cyranoVR's Journal: I'm Leaving

Well, tonight I'm flying to Montreal for the first major fencing competition of the year. Of course, the USFA isn't awaring points for this event, so it's more of a "practice" competition for me.

Last night I had an awesome practice at the club. I don't know if I was pumped from smacking down Pudgy earlier in the day or what, but I fenced really well. I've gotten really good at recognizing when I'm fencing badly and changing - "forcing" myself to fence well.

Practice at the club is incredible. Last year, it was the same three guys every night. In the last two weeks, this has turned completely around. We've had middle-range fencers move to NYC school from Boston, Los Angeles and, last night, a new Italian guy. My friend who was in the car-accident last year has made a full (95%) recovery and will be competing. And several of our prospects are starting to come into their own as strong fencers.

So this year we have an average of 10 medium-strong fencers at an average practice (and that's not counting the women, who have consistently had a strong practice). Things are looking good.

Meanwhile, it is a *bad* time to be a foil fencer. The F.I.E changed the timings on the scoring machines: the point must be depressed a full 10 milliseconds. This doesn't sound like a lot, it in fact has had a tremendous impact: flicking is done. Kaput. Over. No more. The machine simply doesn't register flicks to the back because they happen so fast!

In addition, the "lockout time" is a lot shorter. That means that if your opponent hits you, you will have only 1.5 seconds to hit them before the machine locks out, disallowing your (late) touch. This will result in some "interesting" right-of-way calls.

So foil is completely changed. "Marching attacks" ending with flicks are obsolete. Ducking and "head-parries" are already making an unwelcome comeback. Unfortunately, it looks like most foil bouts will disolve into "hit-first-runaway" rather than games of precises distance and clean flicking encourged.

The real problem was that referees were giving priority to extreme-broken time attacks (i.e. hand behind head while rushing forward, ending with a flick to the back). But, since the FIE couldn't reign in it's incompetent referees, foilists the world over will have to suffer. Yay.

Prediction: at the first NAC, a scrub that doesn't belong there will make the top-8 using unconventional ducking attacks that only the flick could have solved. Men's foil will look like women's foil circa 1988: sloppy-ducking, "head parries," ugly broken-time attacks (it wasn't pretty).

* * *

MrsVR called just now (she's in Montreal ahead of me - I couldn't take the day off because it's the first day of the month). She went 3-3 in her pools and lost her first DE 14-15 :(

Still, I think that's a solid result for her given the strength of the Canadian Elite Circuit, and it is promising for the coming year.

So, we'll see how things go for me tomorrow...

Re:

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

A different perspective

[peacefinder]

[...] flicking is done. Kaput. Over. No more.

And this is a bad thing? :-)

Let me start off by saying that I know we don't share the same perspective on fencing. I am not now and never have been a competitive fencer.

I learned to fence about (gadzooks!) 15 years ago in college. I learned the classical visually-judged game, not the modern electrical game. Because judges are fallable, one had to make a touch dead obvious by holding a bent blade on target. If the judges have any experience at all, flicks simp

Re:A different perspective

[cyranoVR]

Surely you mean 0.15 seconds, not 1.50? How long is a "moment of fencing time" according to the current rules?

No, 1.5 seconds

Let's say you execute an attack which I parry. You duck with a fast remise, and I have to "search" for my riposte (normally, I would flick the ripose, but now I have to spend an extra half-second lining up a clean hit).

Normally, my riposte would have priority over the fast remise. However, due to the lockout time my light won't even go off! Now one could argue that 1.5 seconds is

Re:A different perspective

[peacefinder]

Hmm. I see. By virtue of your parry you have right-of-way, but your riposte could fall well after his remise. Fair enough. But can you really hold right-of-way that long? Straight arm, point in-line, the whole bit, for 1.5 seconds?

If I were directing a visual bout I think I'd say that a riposte delivered 1.5 seconds after a remise is indeed late, unless maybe the riposter was exceptionally dilligent about maintaining right-of-way. It seems to me that more than a "moment of fencing time" would have elapsed.

enjoy

[subgeek]

hope you enjoy your opening tourney for the year. i'll be rooting for you.

i have mixed feelings about the changes in foil. they've been threatening those changes for some time. in theory, it could make fencing look more like actual swordplay again. then again, it takes a developed skill out of the game and allows things that wouldn't work in a real sword fight defeat the better swordsman (target covering with mask).

Unfortunately, it looks like most foil bouts will disolve into "hit-first-runaway" rat

Angry

[Eluvias]

Most of the top foilists I've talked to do not like the changes. Personally, I like them a lot. It should give direct attacks priority over the flick, and the marches should be a lot less effective. The mask parry thing is a minor concern, but the trade-off is worth it.

I am glad I switched to epee, but if these changes look good then I might start competing nationally in foil again (but I'll never really go back).