Back to Basics

Greetings dear reader, summer is gone in the UK and like the autumn mists I have returned to haunt your web browser....
Over the last couple of months I have been trying to get back to basics as I have become increasingly frustrated with my epee fencing. I've felt graceless and somewhat bereft of ideas and as such have decided to really strip my techniques back to simple stuff with the help of Coach Andy. I believe that as a coach I should practice what I preach rather than flailing around like a distressed wildebeest and as such have returned to the simple joy of stop hits to the attacking wrist, cut overs to the wrist, sixte engagements and the odd feint at foot. Occasionally (and mainly as a legacy of foil) I throw in a parry riposte but in general I have really throttled back; gone are the desperate fleches (from wrong distance) and the wide blade work which had encroached on my enjoyment. I've been taking individual lessons and getting my head straight. Last Wednesday was the first time I have actually bouted for over a month and my austere regime did bear some fruit. I only won 1 out of 3 fights but I felt I fenced a hell of a lot better and that made all the difference to me which goes to show (in my book) that sometimes a complete re-boot is in order. It helps to have only a few techniques to think about deploying, keeps the mind a lot clearer and allows those techniques to develop through repetition. Improvement = satisfaction = confidence. So now I'm going to concentrate on fewer things, keep having the individual lessons and get back to enjoying my fencing matches again. Simples!