Road Trip Etiquette

This is one of those posts that I don't talk about fencing, but rather an aspect of traveling life in the US that most of us can relate to.

Road trips are meant to be a fun bonding experience for all of those involved. Even back when we had to make do with Game boys and Game Gears instead of texting and other detractors, we still talked to each other over the course of the long car ride. The awesome part of the long car ride is that it forces you to socially interact with people in an enclosed space over long periods of time. From this environment you learn more about the people in your car and probably about yourself too.

What kills me is people's insistence on using their dumb electronic gadgets to avoid all conversation with the other people in the car. Or better yet, they ignore your conversation until it gets interesting and then quip in until it gets boring again. Thank you for contributing nothing.

I have nothing against sleeping over distances. I understand that someone is tired after competing and all they want to do is sleep. I'll even let reading slide, but the gadget festival in my backseat has to stop.

TALK TO ME! I don't care if you have anything worthwhile to say! I am driving and it is in everyone's best interest to keep me awake! The conversations about the dumbest things are often the best conversations on a long road trip. Don't shield yourself behind Apple, Verizon, Sony, or Nintendo. I am unable to immerse myself in technological escapism. I am within 2 feet of you. I can reach you.

And to continue my rant, do you ever wonder how annoyed your friends must be at you constantly texting them for the next 5 hours? They must think you have no life, or assuming that you texted all of them that you are on the road, are in a car full of boring people. What you have basically communicated to your text friend is that everyone else in the car is awful. I'm not talking about sharing your tournament results or a brief funny story, I'm talking about the 4 hour conversation by text.

The reason your texting your friends about your boring car ride? You are the one making it boring. Yes, you. Not the two people talking to keep conversation and morale up, no, it's you. So the next time you text someone with "bored LOL," think about your responsibility as a road tripping human.

Tournament in hindsight

The best part of the Nov. 20 youth tournament: My kids realized that they had to move their feet. I have been saying it over and over, so many didn't think it was necessary, so many thought that bladework would work. And those that did, realized very quickly how important movement is. I am looking forward to this week of instruction as I plan to utilize this new found understanding. You can say something to a group of people repeatedly, but some things have to hit you across the back of the head before you'll sit up and start paying attention.

We will also fix the schedule so it doesn't run as late in the day. We're starting it a good 3 hours earlier and moving a few of the events around. The u19 event shrank because of the bad scheduling and that's just not fair to the people who registered and fenced. At the same time I can hardly be upset at students who fenced all day and then decided that the toughest event at the end of a long day wasn't necessary. I'll admit I'm a slave driver, but even slaves need the occasional break.

Vacation

I leave you with this image of silly people who refuse to move their feet.

I am Sick, and timed it well. No class for the remainder of the week. Everyone have a great Thanksgiving!

AHAHAHA!

To the Prevailing Attitude...

Despite my efforts at changing the perception of Saber within the Inland Empire, plenty of people still believe that Saber is more complicated than Foil or Epee.

All 3 weapons are equally deep and complicated. Just because Epee lacks priority does not mean that its easier. Foil is not easier because it usually moves slower than Saber. Saber is not easier because you don't need point control. Get over this. Now.

Each blade is complicated in it's own way. There's a reason why people like me can go on doing the same blade for 12 years and not get bored with it. I haven't stopped learning how to fence Saber and don't plan to reach the end for quite some time. The further you go in one weapon, the better you get at it. Period.

Nothing Quite Like Failure

Failure motivates people to do crazy things. It breeds frustration, anger, confusion, and hopefully determination.

I crafted an internal ranking system that is designed to increase the desire to improve within my students. I normally wouldn't say this sort of thing out loud, but I have a reputation for honesty and forthrightness to uphold. I want my students to be able to achieve something outside the often times draconian ranking system of the Letters. The system is also utilitarian as it is designed to allow students to become assistant coaches @ MFA and give their own private lessons.

Since it's introduction a week ago, students have responded exactly as I wanted them to. With resolve and determination to acquire the rank. As of this posting, only two students have passed the test out of about 13 that have tested. It is designed to look deceptively easy, even though I warned everyone that technique had to be executed to perfection to pass the test. When I first started practice testing, the class thought I was kidding when I said "I expect nobody to pass this test the first time you take it."

After the first student failed, the news traveled quickly throughout the class. When the next 3 failed, a ripple of fear spread throughout the room. Kids were suddenly paying much closer attention to the white board and talking to those who had already failed.

Next week I got the desired response. Kids had studied before taking the test and were far more focused on their own technique.

