Do you have any trademarks?

[angrylemur]

Just curious..

As in, does anybody have something they yell when they make an important touch? Or a strange attack/action they make? I know some people do funny things with their unarmed hand without realizing it.

Sometimes I find myself starting an attack straight to an opponent's toe (in foil) , sometimes it throws them off so much I can redirect the attack to the torso and only have to disengage a poor reflex parry (not something I use very often, but it can happen). People also tell me that I wiggle my fingers a lot with my unarmed hand.

[D'Artagnan1673]

I sometimes tense my hand up right before I lunge. I have gotten out of that habit since its a dead givaway that I am about to attack.

Yesterday, I tried saying "Touche`" when I hit. I found it to be very beneficial. It helps me to breath, and it is a good mental preparation for an attack. It makes you really believe you are making the touch since you hollar it out. It will also make you look silly if you say it and miss often.

One of the fencers at yesterday's tournament would make an indistinct cry something like "whoaaaaaa" as he started a running attack. I only did mine when I was positive that I had both right of way and was going to hit (i.e. just before the touch arrived)

[Peach]

The yell with the touch usually is most effective after, rather than before or with, not to mention more sportsmanlike. I have a teammate who yells with as he's making the touch and it makes him more tense and stiff while he's attacking.

It also makes me laugh at him, which I don't think is the effect he's seeking.

I suggest avoiding the term "touché" because it means you are acknowledging a touch rather than that you have made one.

[AndrewH]

Well, there's the flunge (flying lunge), falling stopcut, the off-strip attack, the weapon throw, the baseball slide, I have a bunch of "trademark" stuff I've been known to do on occasion. Of course, most of it never leaves practice because I'd make myself look like an idiot doing it in competiton, not to mention the high risk of injury. Oh wait, I did the weapon throw at a competiton once..... but that was only because my opponent started tapdancing. I'm not making this stuff up.

Actually my friend has a trademark, but it's not the good kind. If anyone here from the NJ division heard about the "blade-in-the-hand" incident, that was my friend who did it (total accident!) By the time we had our next school meet it was all over the other team... Needless to say we put him in first.

[D'Artagnan1673]

Oops....

I knew that it could be used to acknowledge a touch, but not exclusively. Darn..... I rather liked that one.

Now that I think about it, it does make sense. When you are in a conversation with someone, and they get you on a point, you say touche'.

Oh well.....

[Peach]

Well, I don't know that what I yell is any more appropriate - it's a sort of manic "Hey-yo!" with an occasional "Woff" as I march back down the strip, but then I'm *really* excited at my age when I pull off a really good touch. I usually don't yell unless it's an intense bout and a really worthy opponent and I manage to actually do what I intended to do.

[Purple Fencer]

My purple socks, strangely outfitted fencing bag, and my generally pleasant demeanor...not to mention my horrid epee skills!

Oh yeah....and fencing sabre so badly, I almost gave Mike D'Asaro Jr. an ulcer when he directed me in our div quals a few weeks back.

heh!

[D'Artagnan1673]

I once heard a French girl at a good tournament yell Alez when she hit. It does sound very good, but it means begin!

I only yelled one time yesterday. It was on the last point in my last pool bout. I think the guy ended up in last place as well. I was happy because he was actually fencing well against me and I finished him off finally. I was also excited because I had turned my pool results around and ended up with a +7 on my indicator. I pulled the winner and the 3rd place people on my first two pool bouts. Needless to say I was very down after those two, thinking I didn't have a prayer. I was just really happy to have only given up 3 touches on my next three people.

[ 04-07-2002: Message edited by: D'Artagnan1673 ]</p>

[Methix]

I tend to yell if I get touches that I'm proud of (complex action, or a clean toe shot or something). My trademark move is when someone fleches me, I bind down and out in 2 (I'm R-handed), then as they go by, turn with them, my blade and weapon arm go behind my head and land in the back or butt.

[D'Artagnan1673]

I have absolutely no problem with someone yelling or crying something as they hit or after if they've pulled off a good move. What I don't like is someone making a very sudden and odd noise for the sake of startling someone right as an attack comes.

[BarryTice]

I'm somewhat known for laughing out loud when someone scores a nice, clean touch on me -- something I should have been able to parry or avoid if I had any talent, but didn't. I really find such touches rather amusing. Also, as it's not what people expect when they score on someone, it can be rather unnerving: aren't your opponents supposed to get upset when you hit them well?

At one tournament about six years ago, when I was a middle-of-the-pack fencer, I was facing the No. 2 seed in the second round of the DEs, clearly outclassed. He was getting clean shots on my wrist, shoulder, mask and knee (epeé, of course), and I made the comment that all he needed was a toe touch to complete the package. Less than a second after the next "Fence" he had his toe touch, and I laughed so hard I sat down on the strip. That was a fun bout.

-- b.r.t.

[Sciurus Rex]

I used to run to the end of the strip after a touch, spike my weapon, dance around and shout "Booyah! In your face!" But that was last year, when I was merely a child. I left that silliness behind on my 36th birthday.

Now I just mix a cocktail in between touches -- doesn't matter who scored the point -- and sip it slowly as I prepare for the next exchange. Sometimes I even offer a drink to the director or my opponent. It's very relaxing.

[Tomas N]

Most important touches in a bout are made against me, so when an opponent is acting in a sportsmanlike manner, is fencing well, and gets a good touch on me, I tend to salute them, or, if it's really good, clap. IMHO, screaming or yelling after every point tends to look silly, although I tend to chuckle a bit when I'm pleased with myself, which also probably doesn't look to suave.

Tomas

[D'Artagnan1673]

If someone makes a good touch, I too will salute or will say something like "nice touch"

Saturday when I was down 7 - 14 against one of my clubmates in the quarterfinal, I raised my mask and saluted him before his final touch. I was very happy for him to make it into the finals. He's 71 and he was fencing against people 50 years younger than him, he did a very good job!

[Boo Boo]

Unfortunately I yell (normally something like "et la") or, more ear splittingly, scream as/after I hit when I am really hyped in competition (so I am normally left feeling a bit hoarse - sore throat - after most competitions... :-( ).

I was also called "slimey" at the Duel in the Desert this year (by a guy I knocked out - when his friends when they teased him about loosing to a girl). I hope that it isn't a real trademark, but my husband often teases about it.

One of my team captains, this weekend, commented that "can her (foil) lame be any smaller?", but hopefully that it just the sign of a "well fitting" lame (and a couple too many easter eggs) rather than a well acknowledged trademark... :-(

Boo

[fencerjim]

Rex,
Your my kind of fencer! Not shaken but stirred with the foiable, cheers.
Way back when I was a young fencer I would here them scream OOMPA or something like that.

[veeco]

[quote]Originally posted by D'Artagnan1673:
<strong>I once heard a French girl at a good tournament yell Alez when she hit. It does sound very good, but it means begin!</strong>
<hr></blockquote>
Allez doesn't mean begin, it means "go". So in that context, Allez meant "let's go", or "come on". It's quite common for French fencers to scream allez, or to cheer someone up with Allez.

[D'Artagnan1673]

Cool, glad to hear that, considering that I really like saying it myself. I think it sounds better than any other cry I've heard. Since I love the French culture, it would fit right up my alley.

[Methix]

I think one of the funniest trademarks I know of is Becca Ward. If anyone has ever seen her fence, you know what I mean. Oppala! Hehe

[Inquartata]

I used to have a lot of them. Unfortunately, most of them were conceits which were actually hindering my fencing success, so I have assiduously divested myself of all but a few...which I ain't revealing!