Dishonorable Fencing vs. Playing the Game

One of my favorite rap lines goes like this:

"Now who ain't goin home? Looks like you
You hear strike one, talkin ****, strike two
Won't be a strike three, cause I don't play fair
I'ma look you in your eye while he hit you from the rear"
(DMX - No Sunshine)

To me, the line is staying that the rules don't always apply when the game is on the line. In a life or death situation - there is no such thing as cheating, you do what you must to survive.

In sports, it's another matter. For example, in football it is the job of the officials and opposing coaches to recognize rule infractions and mistakes to keep the game fair. If a tailback's foot goes out of bounds, if a quarterback fumbles a football forward three yards within the last 2 minutes of the game and recovers - the referrees must make the right call. If they don't, the offending team ain't gonna just own up to it until after the game is over. On the other hand in golf - there is an official who knows the rules, but you are expected to enforce the penalties on yourself, a true game of honor.

Fencing is somewhere in between. It is considered a game of gentlemen, but it's origins are from the life or death situation mentioned above. There is a referee who must know the rules and dole out penalties, but the fencers are expected by custom to acknowledge touches received both in practice and even in competition. If you refuse to acknowledge an obvious touch, it leaves a bad taste in the mouth of all who witnesses such dishonesty. However, if you land a touch during a less obvious corps-a-corps, then arguing the touch was before the contact is simply part of the game.

When I fence, I can be physical, and I have a strong knowledge of the rules. Plus, I observe the behavior of the referree. If I feel the ref can be influenced, then at the right moment, I will do my best to take advantage. I don't feel that is cheating - it's just part of the game. However, if a wild remise grazes my ankle on a wood piste - I am going to acknowledge and accept the touch, anything less would be dishonorable.

A couple years ago I fenced a very tough local tournament at Vanderbilt. We were in DEs, and I was fencing an older teenager on the gym floor. He was tough, but I landed a foot touch and he refused to acknowledge it. The crowd laughed when I let go my epee, and it stood up inside the kid's sock. Not only did I get the touch, but the kid rightly felt like a fool, and he lost any credibilty with the referee. In fencing, especially in foil and saber, crediblity is everything. In epee fencing on a non-grounded piste, credibility counts for a LOT - especially if the referee is inexperienced.

I am no Dudley Do-Right, so my gauge is this... If the touch plainly landed on me, so that I could see and or feel it - I acknowledge without hesitation. Often I acknowledge wrongly because I was able to lock out the computer with my own touch a few milliseconds before. If the referee disagrees, I will plead my perspective once, and then let it go. Of course, if it is a touch in my favor I would plead my side as much and as loudly as I can get away with, without hurting my chances. If there is an honest question on the touch being scored against me, I will remain silent and let the referee sort it out. And if I know I was not touched or the touch was not valid, I will protest vehemently.

The worst is someone who refuses to acknowledge a valid touch - the only solution then is to request floor judges, or just hit harder.

FIE Card

If fencing ever developed a baseball type card - here's what mine would look like on the back.

http://www.fie.ch/Competitions/FencerDetail.aspx?param=8961EBEEA2732CDE097C93B47FD32436

More of the Same

One troubling point is that I am a much better fencer now than I was when I was 50lbs lighter. That is just scary. I just got home from a 60min run/jog/powerwalk just to put more pressure on my body to get leaner.

Dunwoody FC hosted the Bruce Fulsner Open yesterday, and I again came in 13th. Admittedly, it was a tougher tournament than the last one, so it could be seen as an improvement, but I would like to make the round of 8 or 4 more than once a year. I think I am on the right track, but I still feel a bit uncomfortable in my current gameplan. More practice should help - only I am traveling this week and next. Ugh.

Best fencing quote of the tournament:

(Coach to fencer referring to me) "Look at that guy! You can't hit THAT big a target?" I was too amused to be insulted, plus I had no intention of losing.

Say Hello To Atlanta's Newest Fencing Coach

After seven or so years, some bruises, many victories, piles of defeats, great memories, and lots and lots of money, my coach and the United States Fencing Coaches Association saw fit to award me the title of Assistant Moniteur - making me an official certified fencing coach.

This is something I have always wanted, even before I realized there is no money in it. The fact I make way more money drawing graphs and diagrams in Powerpoint than doing anything really cool is a crying shame.

