The Nightingale sings

I have noticed that a lot of fencers treat their opponent's sword as an obstacle or a barrier that they struggle to overcome. In this post I wish to discuss ways to do this and I am going to start by quoting an old Japanese saying;
If the nightingale won't sing, Nobunaga says "Kill it"
If the nightingale won't sing, Hideyoshi says "Make it want to sing"
If the nightingale won't sing, Ieyasu says "Wait"
This is a parable regarding three of the most influential figures in Japan's history and I'm not about to recount the details here. If you're interested enough you can google or wikipedia them! Suffice it to say that the three warlords had three different approaches to strategy*. So how does this relate to the problem of your opponent's sword?
If you take the example of Nobunaga you 'kill the obstacle' or 'leap the barricade'. Attack through the space between you and your opponent, neutralising their blade with yours by binds, beats or engagements. Pay no mind to the hindrance and strike at the real opponent.
If you take the example of Hideyoshi you make the obstacle go away by encouraging your opponent to attack you and score with parry ripostes. The barrier is no longer a barrier but a means to attain victory.
If you take the example of Ieyasu, you wait and see what your opponent is going to do, refraining from needlessly expending energy and inducing doubt into the mind of the opponent. Most people naturally feel uncomfortable with inaction and will have to do something. Once again the gap disappears, your rhythm changes and you take the initiative.
Your opponent's sword should never be considered an obstacle but should be treated as a means to an end.

* For the record Ieyasu was eventually the triumphal uniter of Japan and founded a long lasting dynasty by waiting until the conditions were exactly right to act.....

Insouciance

There is a time to be laid back and cool but presiding a fencing match is not one of them. When you are a President there is no room to be casual; you must win the confidence of the fencers, the coaches and the crowd. They must believe you are in charge and that you know what you are doing. If you are not fully confident in your presiding skills then here are a couple of tips: Call halt confidently - don't um and ah about it.
Before you say anything, think about what you have seen (not what the judges or the fencers tell you). Then use the judges to confirm the situation (i.e. have any hits actually been scored?) Phrase clearly - the fencers need to know what you are saying, so point to the scoring fencer once you award a hit. This removes ambiguity. Point to on guard lines if that is where you want the fencers to start, or point to the exact place you wish them to come on guard if no point has been scored.
Be definite in your language. If you don't know don't give anything! Presiding is not a debating circle - you are in charge the other people are there to help you.
All these factors will help make you a more professional and respected president.

Understanding Terrain

A great swordsman once wrote "Use whatever qualities of the setting you can, concentrating on taking advantage of the situation". Whilst he was predominantly discussing physical terrain, this advice can also extend to other aspects of the fencer's mind-set. If you are fencing steam foil and relying on the eye of the judges and the president to give you the points you need to vary your techniques to allow them to see what you are doing. Electric scoring apparatus is designed to deal in fractions of a second so using flicky or whippy techniques that are simply too difficult to spot will not lead to victory when you are depending on human error. I am not advocating slowing right down but in order to be given points the officials must be able to see what you are doing. You must use the situation you are in and take advantage of the conditions.

One hand clapping

Someone asked me today "what IS the sound of one hand clapping?" I guess they asked me because I have the reputation of being a "bit Zen". For those of you who don't know, the question above is a classic Zen koan or riddle designed to help the Zen practitioner transcend normal thinking and expand their mental horizons. It's totally counter-intuitive and quite obtuse and usually results in headaches, frustration and just occasionally something profound.
I don't have an answer to the koan but I can propose a fencing alternative...
"What is the sound of one foil parrying?"
It's all about duality....

Bob's Golden Triangle Theory

The following post has been sent to me by Robert, which is a first for this blog! It's great to have other people's contributions to share and consider so here it is...

"Fencing has three main aspects:
1. Confidence - the state of mind to fully execute a manouver regardless of consequences
2. Technique - the mastery of blade and foot-work actions to attack and defend
3. Timing - knowing when to attack or defend

Without confidence, techniques (regardless of their execution and level of skill) will fail. Also, timing will not help becuase there is no conviction that the timing is right.

Without technique points will come by luck. Timing will be useless if the technique is poor and however confident you are, you need technique to land the hits.

Without timing techniques will fail since they will be matched due to bad choice of time. Confidence will not be of any use if you are confidently out of time at every juncture.

One must confidently choose the technique to employ and execute it with time to spare in a good technical fashion".

So there you are, thought provoking stuff! Hopefully those of you who read this blog regularly may be inspired to consider your own opinions. That's what this blog is all about....

Getting All Defensive

There are definite situations when as a fencer you want to execute a beautifully timed parry riposte. Let's consider some...
First, when you are being attacked. "Like Duhhh Dave" I hear you cry. Well indeed that is an obvious comment to make but it's amazing how many people don't parry attacks and instead either try and step back or in fact counter attack into them. I suppose it's a primal instinct to try and avoid an attack or hit back hard but in foil fencing it is counter-productive. In foil fencing you need to remain still while defending in order to make sure your distance is correct for the riposte. You must let the attack come to you and not try to avoid it. This does seem counter-intuitive at first but it is vital for defensive success. It's also vital that you remain in control of your balance and foil point otherwise you are also destined to fail.
The second is when your riposte is defeated and returned to you. Never assume that a hit will succeed and always be ready to back it up with a successive move, such as a second counter riposte.
The third is when you want to be attacked. In other words you use body language to induce your opponent to attack you and therefore score with your parry riposte. This is harder than it looks and means you must be able to get close enough to make your opponent want to attack you and still give yourself enough time to parry it.
The fourth is when you are tired. If you are feeling fatigued try switching to a defensive mode. I tend to widen my feeet and extend my hand as far as possible, making more of a barrier for the opponent to break down.
Finally, go defensive if you are well ahead in a fight, say 13-4 up. Your opponent has to make the running, the clock is against them and you can conserve energy!
So these are a few things to think about. Remember a good defense is half your game plan!