Coaches are human too ... mostly
Haven't got anything specific to write about today so thought I'd give you an insight into a typical fencing Wednesday.
1500 hrs: Get a few spare moments at work to think about what I'm going to teach this evening. I'm not the world's greatest planner and have to take into account how many people might turn up which means I have to be reasonably flexible. But I guess this shows at least I'm not always making it up as I go along! Then it's back to work. This afternoon is spent on providing people's appraisal feedback and advising some of my team on the best way to get their work done. Pretty high energy output from me that leaves me a little strung out by the time I head home at...
1710 hrs: Jump in the car and head home for tea.
1915 hrs: Get changed for fencing. If I was a Kendoka (Someone who practices kendo) I would have an extremely complex ritual around putting my fencing kit on. In this case, it's more a case of remembering to put my breeches on under my tracksuit trousers and keeping my socks pulled up. The hardest sartorial decision is whether I need both my fleece and club rugby shirt. It's hot - I don't.
1930 hrs: Drive to the UEA where the club is held. Turn the stereo up and rehearse the lesson in my mind.
1945 hrs: Get to the club to find one of my class has arrived so far. Hmmm, not looking good. Do my usual stretching routine whilst the class warms up.
1955 hrs. Two more of my class have arrived so at least there'll be three plus me and I can do a group lesson. No-one seems to want to talk to me so I grab a few minutes in cross legged relaxing mode. I note that I have sat down squarely on a green line rather than a red line on the sports hall floor. Is this cosmically significant? Spend a few seconds condsidering and decide that, no, it isn't. At least this short period of quiet gives me a chance to dump some of the working day tension from the system though.
2005 hrs: My coach kicks off the mass group foil lesson and we work on inviting an opponent to attack so that you can score with a parry riposte. It's a nice lesson that then progresses onto first counter riposte as a tactical move. The regular Bright Spark in the club mumbles "Not this simple stuff again.." and I avoid the temptation to point out that when he's been fencing for twenty years he might just realise that nothing is simple and that just because you've done something perhaps 50 times does not make you an expert. You may have the breeches mate, but you've got to fill them. All this is outwardly manifested by a slight frown.
2030 hrs: The large class splits up and my group amble over, breathlessly awaiting the pearls of wisdom I am about to lay before them. Well, that's what I like to think! So I talk about the semi-circle in fencing. It's a nice follow on to last week's lesson about circular movements and we review the semi-circular bind from sixte to octave with an attack along the blade as an offensive move and then the parry of octave with both direct and indirect ripostes. I also throw in a revision of the semi-circular parry of seconde where the knuckles roll over to produce a much stronger parry and the riposte is made with a step in (but not a punch). As there are three students that means that someone has to pair up with me. As usual there isn't exactly a mad rush which I do worry about. Do I smell? Do I inspire such awe and respect that no-one wants to partner me? Anyway, my training partner gets excellent value from my individual attention. After a brief break for questions we look at successive parries after a request from one of the group. Nice little subject around octave-quarte and quarte-seconde parries. It's amazing how one simple move can be applied in so many different ways. But how am I going to follow this next week?!? The fencing rhomboid? The tetrahedron of control?!?
2100 hrs. It's time to fence and we decide on a winner stays on format to 7 points. Ben challenges me first so I have to mentally get from coaching mode to fencing mode. Start well and get 3 points on the board but then Ben comes back into it to lead 6-4. Step up a gear and take the match 7-6. It's always difficult to be 100% sure at non-electric fencing but the decisions seemed to be evenly balanced. I win so I stay on and fence Abby.
2109 hrs: Get hit by a brilliant fleche. The Coach in me is most impressed; the competitor in me thinks that I need to get hold of this one. Once again I come from behind to win 7- 5 (I think).
2115 hrs: It's time to take on Stuart a left hander who I have a running friendly rivalry with. Start poorly and go 3-0 down, come back into it and get to 5-4 down. By this time I have got well into the fencing groove and have become engrossed in the fight. The group are quite amused by my occasional shout of triumph at a good hit and mumblings at a bad one. It's not anything that I do deliberately, it just happens spontaneously. I am very pleased with a parry of seconde followed by a riposte to Stuart's flank that just happened instinctively; must be 'in the moment' there I think and by thinking it thereby ruin the moment! Unfortunately I can't quite regain the initiative and Stuart takes a well deserved victory. Once again I have just got into the right frame of mind just as the fighting is over. DOH!
2135 hrs: The evening is over and I bid my group good night until the next time. Have a bit of a chat with Andy my Coach after and we agree that "the winner stays on" is a good format, particularly from a fitness point of view. I do worry slightly that I might be dominating it but I'm not going to start throwing fights to compensate!
2145 hrs: Drive home. It's the mid-summer solstice tomorrow so it's almost still light. Put some BRMC on the stereo and hit the road. The lesson and the fights have left me with a pretty satisfied feeling, sort of relaxed yet aware of everything at the same time. Feel like I could drive for miles with this sky and the music but figure it's time to get home and get ready for another busy day tomorrow!
My favourite hit of the evening? That parry riposte to Stuart's flank. My favourite hit ON me for the evening? Abby's splendidly surprising fleche. Where did that come from?!?