One thing that will help in this new endeavor is actually finishing Dr. Kogler's book, "One Touch At A Time." After a disappointing 3-2 pool record paired with a 12th finish last Saturday (nevermind I missed practice for a week), I read a few pages of his book on the plane today. Every mental battle I had that day had an answer in that book. Dr. Kogler specifically argues that fencing is one of those sports one does not get fired up for. Any sport that requires fine motor skills and precise decision making requires cold blood, not hot excitement. In other words, watching Varsity Blues, Braveheart, and channeling Joey Porter is only gonna lead to disaster. FIX YO PREP!!!

Still training for the Div I NAC and Regional Open Circuit events this season. Since damn near half of the active members in the club are now Cs and up, going to practice will be very productive.

Matching Expectations With Reality

One of the hardest things to do is fence someone you know as they improve. Their mistakes are obvious, but their adjustments and improvements aren't - especially in the middle of a bout. Which is how a 9-2 lead turns into a 13-15 loss with 0:01 left in the match. That loss was in the round of 16 at the latest Dunwoody tournament, and I was so exhausted after that bout there wouldn't have been much hope of winning the next bout in the round of 8. Part of the problem was my 2-2 pool record, mostly due to weapons problems - although I had a close call in my first bout. Coming back 5 unanswered to win 5-3 is impressive, but it's also symptomatic of the fact that I didn't warm up.

And even though I was angry enough to murder for the 30 mins after the loss (unless you are a close friend, clubmate, coach, or relative - do NOT approach someone right after they are knocked out of an event if you want to keep your teeth or your composure), I made the 16 which is an accomplishment - as meager as that seems. Since I earned my B in late 2007, I've competed in 18 local tournaments (22 total) in foil and epee - and in only five of them (A2 level) have I made the round of 8 or better. Two of the 18 were foil (Div 3 events) events and I made the 8 in both of them. If my interest is stacking up medals, it seems foil would be the way to go until I place out of Division 3 in that weapon too. Unfortunately, my interest is improving in epee - which means that my expectations should better match reality.

So while winning is the overall goal everyday, and touching without being touched is the immediate goal - the realistic stretch goal at this point is to at least make the round of 4/8 and to win enough pool bouts in every event to make the top 75%. It will be tough, but the good news is that I am have lately been hitting these targets.

On To Nationals

The GA Division Championships were last weekend, and well - yeah. I decided to not compete in any individual events this time around. The nice reason is that I haven't been to practice because of work, and wasn't sure I'd do well. The not nice and other reason was that I had friends in town all week and I knew I would be hungover if not passed out by close of check-in at 8:30am. These two reasons are also why I haven't competed as much inside Georgia as in the past. National and out of region events get on my calendar well in advance of any planned shenanigans.

And I sucked royally in the team events. I gained some weight because I haven't been to the gym in two months, and work stress has made it worse. Plus I haven't been to two practices in a row in the same period - so my distance perception was in the trash. I have less than three weeks to turn both those problems around.

The first step will be eliminating the shenanigans until after Nationals. That won't be easy. The good news is after I return from Austin, you will be able to find me at Mr C's. It's convenient to many of the fencing clubs in ATL - see you there.

Back To The Drawing Board

Lately I feel very emo updating this thing. There is a history of emo kids being in my club. Maybe it is spreading, like swine flu. I think I caught that too a couple weeks ago.

Southeast Sectionals was awful. I can blame the strips that felt like less stable boogie boards all I want; everyone else was in the same predicament. I don't think I fenced badly, and I certainly didn't let wins in the pools walk away (a la up 4-3, losing 5-4). But there were wins I left on the table because I didn't chase them down like the lion after a healthy wildebeest, and one of those wins was in the first round of the DEs. The guy, a B2008, was good, but not that good. I tell myself it wasn't the booze I had during the day, but I realized I brought a whole box of Emergen-C to the event for a reason. Only I left it in the car during the event.

The good news is that SE Sectionals was the first Div I/IA event where I managed to do well enough to get promoted from pools to DEs, ever. The bad news is that this is the first DivI/IA event where I managed to do well enough to get promoted from pools to DEs, ever. Certainly solid fencers didn't even make it to the DEs in that event (and the others), but it's times like these where I realize I am not as good as I think I am. I don't think I suck in general, but I have not been bringing all the practice, drills, and lessons together into the pools in these events. And if you screw the pooch in pools at a Div I/IA event, you basically have a very expensive fencing vacation instead of a competition to enjoy.

