Actual Chances

[CarlKnoch]

I appriciate your oppinion, but I don't think that "belonging" to AFC is even slightly a good thing. Besides, in a year I'll be fencing for Doc. Fryman at PRHS as well as Kathy. I may fence with some other people too, but then again maybe not. DFC is always going to be my competion club, and Kathy will always be my main coach (or as long as she wishes to be my main coach).

I read this as: "I am not interested in the coach that will help me get to the Olympics, and I plan on staying with my current coach forever even if it gets me no further than I am now. To change would be too much of a sacrifice."

Any good coach will tell you that they are just a waystop on the road to being a better fencer. I know of very few people who had just one coach as their "Main coach" and succeeded very far.

[noodle]

I appriciate your oppinion, but I don't think that "belonging" to AFC is even slightly a good thing. Besides, in a year I'll be fencing for Doc. Fryman at PRHS as well as Kathy. I may fence with some other people too, but then again maybe not. DFC is always going to be my competion club, and Kathy will always be my main coach (or as long as she wishes to be my main coach).

to the best of my knowledge, i haven't fenced any of carlos' students so i can't really judge the quality of his instruction. its even been a while since i fenced him, really. but he's a very competent fencer and you can at the very least benefit from fencing him. its a mistake for you to dismiss him as a coach because he indirectly slighted you by his directing; i hope you're not offended by this, but i feel its your age showing and if you continue to fence seriously you'll eventually change your mind.

as for your relationship with kathy, well, she's a very nice lady and i'm sure she's doing a good job coaching you. but even her son fenced for AFC for a while before he went to college at san francisco and he's good (and has gotten better, fenced him a month or so ago and is on the sr pts list).

you'd benefit greatly by including afc in some manner in your traning. even if its driving down once every week or two for a lesson and maybe a little open fencing (or vice versa).

[Sabresque]

Sabresque, I think your talking about my coach Oswaldo Oretga. Oswaldo is the one who has acompanied me to most of the World Cups. Carlos teaches most of the epee at my club.

Ouch.

*bangs head on desk* Well, anyways, what I said about Oswaldo (and I know it's Oswaldo!!! I dunno what got into me... Have I met carlos...? He sounds familiar...aahh, too many people ) has been true about all the people from AFC I've met.

[Joan of Ark]

If you think that what I posted has nothing to do with it, you are mistaken. Add to my list that you will need a world class coach for your lessons.

Don't get me wrong. Those things DO have influences on someone's fencing, but I think you can work around most of them. As for Keith Smart. I watched him fence in Atlanta in April. I talked to the guy and took his picture. He certainly doesn't have the poor attitude now. None of those fencers did.

In case your wondering why I talked with the guy and got his picture if I don't fence sabre it is because I was working. If any of you guys were in the finals room, my dad and brother were the ones with the 2 screens, video cams, and projectors. We were set up in the back of the room. I was the one putting the fencer's pictures and bios onto a powerpoint and helping to get them on the screen. So I got to meet most of the finalists. Pretty cool !

[Joan of Ark]

I read this as: "I am not interested in the coach that will help me get to the Olympics, and I plan on staying with my current coach forever even if it gets me no further than I am now. To change would be too much of a sacrifice."

Any good coach will tell you that they are just a waystop on the road to being a better fencer. I know of very few people who had just one coach as their "Main coach" and succeeded very far.

Now don't get me wrong on this either. I have been fencing for her for around 3 months. Some peoples have been fencing for her for maybe 2 years and still getting better with her coaching. I know I'm going to have to fence for other people, but as far as main coaches go.... well I am pretty sure she'll do for now. Also because she understands that I HATE being coached in the middle of fencing and that I'm not going to win every bout. Too many times have I seen my friend on the strip crying with her coach loosing his temper because she lost a pool bout by one point. Its pretty silly. Escpecailly since they are usually only small local tournaments. I don't think it is supposed to be like that......

[Joan of Ark]

to the best of my knowledge, i haven't fenced any of carlos' students so i can't really judge the quality of his instruction. its even been a while since i fenced him, really. but he's a very competent fencer and you can at the very least benefit from fencing him. its a mistake for you to dismiss him as a coach because he indirectly slighted you by his directing; i hope you're not offended by this, but i feel its your age showing and if you continue to fence seriously you'll eventually change your mind.

as for your relationship with kathy, well, she's a very nice lady and i'm sure she's doing a good job coaching you. but even her son fenced for AFC for a while before he went to college at san francisco and he's good (and has gotten better, fenced him a month or so ago and is on the sr pts list).

you'd benefit greatly by including afc in some manner in your traning. even if its driving down once every week or two for a lesson and maybe a little open fencing (or vice versa).

