Ladies & gentlemen.... the President

I was called upon to give some coaching tips about presiding foil matches at the club the other night when someone asked for some guidance. This (in a much more structured order) is what I said:

• Don't look at either fencer. Focus beyond them as most of the time your general view and peripheral vision will give you enough data to decide priority. Don't look at the leaves, look at the tree.
• When calling a halt the first thing to decide is how many hits were there? If there was only one, rest easy. If there were two you need to decide priority.....
• If you can't decide priority within the first ten seconds after calling the halt you're not likely to decide at all
• It's ok to not know priority in the case of simultaneous attacks and is a lot better than arbitrarily guessing!
• Parry ripostes and beat attacks look very similar at speed. Be careful you spot which has just occurred.
• Never change your mind, particularly if questioned, unless a fencer acknowledges a hit that you hadn't seen. Even then, it may not change your final decision
• Project your voice and take control
• Be clear with your explanations and clearly indicate who scored
• Be prepared to explain further to the fencer who has been hit
• Give clear instructions to the fencers regarding coming on guard, retreating to the on guard lines, remaining where they are etc

Presiding epee is a slightly easier affair you just have to look out for floor hits

 

In general presiding can seem initially daunting but it does improve one's understanding of the game and I believe it does add benefit to your fencing life. Give it a try, you might just like it!