I finally got Aladar Kogler's book, One Touch At A Time. Apparently it will teach me how to think positively - sorta like Oddball in Kelly's Heroes. I need to do something, all this travel is getting expensive and I would like something to show for it besides a nice bar bill.

Write the Score, that He May Not Embarrass Himself

One of the most disappointing times in a new fencer's career is when he faces an experienced teammate for the first time in competition. Perhaps the new fencer waited before competing, and does extremely well in practice. Chances are, that new fencer is gonna get stomped, and hard.

What a lot of newer folks fail to realize is that while you are meant to practice hard at the club, the mentality and incentives for success (and disincentives for failure) are a lot different when the score is being written and published. I might give up on a 15 or even a 5 touch bout on a Friday night after a long week and all I really want to do is get drunk with my friends. On a Saturday afternoon when my coaches are watching and you are facing me in the first round of DEs - you're toast. It's not that I don't take you seriously in practice, it just doesn't matter as much if I don't. Some fencers, and athletes in general, cannot mentally make the seperation between competition speed and practice speed - others can.

One thing that does help is treating the practice bouts like a competition, or really just writing down the score. Not "keep score," but physically making a pool scoresheet and dutifully filling it in. Suddenly letting the newbie get three free touches isn't such a good idea any more. Even an adult like me who understands the psychology gets caught up in the faux competition. And even if no one cares a week after its over, winning that pool suddenly matters for that night, and now every touch matters.

God told Habbakuk to "Write the vision, make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it." The idea was that if you write something plainly and clearly, the message will shine through to the reader and inspire him to act. If a new fencer needs a highly competitive fencer to give 100%, just ask that someone writes and posts the score - that will get his undivided attention.

Battling Back To Southeast Sectionals

In tough economic times two things happen to workers on every level of an organization: they either lose their job, or their job becomes ten times more demanding. Thankfully (I think), my situation is the latter. I can't make it to the Portland NAC, so no opportunity to get Senior National points this season. I placed 8th in the last A2 level tournament in GA - which, while a strong finish, doesn't improve my rating. Worse, there is no potential A2 (or even B2) event before Southeast Sectionals in Lakeland, FL. Not that it matters - most folks who are preregistered are As and Bs anyway - seeding into the pools is a moot point.

My biggest issue is the internal mental battle between waiting to see opportunities to score on the strip, and creating opportunities to score on the strip. I am adept at the former, not so much at the later. Unfortunately, the better the fencer, the fewer unforced errors there will be to exploit for a touch. These days I try to create an opportunity, and if I don't screw it up and get it, I only score on the remise, or after some weird in-fighting where I can drop my hand and hit in a low six - which looks almost like a shank move.

Obviously practice helps, but it is difficult to recreate that tournament atmosphere on a weekday night when I am tired and frustrated from work and all I want to do is hit something really hard.

Learning to Fence All Over Again

This past weekend I competed at the Arnold Fencing Classic, part of the Arnold (Terminator) Sports Festival. The event was also a FIE Satellite World Cup, which meant if I didn't get my ass handed to me I would end up with International points.

However, I did get my ass handed to me, so all I got was a t-shirt with my name on it (in a legible font size at least) and nifty lapel pins.

The worst was that even though everyone there was better than me, I didn't feel as outclassed as I thought I would. I beat the guy mentioned in this website, but no one else. I think 60% of my defeats were psychological - part of me felt like I wasn't ready for that level. I was making good decisions, but I wasn't confident in making the touch. And of course 40% was that my body was just not where it need to be. I hadn't trained as much as I would have liked, thanks to work, and I was a couple hairs too slow.

The difference is that I was used to being in a pool of seven where 2 bouts were gonna be tough, and a good day vs. a bad one would be having a 6-0 record vs. a 4-2 record. At the World Cups and Div I NACs, I've never gotten a lucky draw so every touch is precious, much less every win. It almost feels like I am starting over, like I am learning how to fence all over again.

Next up is a local tournament where I can earn my A, and then on to Portland for the NAC. If I can get my act together at these two events - I may even enter the World Cup in San Juan... and that could be a lot of fun!