Several of my friends fence for afc. And they are good and getting better... but I don't think that the method they use to coach with is very good. I'm not going to say which coach or wich friend, but lets just say one of my friends fences for a coach at afc. It used to be where she doesn't do so well at a national or regional tournament and they'd be okay with that. But now my friend kinda breaks down after they loose a singal bout.... the change occured after our club "dissinigrated" and the moved to afc. From what I have expirienced, I don't want to fence for afc, even though it could help me get better. Its kind of hard to explain why, but I also know that my dad won't take me there to fence and I'd certainly get some greif from my brother and friends for fencing there...

[noodle]

Several of my friends fence for afc. And they are good and getting better... but I don't think that the method they use to coach with is very good. I'm not going to say which coach or wich friend, but lets just say one of my friends fences for a coach at afc. It used to be where she doesn't do so well at a national or regional tournament and they'd be okay with that. But now my friend kinda breaks down after they loose a singal bout.... the change occured after our club "dissinigrated" and the moved to afc. From what I have expirienced, I don't want to fence for afc, even though it could help me get better. Its kind of hard to explain why, but I also know that my dad won't take me there to fence and I'd certainly get some greif from my brother and friends for fencing there...

well, the coaching methodology isn't necessarily the cause of the change in your friend(s). to produce a suddenly well-known example, look at keeth smart. he pitched horrible fits after losing for a while until his views on competition matured. it had nothing to do with his coaching, it was his personal outlook which eventually changed.

i totally understand your problems with getting to afc based on your age. you have plenty of time left to change your mind before its practical for you to train there regularly (driving age). good luck with what you're trying to do, i'm sure i'll see you occasionally in tournaments around the area.

[Joan of Ark]

well, the coaching methodology isn't necessarily the cause of the change in your friend(s). to produce a suddenly well-known example, look at keeth smart. he pitched horrible fits after losing for a while until his views on competition matured. it had nothing to do with his coaching, it was his personal outlook which eventually changed.

i totally understand your problems with getting to afc based on your age. you have plenty of time left to change your mind before its practical for you to train there regularly (driving age). good luck with what you're trying to do, i'm sure i'll see you occasionally in tournaments around the area.

True. But they are 8, 9, and 10. I don't think thier personal outlook changed because they wanted to do better. And besides it is just the opposite. They never threw fits and I don't think they would be now if it wasn't for their coach.

[Bayou Bum]

Joan,

Usually I just read threads, but thought I'd reply this time. I've seen you fence before and you have a lot of potential. Your fast, good footwork, and your bladework has improved greatly. 2008 is possible, but you have some very tough competition. There are a lot of very good women epee fencers under 19 that you will have to beat.

I am not to judge AFC's coaching ability, but the best epee fencers in Georgia are not from AFC. As long as you are learning and advancing, stay with your current coach. When you stop learning, then look for a new coach. Maybe then, Sandor Kiss will return to Georgia.

Take Care,
Bum

[noodle]

True. But they are 8, 9, and 10. I don't think thier personal outlook changed because they wanted to do better. And besides it is just the opposite. They never threw fits and I don't think they would be now if it wasn't for their coach.

8 9 and 10? as in ages?
shoot, i taught kids those ages that would pitch fits for any random reason, mostly for attention or affection. my personal diagnosis is that since they're training more often, they're getting better, they're going to more important tournaments, and they're expecting to do well because of this. when they don't, when they lose, they think they've let their coaches and themselves down and they pitch fits to get the attention they missed out on from winning. i know, i've trained some state champions in martial arts that are around those ages and they pitched some fits when they would lose. i wasn't a bad coach or instructor (i was really good at teaching kids). it was the immensity of the situation, the pressure, the expectation to win, feeling they have to perform well for parents/coaches that got to the kid.

call me when they pass puberty and become a little emotionally stable, then we can talk about "personal outlook" with them. i still say that in the atlanta area, afc is your best bet for now.

on a side note, where are the best epee fencers in georgia from? its been a while since i've fenced in georgia, but i can't recall many good ones from other places (maybe one or two, don't want to name names).

[Schiavona]

call me when they pass puberty and become a little emotionally stable

Does any other parent out there see the humor in this statement?



I've coached kids too, Noodle-I understand what you mean

[Inquartata]

Does any other parent out there see the humor in this statement?

I'm not a parent, but I play one on TV...er, I mean, I'm not a parent but I remember being a teenager. So even I see the irony!

[Joan of Ark]

on a side note, where are the best epee fencers in georgia from? its been a while since i've fenced in georgia, but i can't recall many good ones from other places (maybe one or two, don't want to name names).

Well, as a matter of fact in U17 epee 2 are from DFC and one is unattached and we used to fence with him. And in Y14 epee the only one from GA in the top four was from DFC and then the next down was from DFC.