Friday practice was pretty good. No coach so I missed out on any private lessons. Was only able to prod one sabre bout out of Todd.
I busted my backup foil last week, and like a total n00b, I didn't wire correctly the one I got to replace the foil that snapped at the tournament. There was a bit of fabric insulation inside the socket that needed to be removed but I didn't have a wrench to take it apart.
So I spent two hours fencing epee; the weapon I have no training with. I thought I did surprisingly well. But I think it has more to do with the epee fencers not being used to fencing lefties. All my touches were to the right hand/arm or to the right side of the head.
I think my attitude towards fencing epee is also very different and had an impact on my performance. I didn't particularly care if I did well or not and I felt more relaxed; compared to foil or sabre where I put too much into trying to constantly improve (which leads to frustration when I find myself taking steps backwards).
Perhaps sometime soon I'll wade out into the waters of epee.
I'm contemplating trying out a Russian grip on my next foil just for the hell of it. The pistol grips I have now feel a bit small.
Since we only practice for about 4 hours a week I'm feeling a martial arts void in my life. Next term I'm probably taking Long Fist Wushu and a pair of Qigong classes. But that's assuming my doctor approves of it; my broken knee never did heal fully.
I have yet to be kicked in the knee in foil. In Jeet Kun Do it was always such an appealing target.
02-07-2010 03:16 AM