Year in Review - Hush the Noise

Driving home to Atlanta from Missouri was tough. It was the day after Christmas, I was tired, and the road was uneventful. After I got into Kentucky (I-57 to I 24 East), I put on Lil Jon's "Crunkjuice," figuring that getting crunk would at least keep me awake.

One of the tracks has a repeated line (I know, which ones aren't) that disses people who talk about folks behind their back. That immediately brought my mind to the last tournament of 2008 - the Dunwoody Southern Star. I came off a disappointing showing in Colorado Springs at the NAC C, and wanted some personal redemption at this local event. Due to waking up early to referee the E and Under event before, or the alcohol I had the night before, or the stress from traveling from ATL to DEN to COS back to ATL and then on to ORD and then a delayed red eye flight back to ATL, I crapped the bed in the pools. Worse, the score in the round of 64 DE was too close for comfort. Even with a four touch lead, I felt like the new kid in school wearing khakis trying to hold in a bout of mudbutt. Then I lost in the round of 32 to the #1 seed.

Losing was bad, feeling like a hack was annoying, but what pissed me off was hearing people talk about me when they saw the standings after pools. I am sure it has happened before - my 2008 fencing career was a dogpile compared to 2007 - but it has never been a relevant issue in the past.

When I was a U, not placing at the bottom was a victory. Plus I had to win my pool in an open to secure a high enough seeding just to get an E. Now, here I am as a B struggling to pull .500 out of pools. I was in better shape last year, but I also had a less stressful job (and admittedly, less money). It seems like my fencing is always at the mercy of the time vs. money resource battle.

In 2009, I don't want to spend weeks on end fasting and abstaining from fun just to place at locals, but I am going to work harder to stay in shape, and keep a positive attitude. My success is going to be doing the right little things all year, rather than cramming them in the week before an event.

And to the haters out there... to paraphrase Lil Jon, I'm in fencing to have fun and win - you're in this to hate and lose.

GA Division/State Championships This Weekend...

...And I was drunk last night. Those of you who actually read this thing know I typically avoid red meat and booze a full week before I have a competition. The SE Sectional Championship blew that regime to hell.

At that tournament, I got my ass absolutely handed to me on a silver charger, with a bit of humiliation for garnish. Losing 0-5 to one of the best fencers in the Southeast is one thing; losing to a guy I have fenced four times in competition only to fall after a lead is another; losing to some random jackass hurt a lot. After an all too gentle scolding from my coach I pulled it together in the DE only to lose to her son in the second round. It was just as well, he lost in the round following and he was just barely seeded high enough to qualify for Nationals in San Jose. I would have had to battle the best to at least the round of 8.

After that tournament, I kinda lost it a bit. Spirits broken and all that. Fencing wasn't just not fun, it wasn't gratifying. Giving up fun nights (and mornings) with friends to travel and compete just didn't sound like a good idea any more. So, no more crazy training regimes. No neglecting my social life so I can perfect the high septime flick to the back. I am going to stop thinking like Tiger Woods, and start thinking like Rocco Mediate. Sure, Woods beat Mediate with a cracked shin and a torn ACL; and Woods has a hot Swedish model for a wife and millions and millions of dollars. But Mediate finished a strong second, and will get a bunch of money for his trouble. And the second Swedish models become interested in American epee (or foil) fencing, the second I will be training hard every morning and night for competitions.

Until that second passes, I am just going to have fun on and off the piste.

Not to say the competition has nothing to fear from me and my team in Rome this weekend. I will just be a lot happier, win or lose. And I might be at Happy Hour tonight.

Time To Run The Table

The Southeast Section Championships are upon us. I talked a big game in January, now its time for that game to bear fruit. Things are a little worrisome right now. Since then I picked up a new job. I enjoy it, but there is a lot of travel, and I am not able to bust out the door at 4:59pm and make it to every practice early. Nor can I practice till 10pm with confidence that I can roll into work at 8:59:55am either. And out of the three tournaments I fenced in the last three months - my highest placement was top 16. That's not good.

The key of course is that I need to run my pools consistently. Even with a B, I need all the help I can get in the DEs; and I am not doing myself any favors by losing touches to weak fencers, and not killing the better ones.

