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Page 1 of 2 This interview is the second of several that we will be featuring from 3 time Men's Foil World Champion Sergei Golubitsky. Sergei takes some time to review the proposed rules changes to foil, where the game is going, and the role of the referee.
 FN: At lower levels, there are a lot of foilists who complain about the flick and how it is given priority. Watching bouts at the high levels, do you feel this to be the case?Is the flick really something that is wrong with foil fencing?
SG: For those who haven't seen my "Golden Bouts" video and new one "Once upon a time": the percentage of flicks I make is very low. In my opinion a touch with thrust is more secure then a flick.
The points to consider are:
- The flick is performed faster than a touch
- it's much more difficult to retreat after action finished by touch than the one by flick
- The flick gives you a chance to come much closer to opponent.
The advantage of flick is obvious.
When a fencer is going to finish his attack with flick it creats no problem. The problem appears when a fencer (fencer A) is walking forward, pretending to have right of way, in fact is waiting for "counter attack" of opponent (fencer B). Of course it's important how fencer B is performing his attack on preparation (body language). Fencer A finishing his "attack" with flick (if he'd finish it with touch/thrust, his mistake would be too obvious for referee and point would be given against him. Therefore he has no choice but to finish with flick).
It's very difficult to win a tempo against "flicker".And again we've arrived at point when the role of referee is very important. He is the one who has to "read" intentions of fencer A. Attack which lasts 30 minutes isn't attack anymore. Promenade isn't attack. Fencing developed the way that arriving to the top you "forced" to use flick more frequent then touch. I'd say it's because of poor technical and tactical repertoire rather than being up-to-date.
In the end of my career I returned to touching technique,while right after Junior age preffered flicks (at that time it was hot, it was a "new wave"). For the present Senior and Junior generation the fencing is good the way it is. But they didn't see "the good old fencing" (I did. I even fenced with Romankov from 1989 thru 1991 for the USSR team.) It's very popular these days complain about "oldies" which don't understand anything in modern fencing.
I'd say that fencing 10, 20, 25 years ago was much more interesting than nowadays. Fencers like Gregory, Cerioni and others agree with me. So,assuming all this, I guess, some changes have to be done in today's foil fencing.
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