So there you go. My evening from my perspective; it's a funny old world
1500 hrs: Get a few spare moments at work to think about what I'm going to teach this evening. I'm not the world's greatest planner and have to take into account how many people might turn up which means I have to be reasonably flexible. But I guess this shows at least I'm not always making it up as I go along! Then it's back to work. This afternoon is spent on providing people's appraisal feedback and advising some of my team on the best way to get their work done. Pretty high energy output from me that leaves me a little strung out by the time I head home at...
1710 hrs: Jump in the car and head home for tea.
1915 hrs: Get changed for fencing. If I was a Kendoka (Someone who practices kendo) I would have an extremely complex ritual around putting my fencing kit on. In this case, it's more a case of remembering to put my breeches on under my tracksuit trousers and keeping my socks pulled up. The hardest sartorial decision is whether I need both my fleece and club rugby shirt. It's hot - I don't.
1930 hrs: Drive to the UEA where the club is held. Turn the stereo up and rehearse the lesson in my mind.
1945 hrs: Get to the club to find one of my class has arrived so far. Hmmm, not looking good. Do my usual stretching routine whilst the class warms up.
1955 hrs. Two more of my class have arrived so at least there'll be three plus me and I can do a group lesson. No-one seems to want to talk to me so I grab a few minutes in cross legged relaxing mode. I note that I have sat down squarely on a green line rather than a red line on the sports hall floor. Is this cosmically significant? Spend a few seconds condsidering and decide that, no, it isn't. At least this short period of quiet gives me a chance to dump some of the working day tension from the system though.
2005 hrs: My coach kicks off the mass group foil lesson and we work on inviting an opponent to attack so that you can score with a parry riposte. It's a nice lesson that then progresses onto first counter riposte as a tactical move. The regular Bright Spark in the club mumbles "Not this simple stuff again.." and I avoid the temptation to point out that when he's been fencing for twenty years he might just realise that nothing is simple and that just because you've done something perhaps 50 times does not make you an expert. You may have the breeches mate, but you've got to fill them. All this is outwardly manifested by a slight frown.
2030 hrs: The large class splits up and my group amble over, breathlessly awaiting the pearls of wisdom I am about to lay before them. Well, that's what I like to think! So I talk about the semi-circle in fencing. It's a nice follow on to last week's lesson about circular movements and we review the semi-circular bind from sixte to octave with an attack along the blade as an offensive move and then the parry of octave with both direct and indirect ripostes. I also throw in a revision of the semi-circular parry of seconde where the knuckles roll over to produce a much stronger parry and the riposte is made with a step in (but not a punch). As there are three students that means that someone has to pair up with me. As usual there isn't exactly a mad rush which I do worry about. Do I smell? Do I inspire such awe and respect that no-one wants to partner me? Anyway, my training partner gets excellent value from my individual attention. After a brief break for questions we look at successive parries after a request from one of the group. Nice little subject around octave-quarte and quarte-seconde parries. It's amazing how one simple move can be applied in so many different ways. But how am I going to follow this next week?!? The fencing rhomboid? The tetrahedron of control?!?
2100 hrs. It's time to fence and we decide on a winner stays on format to 7 points. Ben challenges me first so I have to mentally get from coaching mode to fencing mode. Start well and get 3 points on the board but then Ben comes back into it to lead 6-4. Step up a gear and take the match 7-6. It's always difficult to be 100% sure at non-electric fencing but the decisions seemed to be evenly balanced. I win so I stay on and fence Abby.
2109 hrs: Get hit by a brilliant fleche. The Coach in me is most impressed; the competitor in me thinks that I need to get hold of this one. Once again I come from behind to win 7- 5 (I think).
2115 hrs: It's time to take on Stuart a left hander who I have a running friendly rivalry with. Start poorly and go 3-0 down, come back into it and get to 5-4 down. By this time I have got well into the fencing groove and have become engrossed in the fight. The group are quite amused by my occasional shout of triumph at a good hit and mumblings at a bad one. It's not anything that I do deliberately, it just happens spontaneously. I am very pleased with a parry of seconde followed by a riposte to Stuart's flank that just happened instinctively; must be 'in the moment' there I think and by thinking it thereby ruin the moment! Unfortunately I can't quite regain the initiative and Stuart takes a well deserved victory. Once again I have just got into the right frame of mind just as the fighting is over. DOH!
2135 hrs: The evening is over and I bid my group good night until the next time. Have a bit of a chat with Andy my Coach after and we agree that "the winner stays on" is a good format, particularly from a fitness point of view. I do worry slightly that I might be dominating it but I'm not going to start throwing fights to compensate!
2145 hrs: Drive home. It's the mid-summer solstice tomorrow so it's almost still light. Put some BRMC on the stereo and hit the road. The lesson and the fights have left me with a pretty satisfied feeling, sort of relaxed yet aware of everything at the same time. Feel like I could drive for miles with this sky and the music but figure it's time to get home and get ready for another busy day tomorrow!
My favourite hit of the evening? That parry riposte to Stuart's flank. My favourite hit ON me for the evening? Abby's splendidly surprising fleche. Where did that come from?!?
So there you go. My evening from my perspective; it's a funny old world
posted by Dave at
11:00 AM
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