If one subscribes to serendipity and invisible hands in the pot we call life - Iron Man comes out this weekend too. Looks like I may have good news come Sunday night.

Greater Composure

In The Art of the Foil, Luigi Barbasetti discusses a variety of techniques and tactics to use in a fencing bout. In the midst of these descriptions, he talks about the essence of championship fencing.

Here we reach the true "Art of Fencing," in which correct calculation and judgement, and greater composure, precision, rapidity and endurance - general superiority in swordsmanship - will and must turn the scale. (italics mine)

Greater composure was something that I lacked last night in practice. Frustrations over leaving my old job and starting a new one, finances, social life, and a host of other issues damaged my train of thought. I executed lunges and fleches on to someones point; habits and mistakes I thought I buried long ago crawled back to the surface.

It's for this reason I avoid inviting my friends to watch me fence. Not because having them there would be distracting - it's because if they are late or don't show up, it effects my concentration. The day I won my first individual gold medal, I had a rough going in the pools because I was expecting a "friend" to arrive any minute. Between pools and DEs I simply just accepted she wasn't coming, wrote her off in my mind, and then went on to win the whole damn thing. I never understood how much composure meant until that day.

Too often I let my mind and heart focus on things and issues that in the end do not matter. Keeping my thoughts clear and single-minded is the key to winning on and off the piste.

Low Expectations and Happiness Through Ignorance

The days when I could get raped 0-5 and 0-15 and smile sure were nice. My equipment was brand new, and I was in a really cool sport that I could brag about to my friends. Guys with letters after their name were scary, and getting any touches on them was a victory.

Now comes the days of bitter disappointment and discontent.

Today I fenced my first Division I event here in Atlanta in Men's Epee. I was expecting to get blown out, never mind that I am a B07. As it turns out, I am never as bad or slow as I think I am. Only one fencer in my pool lit me up with his speed, but that was my first bout - and I typically always lose my first bout at a national event. Every other pool bout I lost in a very competitive way. (5-4, 5-3, 5-3, 5-4*) If I lost all my bouts (I won one), or got destroyed in most of them, I would be happy. I would know that I still need to work to play at that level, and I would cheerfully train to do so. Instead, with the knowledge that I was two less cockups away from being 3-3 and actually making it to the Direct Elimination I am pretty pissed.

So here I sit, brooding, drinking a Sam Adams Winter Lager, with Black Sabbath's "Iron Man" playing in my head, scheming of how I am going to run the table at Sectionals in May.

I am coming for you.

* F'ing body cord crapped out on me. Weapon tests fine, after-bout examination by the armourers condemned the body cord. Not again.

Coaching - A New Frontier

This past weekend I directed epee for the GA Division Junior Olympic Qualifiers. It was an ok time, but very tiring. Floors designed for fencing shoes feel like hell when you are wearing boots. The benefit was that I got to hang out with my clubmates and friends, and see some very good fencing.

At the same time, I ended up coaching some of my female clubmates while our coach was with the men in DEs. The women's events were small enough to guarantee there would be no ethics issues with me coaching and directing. We have some quality up and coming fencers - but it seems that there is a fundamental difference in how young men and women mature in this sport. With the boys, they get the fire to win before they have the skill to make it happen. With the girls, they don't start developing confidence and fire until winning is almost unavoidable.

That little difference makes women so frustrating to coach. I am used to giving guys advice on how to beat unfamiliar opponents, "feint-disengage; draw the attack, then parry-sixte-riposte," etc. With the girls, it's stuff like, "eye of the tiger; don't be nice; win inside before you can win outside!" There was one phrase in particular - my fencer was in thrust distance, and needed only extend her point another inch to make an easy touch; yet she kinda hung out there in distance and got hit with a beat attack! I asked her what happpened in my patented concerned-but-the-anger-boils voice, and she simply said she couldn't do it. She knew she was close enough, my fencer just assumed the girl was better than her and it didn't occur she might have the upper hand, albeit briefly.

I know kids are supposed to have fun - but the girls are happy when they win and sad when they lose, so they are invested. How do you turn that investment into a fiery passion to win? Honestly, for a couple of them - that passion is the last piece of the championship puzzle.

When is a 9th place finish "awful?"

... When you are a B07 in an A2 tournament.

