Mmmm, I'm having trouble getting the english version of the tactics paper (I can get the french, but my french isn't strong, to put it mildly). I pulled down a couple of other english-language articles from his page without problem.
Could someone who has successfully downloaded the english tactics paper post it here, PM me with it, or otherwise help me out? Thanks.
-B :)
"Oh but you can't expect to wield supreme executive power just because some watery tart threw a sword at you!"
I poked around the Karpati Rudolph Fencing Club Website... and since there isn't an english version of the page - figured I might link a few of the docs.
I'm reading the one on tactics now, and the psychological bits about lessons are extremely fascinating... Sabreur, have some rep for finding this, and mister e, for bringing the docs out here.
"If I were ever to challenge you to a duel, your best bet would be battle axes in a very dark basement." Misquoted from The Prisoner
"Technical excellence is the antecedant of tactical creativity." - Nat Goodhartz
But those things which belong neither to God nor to Caeser, feeleth free to writeth them off, for yea, they are deductable.
I poked around the Karpati Rudolph Fencing Club Website... and since there isn't an english version of the page - figured I might link a few of the docs.
Anyone else get the FENCING_howtodesing suc.doc document working? It won't open in my version of Word.
Try this, see if it's better. I had problems on my work machine, but could open it from my home machine.
-B
Thanks, I read it through, and while I'm not trained in sports metrics (or whatever that field is called) the analysis didn't make a tremendous amount of sense. The regression suffers from missing variables, autocorrelation, and a small sample size. The data set is an unbalanced panel. The results as far as I can tell aren't that interesting. Success at the end of the season is based on success earlier in the season and how many bouts you did prior to NY? For data like these, I usually recommend starting off with a lot of summary statistics, trying to figure out the general patterns in the variables with a table of correlation coefficients. These data, I think, are not appropriate for the type of analysis performed.
I don't do the underwater thing, but I sometimes ask my students to do the lessons with their eyes closed. Too often, if they know I'm going to parry, they give up the attack to allow me to make the parry. I don't want that. I want them to try their best to hit me, make me work to parry and then counter-parry. (In reality, it's easier to counter-parry in that situation because an unintentionally failed attack will be met by a smothering parry-riposte that can't be counter-defended. The riposter will shove the blade down your throat so fast you'd be crapping steel. But a hard attack forces the defender to work hard to defend, thus the riposte has a reasonable chance of being counter-parried.) I do the drill asking my students to imagine their eyes are closed and use just feel to determine when the parry occurred.
I read that in the document as well, and I've got two questions:
1. how did they stay under the water?
2. how did they breathe?
I assume they used SCUBA equipment or something, but I'd like to make sure I'm not just being an idiot and missing something.
Dr Szepesi was coaching at the Hungarian (Debrecen to be exact) course I attended this summer. He was a nice bloke- didn't speak much English, but obviously a source of enormous knowledge. I wasn't part of the sabre group, being an enlightened foilist, but I was told they were shown a video of the 'underwater' fencing- They actually take their sabres in there with them!
Apparently it is such an exhausting work out, the next day (at least) is a right off. It takes weeks for the fencers (in this case the French Olympic team that he coached to Gold) to learn just how to stand enguard on the bottom of the pool so as not to sway or float to the top.
As far as I know they don't use scuba equipment!
"There are no stupid questions, but there are a LOT of inquisitive idiots"
Dr Szepesi was coaching at the Hungarian (Debrecen to be exact) course I attended this summer. He was a nice bloke- didn't speak much English, but obviously a source of enormous knowledge. I wasn't part of the sabre group, being an enlightened foilist, but I was told they were shown a video of the 'underwater' fencing- They actually take their sabres in there with them!
Apparently it is such an exhausting work out, the next day (at least) is a right off. It takes weeks for the fencers (in this case the French Olympic team that he coached to Gold) to learn just how to stand enguard on the bottom of the pool so as not to sway or float to the top.
As far as I know they don't use scuba equipment!
My son took part in a camp last year run by a Hungarian coach. How they breathe underwater is simple: they don't.
Huh? (I here you ask).
It works like this: the students hyperventilate until just beginning to get dizzy, then exhale completely before going under. With no air in the lungs, the body sinks quite nicely. Because the blood is saturated with oxygen, they can stay down for a time. With regular repetition (so I'm told by said coach), the period spent underwater lengthens, and after a while they start fencing.
The goal of this strange exercise is to create better endurance and mental calm under pressure, as the first fencer to surface loses.
The Hungarians produce winning fencers, so while I might think it a little weird, you can't argue with success.
Hyperventilation does not saturate your blood with oxygen, it blows off carbon dioxide and causes respiratory alkalosis. The rising CO2 is the primary respiratory stimulus, not hypoxia. This is why I would consider the technique dangerous: It has been documented, under other circumstances, to lead to dangerous hypoxia while the carbon dioxide in the blood is still low.
I can see why they have to exhale completely, with full lungs one will float up right away.
Still, it is fascinating and as has been said, you cannot argue with success.
My son took part in a camp last year run by a Hungarian coach. How they breathe underwater is simple: they don't.
Huh? (I here you ask).
It works like this: the students hyperventilate until just beginning to get dizzy, then exhale completely before going under. With no air in the lungs, the body sinks quite nicely. Because the blood is saturated with oxygen, they can stay down for a time. With regular repetition (so I'm told by said coach), the period spent underwater lengthens, and after a while they start fencing.
The goal of this strange exercise is to create better endurance and mental calm under pressure, as the first fencer to surface loses.
The Hungarians produce winning fencers, so while I might think it a little weird, you can't argue with success.
I've heard of various other sports' athletes using a similar technique as a relaxation practice - a top level swimmer I know does this regularly with one of his training partners. Their goal is just to walk across the bottom of the pool and keep the heartrate as low as possible the whole time.
Originally Posted by Mr Epee 
