Your anger on the piste

[LUDICROUS]

When you get angry, what do you do? I tend to growl. I don't scream, I growl.

Or sigh deeply and close my eyes for a second or two. One time the ref thought i was disputing his call (a easy parry riposte to my opponent, I should have parried it)! But it was just a low and deep throated growl.

[Zilverzmurfen]

I tend to 'sit' deeper en guard and do my marché/rompé/lunge very deep and thorough. It may sound weird to you but this makes me concentrate (because I usually get angry because I'm not paying enough attention to the game, thus making stupid actions) and 'sharpens' my senses.

If I'm really REALLY angry I bite my teeth together very hard and you can hear me hiss like a japanese.

[Alain]

I tend to 'sit' deeper en guard and do my marché/rompé/lunge very deep and thorough. It may sound weird to you but this makes me concentrate (because I usually get angry because I'm not paying enough attention to the game, thus making stupid actions) and 'sharpens' my senses.

If I'm really REALLY angry I bite my teeth together very hard and you can hear me hiss like a japanese.

Woah, scary!

After the hit, I normally walk back to my end of the piste, take a deep breath, clear my mind and forget about it. By the time I walk back to my en guarde line, I'm ready

The main thing is to be motivated, not angry. Angry people don't think things through, so they make mistakes, and as a result they tend to bellyflop onto the point a lot more readily...

Hope this helps

[daveappr]

Anger- when chanelled, (sp?) into focus is not a bad thing. It can, as previously mentioned actually improve concentration and mental sharpness. Left unchecked, it can have devastating results, as previously noted in a different thread. Composure in the face of adversity, be it a bad call, stupid action on your own part, or "unsportsman" like behavior by your opponent can test your mental toughness. I've had both good and bad experiences with my emotions on the piste, but have learned to shift my anger to focus through breathing exercises.

[kalivor]

I'll flip up my mask, wander back to around the warning line on my side of the piste, take a deep breath and calm myself down.

Being angry doesn't help my fencing.

[Pancakes]

When I'm really frustrated with myself for fencing poorly, the mask usually comes off and I take a short breather before going back to en guarde. I sit lower in en guarde before the ref says play, breath deep, etc.

And of course, scream my *** off when I do get points.

[veeco]

I've won some easy bouts that shouldn't have been easy, simply because I got the other guy angry enough to the point where he wasn't thinking clearly and getting scored point after point after point, without realizing in what mess he was getting himself into.

When he finally realized he was down by 8-9 points, it was an insurmontable lead and I just coasted off to victory.

Anger needs to be controlled.

[telkanuru]

Agreed. If I do something stupid at a crucial moment, I tend to shout "NO!" or "Do it right!", etc, etc. This is normally accompanied by a walk to the end of the strip and back, at the very least.

The only thing that gets me really, really steamed on the strip is people who yell *at* me, rather than just yell.

[Nusy]

I put my foil/saber guard to the back of my nech and walk down the piste: the cold steel calms me down.
But if I get a point... I scream the paint down from the walls...

[esskreemr]

If my emotions are running a little hot, I like to suddenly discover that the reel is encroaching on my side of the strip and needs adjustment, slowly. An obvious ploy, but hasn't got me in trouble yet...

[D+F+P=Hadouken!]

more importantly, what can you do to make them angry?

[scrapinpeg]

I don't recall ever getting angry in a fencing situation.

Now that I think about it, I don't recall ever getting emotional one way or the other. I hadn't thought of myself this way, but I guess I'm one of the "cold clinical" types on the piste.

No big deal, it seems to be working for me...

[akaiyuki]

I stomp on the floor and whack my foil to my head after I do something stupid and got touched on .__. I guess it's a way to tell myself not to be stupid again o.o;

[Phoenix]

I don't like getting angry because I have seen other people get really mad and act unsportsmanlike. But if I do and know that it was really unacceptable, I'll go up to my opponent and tell them that I am sorry and that it was uncalled for. Usually I'll get a strange face, but I don't want to be known as the fencer who can't control their feelings and is disrespectful.

[ThatReallyHurt]

I haven't yet become angry during a bout - if I've fenced angry, it's because I was angry earlier, and brought it with me. So far, fencing has been balm to my soul, I always end a bout much happier than when I started it, even when I lose...

I guess that I tend to move a little harder and faster - knees bent a little more than normal...

[VELISARIOS]

When I become angry,I took deep breaths from my nose and I try to calm down.
It works.

[remise]

I don't get angry. I get frustrated at times, and my kids can tell by my body language. Although I'm not aware of doing it, they tell me I tend to swing my blade gently back and forth while I'm heading back to the en guarde line. If they see me doing that, they know that I'm either flustered or frustrated.

[Coup de Grace]

Like many on this thread, I get frustrated when I make a bad mistake but work hard not to get angry. For me "losing it" burns too much energy. I like to keep a cool head and try not to get too high or too low on good touches or poor ones.