shall I get to the other side?" The Master retorted angrily, "Fool! You are already on the other side!"

It's all about perception....

"It's rock Jim, but not as we know it..." or "Perception is a funny thing"

Last night I engaged in a lively discussion about Queen as a rock band. P-shaw! Said I, Queen.. a rock band? With songs like Bohemian Rhapsody, Find Me SomebodyTo Love, Don't Stop Me Now?!? (But they did). And as for that one about bicycles.... Now compare them to real rock bands like AC/DC, Creed etc. No competition, in my not so humble opinion. Anyhow, what has all this musical badinage got to do wth fencing you ask? Well, it got me thinking about perceoption and how different people's perception of the same thing will be completely different. Once again this was brought home to me during a bout when at 4- 4 my opponent was awarded a point for a two movement attack. I felt that I had scored (albeit off target) with my parry riposte then been hit, hence I should not have lost the point. However the President thought differently and awarded the point to the other side. I probably didn't help myself by exclaiming angrily when I hit off target on my riposte as this probably gave the impression I was conceding the hit. Yet another instance of perception of the same thing in two different ways. And the real truth of the matter is that neither I nor the President was wrong..... Another truth of the matter is that despite having fenced now for nearly 20 years I still forget to behave on the piste... More practice is in order!
As a footnote, I am prepared to concede that "We Will Rock You" and "Fat Bottomed Girls" do, in fact, rock.

Quote of the Week

"When serving, serve; When fighting, kill"
Jinzu

Practice

There is an old samurai saying "After victory, tighten the cords of your helmet". What did they mean by this? On face value it seems to be a warning not to get complacent when you have won, as the next enemy (and potential defeat) could be just around the corner. This was very practical advice for the Samurai as they lived in a world where conflict at individual and national level was commonplace. So what has this to do with the title of this post, 'Practice'? Well, I believe that this saying has more depth to it and different levels of meaning and value for the modern fencer. From a competitive point of view it is important not to get cocky when you are winning as more often than not this will lead to a reversal of fortune. There have been many times in my fencing career when I've been ahead in a fight and thought "This one's in the bag". Almost as soon as I thought it I had condemned myself to defeat! (Perversely, this also seems to apply when deliberately trying not to think that - the mind is a funny thing).

But I believe there is more to it than this. It is important as a fencer and student of fencing to always approach your practice or training from the point of an open mind. Just because you have done that disengage lunge countless times in training doesn't actually mean you are good at it. There are still times when I execute a simple technique like a lunge and I know I haven't got it right, which is particularly important when demonstrating techniques to a group. During the practice sessions in the salle it is important to practice even the simplest technique as if you are just learning it.

It is also important to maintain the correct behaviour whilst in the Salle and fencing. The other night I was fencing a bout against one of my students and felt that I had been struck on the arm. The Judge however believed I had been struck on target and the point was awarded to my opponent. Instead of accepting a different point of view with the correct amount of good grace I jokingly rubbed my arm and said "Ow". On reflection this behaviour was not acceptable. As a coach I should be prepared to accept the genuine opinions and decisions of others without comment in much the same way I expect others to respect my opinions and decisions. Thankfully I was only (half) joking with my behaviour but it is only a step to some of the truly petulant behaviour that blights competition today. Some might say I take my responsibilites too seriously but when you believe something is important that is the way it should be.
So when in a position of perceived superiority act humbly. After victory, tighten the cords of your helmet!

Quote of the week

"Blood sweat and tears really don't matter, it's the things that you do in this garden..."
The Levellers

Adaptation

Last night at the Salle I observed some brilliant adaptation by one fencer during a series of bouts. This fencer was particularly adept at flick hits and ripostes so it was lucky that these bouts were being run under the old timings. However, what he did demonstrate was the ability to change his technique when he needed to, which is not necessarily a characteristic of many 'flickers'. On the first occasion he was fencing one of my students who I had primed with the idea of stepping in and closing distance against his flick attack and scoring on his preparation. I was pleased to see my student make this work in practice as well as theory but was then equally impressed when the flicker changed his next attack to a simple lunge, thus defeating the counter-attack. I thought this was a pretty smart response and a good example of adapting to circumstances.
The next example was when the flick attack failed to work against a left handed fencer, landing flat on two or three occasions which exposed him to the counter attack. The flicker took longer to work this one out but eventually lunged to the left handers flank, rendering the counter attack useless as it was out of time.
These are just two good examples of how a fencer must be prepared to change their approach when required. Blindly following a strategy that isn't working is foolish and will simply lead to defeat. I posed the question to my group last night "How many times should you fleche in a bout?". I was pleased with the answer of "Once" as this indicated an understanding that repetition is not always a good thing. I was more pleased with the answer "As often as is required" as this demonstrated a deeper grasp of principles.
Musashi describes adaptability in his very eloquent "Mountain and Sea" section of the Fire Scroll. "Act as the sea when the enemy is like a mountain, and act as a mountain when the enemy is like the sea...."

Good days, bad days

This post in some strange way follows on from my previous post about rhythm. As a fencer there will be times when you fence really badly and there will be times when you fence really well. And a lot of times when you're somewhere in between! When you have bad days the tendency is to write it off as just that, a bad day at the office. The trick is to extract something positive from every experience and not dwell on the negative aspects of it. It is all to easy to grumble to yourself, "I shouldn't have done this, why did I do that?" etc. All this tends to do is reinforce the aspect of behaviour you are grumbling about. What you must do is dwell on the positive because that is what you want your subconscious to remember. Many a time a fencer is defeated by their own negative self talk just as much as the opponent's skill with the blade.

Conversely, when you fence well it is prudent not to get too stuck on this. It is best to just give yourself a pat on the back, analyse what went well and store it away for next time. Too much self congratulation can be equally as damaging, leading to complacency, lack of attention or perish the thought... arrogance. I used to be a really bad loser but at least I always tried to be a good winner....!

The really aware fencer recognises the rhythm of their own ability, the times when they can perform fencing miracles and the times when the basics are the safest bet. You must always be aware of not only your opponent, the tactical situation but also your own energy and abilities. Trying to execute complex attacks when the situation doesn't call for it will not lead to victory. You must adapt to the situation as circumstance demands. Musashi describes something like this within The Book of Five Rings in the Fire Scroll. He describes it as 'Ferrying Across'.
"For the martial arts, Ferrying Across is essential even in the midst of battle. Here you take into account the level of your opponent, judge your own degree of expertise and, using the principles of the martial arts, ferry across. It is the same for a good mariner ferrying across a sea route.
After Ferrying Across, you again feel at ease. In Ferrying Across you will generally gain a quick victory by bringing out the weaknesses in your opponent and taking the initiative yourself".

I interpret this as the ability to assess the situation both of your opponent and yourself and take the appropriate action to ensure victory. You should consider this well and practice it dilligently.