I can't wait to administer the Red bar test. I'm hoping to invoke tears ;)

This Grand Experiment

Here we stand near the end of another year at MFA. This year has been one of unprecedented growth. I'm going to take this opportunity to gloat.

Things we have now that we did not have last year:

-Consistent space and schedule
-Meeting more than once a week
-Students with medals to their names
-observed skill growth in all program participants
-increased exposure within the community
-increased acceptance as a sport among parents
-consistent youth tournaments
-increased parental involvement
-social activities outside of fencing at the club

Boo-yah.

The Advantages of Youth Fencing

When I was younger I used to feel sorry for older fencers because I thought anyone past the age of 30 simply couldn't fence saber. I didn't know anyone who could move 30+ year old knees and feet at a speed that would allow you to beat people. Now I have seen that you can be a sneaky old guy and still fence the only weapon worth fencing. =)

It seems weird dealing with the exact opposite sentiments in students at MFA. They think that kids are completely inept at fencing while old guys are the terror that walks in the night. This needs some addressing from me.

Half the reason old guys seem so scary is that they started off exactly like you. I began as a 13 year old, overweight, goth kid that was socially awkward with no friends:
Except of course the few other goth kids at school and a friend I kept throughout childhood. I was not awesome and I still don't consider myself beyond mediocre at a national level. I did not like to move my feet when I started fencing, just like everyone else. I did not win tournaments when I started fencing, just like everyone else. I was jealous of people who were better fencers than me, just like everyone else.

Other old fencers in the division always talk down to you, especially after they've just beaten you: "Good bout, You really got me on **insert inane technical flaw here**"

I have good news for all youth fencers, especially the youngest ones who get their butt kicked all the time. Are you ready to hear it?

It stops. The lashings you get now will harden you into a machine on the strip. The more hard work you put in now, the faster you will get better. The more you beat your head against that wall fencing someone who plays with you like a kitty the better you get. The frustration you feel at losing while knowing why you lost is what moulds you into a good fencer. Once 2-3 years of competition goes by, you will look at this sport from a completely different angle.

Further, because you fenced through years that your body was still growing, you will have a degree of muscle memory that fencers who began later in life will never have. You will always be more comfortable on the strip than them no matter what happens.

But you have to get there first. Most people lack the patience to learn the fencing skills required to excel at the sport. Hang in there, and keep fighting.

The Upcoming Week

This coming week will see the first youth tournament in the state of Montana. Currently we have two cities participating, Helena & Missoula. I am going to shoot for Spokane to jump on as well, but no guarantees yet.

Chris will be hosting a competition Q&A for parents of fencers today. I will give a group Saber lesson to the kids from Helena who are coming into our tournament without any real saber training. We have at least 5 fencers in Y14 & U19 with the possibility of more registering next week.

Saber Pistol Grips?

First seen on Tim Morehouse's Blog, the pistol grip for the Saber is blowing my mind right now. This is the dumbest/smartest thing I've ever seen. I really want one just to see how it works. I wish the website wasn't in French so that I could read it and order one.

The Most Injury Riddled Games

We play warm up games for the first 15-20 minutes of class to get people moving before footwork. These are the current injuries for each warm up game throughout the course of MFA's existence.

1. Wall Ball
-1 broken collarbone, 1 concussion, 1 seizure
2. Capture the Flag
-1 broken nose, several twisted ankles, 2 bloody noses
3. Ultimate Frisbee
-countless hits, 1 cleating
4. Soccer
-2 bloody noses, 3 rolled ankles, 2 cleatings
5. Glove tag
-1 destroyed pair of shorts

Wall Ball's position at the top is unfair as it was one of the only games we ever played for the first few years. Capture the flag should probably be at the top because someone got hurt every time we used to play it. For some reason, people at this club get violent when they play CTF. Ultimate incites a bit of intensity but is otherwise pretty light. Soccer is what we usually play to warm up with. The students get competitive about it, but they also seem to respect the fact that no one is wearing shin guards, reducing injuries in one of the more intense games we play. Glove tag resulted in the destruction of my favorite pair of shorts when someone went to grab my glove, and basically clawed a hole into my pants.

Yay Progress!

We look and feel more cohesive with each passing day. Our first youth tournament looks better all the time I check it. Y14 and U19 Saber look to have the healthiest number of fencers and it looks like it will by a few more before the end of the week.

I want to say how proud I am of all the hard working fencers at MFA. I am consistently impressed with their motivation to improve.

We may have an intro class as large as 7 this week. That's insane!

I also want to thank all the students at Big Sky High School for letting us come in and run you around today. You guys were fun!

Mental States of Fencing (cont.)

