Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Refereeing!
So yesterday, a teammate of mine had to referee a competition so he asked if I wanted to help out as well so I did. It was really for kids so I didn't have to be AMAZING or anything to do it. Anyway, this experience showed me how like, some calls really are difficult for referees, especially if it could change the whole game altogether. So I feel like when we are fencing, we put way too much pressure on referees, we can't expect perfectness in a game that's basically subjective at times! Really, fencing involves a fair dose of working with the flaws of the referee (well, my coach says that). If the referee can't see a lot of parries at 6, then you might have to make a more obvious parry with a circular-4 etc. Anyway, this post is just a short rant about referees in fencing!
Monday, February 7, 2011
Hi to all my friends!
Hey guys, glad you came to see the blog, i know it's not much but it'll get better. I'm thinking I'll start blogging about other stuff in general as well! anyway, tell your friends about it too!
thanks! duncan. here's a picture of something random!
thanks! duncan. here's a picture of something random!
What I feel about Epee
So obviously, fencing is made up of three subsections, foil, epee and sabre. While foil is the blade I fence, I wouldn't mind talking about the other 2 weapons as well. Today, I want to discuss a bit about Epee.
I'm not going to get into the specifics of history, instead I want to give a brief overview and then mostly my opinion!
Epee involves, like Foil, pressing the tip of the blade into the opponent. Unlike Foil (and Sabre), Epee uses the entire body as a target and there is also no 'priority' system' (more on this later), so basically as long as you hit your opponent (and not the floor or whatnot) then you will get the point, no matter how you got it or if your opponent hit you as well (in which case you both get the point).
What do I think? I think Epee is pretty boring. Epee ends up being two people barely doing anything because both are worried that the other one will hit them. You see, attacking in Epee is especially a gamble because you close distance between you and them, thus, making it easier for them to hit you back. Add in the fact that you can hit ANYWHERE and you've got two totally paranoid fencers! They just hop around and do simple attacks once in a while. BORING. However, an advatnage to Epee is that it's the easiest by far to understand. Just hit the opponent and you get a point!
I'm not going to get into the specifics of history, instead I want to give a brief overview and then mostly my opinion!
Epee involves, like Foil, pressing the tip of the blade into the opponent. Unlike Foil (and Sabre), Epee uses the entire body as a target and there is also no 'priority' system' (more on this later), so basically as long as you hit your opponent (and not the floor or whatnot) then you will get the point, no matter how you got it or if your opponent hit you as well (in which case you both get the point).
What do I think? I think Epee is pretty boring. Epee ends up being two people barely doing anything because both are worried that the other one will hit them. You see, attacking in Epee is especially a gamble because you close distance between you and them, thus, making it easier for them to hit you back. Add in the fact that you can hit ANYWHERE and you've got two totally paranoid fencers! They just hop around and do simple attacks once in a while. BORING. However, an advatnage to Epee is that it's the easiest by far to understand. Just hit the opponent and you get a point!
Thursday, February 3, 2011
OK I cant wait! Here's my next post.
I couldn't wait to not post a new post, Im just so excited to tell my story about fencing without having to worry whether people want to know about it or not.
So, I also use Negrini blades. They're Italian and they're amazing. If you want reasonably bendy but not too stiff and also weight spread out across the entire blade, Negrinis are for you. it simply feels like it's the most professional blade to use. just google negrini and i'm sure you can find something.
So, I also use Negrini blades. They're Italian and they're amazing. If you want reasonably bendy but not too stiff and also weight spread out across the entire blade, Negrinis are for you. it simply feels like it's the most professional blade to use. just google negrini and i'm sure you can find something.
My Competition Yesterday
So I fence in Rochester, NY and so far my experience has been awesome but let's admit it, nothing great comes without struggle. The struggle, in this case, has been gut-wrenching at times but it has also produced some golden moments! I fenced at a local club's competition for D and Under ratings. I got 2nd!!! This means I'll probably be upgraded to a D!!! Isn't that awesome? Anyway, my coach is super happy.
So for my first real post, I wanna discuss the equipment I got. Firstly, the shoes. I use the Nike Ballestras and they are amazing. They made them for the olympics see this: http://www.leonpaulusa.com/acatalog/Nike_Air_Ballestra_Fencing_Shoes.html for a video. anyway, the grip and feeling with the floor is phenomenal. You feel everything. They are so light as well. Ok, that's all for this post. Comment what you'd like!
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