Bouting psychology

[Borrissey]

Greetings. I competed in an E+U Tournament in Baltimore over the weekend, and I won one bout and lost everyone other one 5-4, 4-3 and so on. As a fencer who has been learning the basics since January, I became disappointed with myself on the piste.

After some self-doubt for much of the weekend, I read some sport psychology articles on looking at these losses as lessons. And that’s what I am doing.

I was wondering, however, when things aren’t going well on the strip, what do you do or tell yourself? I started my competition career well, and now I’m sitting on a losing streak of two last place finishes…. So I need to improve my head along with my footwork, distance, and point-control….

cheers.

[noodle]

when i'm losing, i generally try and slow things down, give myself some more time to think about the situation (but sometimes i don't and i get screwed from it). keep distance wide while you're formulating a plan and looking for weaknesses. other than that, just make sure that you recognize why you lost. if you don't, ask the guy what he did. make sure that you work on it so that it doesn't happen again.

[mrbiggs]

Well, first off, you've only been fencing for about six months now. I was fencing for almost 2 years before I entered my first tournament (outside high school). So don't be disappointed about the fact that you lost, you're still only a beginner.

Concentrate on the bout you won. That was an accomplishment, and think about what you did right, and what you did wrong, that allowed you to win that bout.

Remember that there will always be more tournaments. Whenever I lose a tournament in an upset (when I'm not ready to lose yet), I usually go outside for five to ten minutes to cool off. Unless this is the Olympics, just look forward to next tournament.

Practice. Practice. Practice. Practice. Practice. That's how you become better. The fact that you're on a fencing forum shows that you care, and the fact that you do care about it will give you an advantage of the competition.

In summary, patience. Your day will come.

[a517dogg]

I think you did great - You've fenced for less than six months and you were competitive in every single one of your bouts. Look at the positive rather than the negative and your fencing career will go farther and be more enjoyable.

As for your headgame, during practice, start out the bout down 1-0 or 2-0 in your head. Or if it's an easy opponent, try starting out down 4-0.

When things are going bad on the strip for me, however, I tend to self-destruct. Perhaps I need to work on my headgame as well.

Originally Posted by Borrissey

Greetings. I competed in an E+U Tournament in Baltimore over the weekend, and I won one bout and lost everyone other one 5-4, 4-3 and so on. As a fencer who has been learning the basics since January, I became disappointed with myself on the piste.

After some self-doubt for much of the weekend, I read some sport psychology articles on looking at these losses as lessons. And that’s what I am doing.

I was wondering, however, when things aren’t going well on the strip, what do you do or tell yourself? I started my competition career well, and now I’m sitting on a losing streak of two last place finishes…. So I need to improve my head along with my footwork, distance, and point-control….

cheers.

[fixxmyweapon]

One touch at a time. Redundent, many people tell you this but it's true. Thats how you have to take every bout. When I'm on strip I tell myself just one more touch. After I make that touch then it's just one more touch after that. When things arn't going well it's usually because I'm so caught up in the score that I'm forgetting about that whole having fun thing. Thats important. You can't dwell on bad touches when you're on strip in that bout. You just have to forget about it and keep it from happening again. All of this is easier said than done but I find that it helps when things arn't going well.

Hope this helps a smidge. Don't get discouraged!!!

[shlepzig]

I always try to look on the bright side of the losses. Hey four losses five four, you were only 4 touches away from undefeated.

But seriously folks. I also have said to others I meet at the bottom end of the pools (usually while packing up after getting knocked out in the first round of DE's). "The score was 15-3 well I proved I could get him, I didn't see any need to go overboard."

But still I kid.

During the bout, always visualise the possibility of winning. Always be confident that you can get the next touch. Remember what works and what doesn't. At la-belle stick with what works, not a time to try something new.

After the bout, try to deconstruct what was getting you in trouble and what you were getting hit with. I always ask the fencers I help out with to deconstruct a bout afterwards. Take some mental notes. If you are accopanied by a parent "fencing-mom" so to speak, I see many of them taking notes on their kids bouts during a tournament.

The three keys to keep in mind:

"Why did you attack?", this is in mind with how you are setting up your strategy. Answers like Parry-Riposte are the easy ones. Others like "I could see his feet were out of position to retreat so I exectued a beat-attack-direct to keep him of balance while I delivered the touch" are more tactical. I tell the young ones I help out they should always have a reason to attack. Just because nothing was happening is not a great reason.