I got pretty wasted on New Year's Eve, but I seemed to be ok New Year's Day. Outside aggressive bowel movements in the morning, I thought the tournament in Marietta would work out pretty well.

The pool was exciting. I nearly beat the A in my pool, won a hard fought bout with the C, and cleaned up everyone else except for a brand new left handed fencer - who beat me 3-5. It was her second tournament, and everyone else in the pool smashed her. This didn't bode well.

With a 3-2 finish, I was seeded 9 of 27 before the DEs. I faced yet another, but more experienced, southpaw... but acceleration and fleches were enough to win the battle. The next bout was the 8th seed - a highly experienced, yet unrated, youth southpaw. Fencing under the pressure of a 3 touch deficit, odd calls, and my weapon unraveling in my hands finally took its toll on my booze soaked frame. Direct attacks weren't working, and fleche in prime worked enough to get me to keep trying this extremely difficult move over and over again. One parent said I even fenced too hard. At 12-15, I was upset, drenched, tired, and frustrated.

Back to the drawing board. And back to the no drink the week of a tournament rule.

No Shining At The Southern Star

The best thing about a pool of 8 is that you have seven chances to pull out a winning record. Unfortunately, I needed all seven chances to hit 4-3. While my loss to the other B in the pool was understandable, I let a clubmate get in my head for a 2-5 loss, and a U from Emory had a good day, beating me 5-4 with a command of the lead the whole time.

D.Es weren't much better... the round of 64 was ok, but I lost miserably to another B 15-10. Somehow, I wasn't catching my opponent's adjustment after I won the lead. I would get a one or two touch lead with an arm touch or parry-riposte, only to give it up when I went on the offensive. I need to learn to sit on a lead.

I need to remember that I won my B by taking my time, not getting over excited, and fighting for each touch. My head was in the game, not thinking about finishing out the bout. I am at my best when I fence one touch at a time. I oughta hire someone to shout that to me.

Latest Fencing Results

I crapped the bed at Vanderbilt, as usual. I never seem to do as well as I should there. Since it was my first as a B (epee), pools weren't tough - although a D came to play and beat me 5-3. Everyone else I handled pretty well.

My first DE was against a guy who looked like a pirate and refused to attack. My attack was awful that day (hangovers will do that) so I wasn't gonna spend all day chasing him down. I ended up winning 7-5. I lost the next round to an annoying little girl - and I really couldn't keep my head out of the beer I was hoping to drink long enough to beat her down.

It was just as well, I only had one clubmate still in, and we headed to an awesome microbrewery after he was done. Next time - I am bringing plenty of powerade and will go for blood.

Over Thanksgiving weekend I did a foil event in Suwanee. It was fun, after I got over the fact that neither my bodycords or any of my foils worked. I borrowed new foils and bodycords, and got reaquainted with a little thing called the off-target light. This light is what makes foil fencing like shot calling in pool (as opposed to "slop" pool and epee).

A big part of my epee game is hitting the edges and margins, "aim small, miss small." It involves landing on the hand, top or underside of the arm, the back, top edge of the shoulder, neck, and yes - sometimes the groin. I may not start an attack there, but I often end up there. In foil, I have a problem. Most of those areas can be protected by the tiniest shift of the body - and now I am not landing on the lame anymore. Most troublesome.

I also didn't use the coupe much at all, and it is a must have technique in foil - but can get you murdered in epee. I'll get 'em next time.

Pretty Girl Fencing for Mastercard

I am still experiencing the afterglow from getting my B in epee last weekend. Nothing but fencing related issues have been on my mind - which works out because I am getting ready for the Vandy Cumberland Open this Saturday. And while I was flipping channels (waiting for Ron Paul on the Tonight Show) I came across this Mastercard commercial on cable. It it Penelope Fortier an enchantingly beautiful song called "Favorite Things." And of course, she weaves a touche being scored against her into the song. I actually shed a tear... someone may be cured of cancer.





If Penelope would sing "Favorite Things" at a NAC or at Nationals, I would straight up cry. She has that great a voice.

EDIT: I just checked out Penelope's MySpace Music profile. Let's just say that the music lessons must have came between the stuff on her page and "Favorite Things." I'm not saying she's bad - just that there is a scratchy off harmony thing from the music on her site. But, I am no music critic.