Team Events and Tactics

There is a team event coming up in our area soon and my club is hoping to field some teams in various age groups. Team events are different animals all together when compared to individual competitions. The cumulative nature of the scoring means that once one team gets ahead it is defficult for the opponents to recover. In a team event you really need to work for your other two compatriots; if you are behind in a match, even if victory looks hopeless you must strive to score as many points as possible, thus narrowing the gap. There is no place for caution when behind in a team event as you only have a limited amount of time to try and close the gap, therefore you must attack. If you are ahead consolidation is the best ploy; gain points whilst not losing many and keep the lead. Protecting a lead is imperative and I have often seen team morale drop when a lead is narrowed by the opponents and then conceded.
It is also worth considering the order of your fencers. In my opinion it is best to have your strongest fencer fencing the last bout, therefore giving you the greatest chance of recovering from a deficit or finishing off the match. One bout can make all the difference in a team event and can turn a match completely on it's head. in view of this it is best to have a balanced team of roughly equal ability as a less experienced fencer can feel quite exposed in this format.
Whilst fencing is primarily an individual sport it provides an exciting variety to participate in a team event and all fencers should give it a go at some point.