"What did the other fencer do?", being aware of what your opponent has done is incredibly important. Did he attack direct, did he consistently circle six and riposte to 4, or what. What did he do to hit or get hit. Preparing for this question helps you keep in the game at the time.

"Why did the touch go the way it did?" this is the big one. This is the last one you need to answer to put the touch together. Did you open up a target and sit flat footed, did you fall for the feint. Did you execute an excellent PIL that befuddled a counterattack.

In the end perfect what you do well, and try to eliminate the vulnerable points in your game. Work on changing your game around now and then to develop different tools to score with.

Good Luck in future bouts.

Shlep.

[Borrissey]

Thanks everyone.

I came into the tournament thinking I would earn my "D" rating, and then I just became confused on the strip. So I've started a journal and I'm going back to work on the basics. The first being keeping my distance. Thanks again.

I went from doubting myself to being energized for the work that lies ahead of me.

Borrissey

[frenzl]

try and keep the confidence going into a bout know that your going to win. and when your down in a bout rethink your tactis change it up.

[FoilyGeezer]

Also....Relax!

During a recent tournament I sucked my way mightly through pools. The first opponent I went up against I knew what I wanted to do, I forgot about doing what works. An older vet pulled me aside afterward and told me to settle down and take my time. It sunk in after a couple more bouts. By DE's I was back in my groove and ended up coming in 2nd. The moral....you're not done until you admit you are.

Hang in there.

[Elemental]

Accept the fact that you may lose. At my last tournament I got seated second to last on the ladder and had to fence against the guy who was seated near the top. I finally just told myself "first place just aint gonna happen" and once that pressure was gone I relaxed and fenced better than I did in the pools.

I short... don't let the possibility of losing get you too nervouse.

[daveappr]

everyone brings out very good points. My personal one is don't fence not to lose. Sometimes you may be ahead or even at la belle and not try your hardest or wisest to score the touch you need for fear of getting hit- trust me this becomes a self- fulfilling prophecy. If you stay on your game- practice hard and fence to win ( don't read this as recklessly or overly aggressive) you'll be fine. Good luck- and keep your focus on the next touch being yours

[Schiavona]

Do what Victor does-blame the floor

I don't know what format you fenced, but if you get knocked out in a DE stick around to see how well the people you lost to do. In her first Nationals, my wife lost to everyone in her pool by one touch, all those who beat her ended up in the top ten!

[Reebek]

O.K., let me get this straight... You've been fencing for 6 months, and you're disappointed because you didn't get a classification???? I've been at it nearly 4 years and still don't have a classification. I guess I should abandon crying in my beer and go straight for a bullet to the head... That probably won't work either. Obviously, I can't hit a thing...

[Twinkletoes]

Hi,

I have been fencing epee six months just like you. I think you did
pretty well keeping it close and even winning one bout.

Here's my take on learning about fencing from another six monther:

Read books about fencing; use the books as guides when you practice
at home.

Practice at home. Do lunges, target practice and footwork. These don't require a partner to practice.

Get videos about fencing; ok some are kinda old and vague but I believe that
people are great immitators. We see and replicate the actions we observe.It's one of the most effective pedalogical tools.

Get a good coach. One on one training is hard to beat.

Read the forums and get input from better fencers and apply those tips your repertoire.

Bring a camcorder to your Salle and videotape bouts and also yourself in action. You can observe what happened back at home and learn a lot.

That's what I'm doing right now and it's working for me, as it keeps me motivated and hopefully moving forward in the journey that is becoming a fencer.

cheers,

Marc

[Army Fencer]

Couple thoughts.

First, it took me six months before I won my first bout. Now, 8 years later, I've got an A, I've got national points, and I'm going to my first World Cup in a few days. The fact that you're already winning bouts and shooting for your D is telling. Be patient, and stick with it. You'll get there.

I lost a horrible bout at BFC this last weekend. I lost in the round of 8 by a significant margin (5 touches). As I've become more experienced, I've moved from being frustrated at myself for losing to using as constructive criticism. I'm glad I lost this past weekend, because it showed very clearly that I have a few things to work on before my World Cup. Having lost, I think I will do better next weekend than if I had won the BFC tournament like I should have.

Peace.