"I sense a presence..."

Darth Vader was not the first person to sense the presence of an opponent. Eastern martial arts tradition provides many examples of an attacker being defeated simply by the presence or energy of the master he was facing. There is much discussion around the use of 'Ki' (or Chi) within martial arts whereby the presence or energy of the exponent is used to perfom incredible feats and defeat opponents without drawing a weapon. This is for the most part not applicable to modern western fencing but there is some mileage in exploring the idea of developing a presence on the piste.

Picture two different situations. In the first a fencer timidly enters the arena, fumbles around with the electric equipment, makes nervous eye contact with his opponent, presents an almost non-existent salute and retreats as soon as the bout begins. In the second the fencer boldly strides onto the piste, clips himself onto the equipment as if he was born to it, maintains eye contact with his opponent throughout his bold salute and advances in a controlled and aggressive manner when the bout begins. Now, assuming that the first fencer is not playing clever psychological mind games, who do you think is more likely to win the battle of wills within the fight? My money is on the second fencer. There is a lot to be said for presenting a strong presence on the piste, it can un-nerve a weaker opponent, provide you with a psychological advantage and also indirectly influence the President when it comes to decisions regarding rights of way etc. I'd much rather be like the second example than the first.

Many modern athletes develop a strong presence when they are competing, a classic example from recent times would be Muhammad Ali. You always knew when he was in the ring that he would take it over with his personality. Some critics condemned his behaviour as show boating; not in my book. Ali knew that a fight was won not only in the ring but also within his opponent's mind. He developed his personality and tactics to cause maximum disruption to his opponent out of the ring, thus greatly increasing his chances within it.

It well behoves the modern fencer to consider how they come across on the piste and how they can best use their personality and presence to enhance their chances of victory. Apply all your energy to the fight and see what you get in return.