4. Buddha
Buddha is the best mental state to be in while fencing. It is characterized by a blank look, an empty mind, and complete silence. You are completely detached from reality while maintaining razor sharp focus and purpose. People will score touches on you, but you will score epic touches that nobody thinks you can score.

5. Murderous Fury
Murderous Fury is one of the worst conditions to fence in. But not to fret, it can also be one of the most fun to fence in. A true murderous fury, as opposed to being mildly upset while fencing, is characterized by reckless and unusually wild movements, an adrenaline high unlike anything else, and no use of tactics or rationality. It makes a fencer TOO explosive and every action becomes too powerful. This does not mean that you are hitting way harder, although often times it is the case.

6. Confusion
This is the only real state new fencers are in when they come into a competition for the first time. Despite lessons, conditioning, and preparation, new fencers will always start here. Confusion is terrifying for older fencers because they can usually identify it right away, and they know exactly how screwed they are if they are unable to change it.

Confusion is defined as a lack of perception, which means that the fencer in question can't see the actions as they are taking place. This also means that they aren't planning their next move nor can they anticipate one from an opponent. Further, they are not making confident actions or finishing correctly, which means more calls are going against them.

7. Resolute Despair
Congratulations! After pools you just got the #1 seed in Div 1A, good luck!
Resolute Despair comes when you come onto the strip with little hope of progressing, but you are competing and so you shall fence despite the odds stacked against you. This usually results in better fencing as you are more relaxed and prepared for your fate despite resolving to take as many points on that scoreboard as you possibly can. The real problem with resolute despair is that it is just that... Despair. Once you get up on an opponent you start to tell yourself that you can possibly win this one, which excites you and makes your movements a little too large.

The Mental States of Fencing

Fencing is arguably one of the most mentally abusive sports in existence. As I grew up fencing, I think this degree of subtle torment is healthy/incredibly traumatizing for young minds. Your opponent is never a forgiving individual & at the best of times is confused. At the worst of times he is dancing circles around you and throwing out the occasional parry 8 while giggling. Through all that you experience in your time competing, you will learn to be more merciless as your opponent.

I cannot claim to teach people how to be pleasant. I teach them to be respectful, but that is hardly the same thing.

The following are observed mental states that I have experienced over the years. They are not necessarily experienced by themselves and can be experienced together with other, more basic emotions. This list is not comprehensive and I would love to hear about other ones that people have experienced. These are all from a Saber point of view, so keep that in mind

1. Low Energy Deviousness
Low Energy Deviousness is characterized by a physical calm radiating out of a fencer at points that you would expect energy and explosiveness. This permits the low energy fencer to see more and develop more coherent and complex attacks. It is also easily prepped by someone geeked on adrenaline with a good sense of timing.

2. Vengeance fueled focus
Easily one of my favorite mental states to watch, this type of focus comes when you are facing an opponent who is intentionally and loudly humiliating you. Not humiliation of technique, which is your own fault, but something deeper and much more insidious. I can't give you a good example because I haven't had it happen to me in some time, but I can tell you how it goes:

Fencer A is fencing Fencer B. Both Fencers are happy with life and relatively excited to be competing. Fencer B does something hilarious and barely stifles a laugh, or visibly thinks this is hilarious. Fencer B does it again. Fencer A notices what's going on the second time around and immediately goes cold as ice....and becomes murderous. That is Vengeance fueled focus.

3. Peace Through Exhaustion
This is one you always have to earn and is hopefully only seen in practice. Peace Through Exhaustion comes after fencing for about an hour or two straight with various different people who have been doing the same thing. It is during this mental state that your body has given up and you are fencing on pure willpower and what little reserves of adrenaline you have remaining. This is one of the best mental states to train in because you can focus on perfection even while exhausted.

Bound for Utah & Soccer this weekend.

We're heading down to Utah on December 18th, where we're gonna party like it's 1959!

I'm excited to see what the fencing scene is like down there. It seems like there are lots of young fencers, which always indicates a healthy division. I'm driving down with Jesse, probably Sam, probably Kole, & maybe a few others depending on the car situation.

Historically, Utah and Montana used to regularly attend each others tournaments. Since there was once an Alliance of Elves and Men, I will honor that alliance....

MFA is also hosting a soccer game against UMFC. I am definitely going to make this a tradition in the fall from now on as a little bit of friendly rivalry never hurts. We're going to have Chili & Hot Cocoa afterward.

Going to the Lane

I am going here on February 5th. For those in the know, this is White Hart Lane, the place where the best football is played in all of London & possibly the world.

I am also going to fence in London (hopefully) assuming I can get in contact with their club.

In other news I also picked up two new students for private lessons. Hoorah!