Summer national Qualifiers?

[Chaospenguin101]

I'm going to qualifiers for Epee this saturday. Does anyone have any advice in terms of what to practice?

[Welted 24/7]

What do you mean, what to practice? You know better than we would what you need work on. The absolute most important piece of advice is to keep your head on your shoulders. Don't freak out because it's a qualifier, don't look at your opponents and go "Oh no, he's big, I give up"...just fence like you know how to. Easier said than done, but if fencing was easy, there'd be a lot more people doing it.

[shango]

Where are you located penguin? Would it happen to be U16 qualifiers in Long Island at Brentwood?

[Victor]

He's cramming for his finals exam! Gotta love it...

[D+F+P=Hadouken!]

First place: Chill.
Second place: Dont do any footwork, or pushups or situps, or squats or running. Do some light stretching. Glue a penny to a wall and use it for point control, as good point control will get you far. Drink alot of water, its amazing how good water can make you feel. Most of all, try to make your opponent play your game, if their best move is the fleche, dont let them do it. Make them play yours. Good luck.

[Chaospenguin101]

Where are you located penguin? Would it happen to be U16 qualifiers in Long Island at Brentwood?

yes, it is, y do u ask?

[Chaospenguin101]

First place: Chill.
Second place: Dont do any footwork, or pushups or situps, or squats or running. Do some light stretching. Glue a penny to a wall and use it for point control, as good point control will get you far. Drink alot of water, its amazing how good water can make you feel. Most of all, try to make your opponent play your game, if their best move is the fleche, dont let them do it. Make them play yours. Good luck.

Thanks! Why wouldn't footwork help though? I've been doing some, is that bad?

[Chaospenguin101]

ha ha
maybe i am...it gets me far in school

[shango]

Hey penguin, I sent you a PM, but I'm asking because I'm also going to for U16 Mens Foil. Ladies and gentlemen, I have finally broken down and got an avatar.

[achilleus]

Thanks! Why wouldn't footwork help though? I've been doing some, is that bad?

The idea is that one should train really, really hard, and then before competitions taper your workouts. This allows your body and your mind to replenish their energies and be fully rested and mentally alert when the competition takes place.

This works if you have a full training load, and are constantly punishing yourself. If you only fence and work out casually, it doesn't make sense to.

All the pre-comp rituals, work outs, etc, are really just ways to make sure the competitor enters the event rested, relaxed, and focused to help achieve the best possible result.

At this point in your fencing career, I wouldn't worry too much about what you're doing. Just taking notes as to what works best for you so that in the future you can tailor a training schedule for yourself.

[Chaospenguin101]

awesome, thanks a lot!

[acaba]

I'm going to qualifiers for Epee this saturday. Does anyone have any advice in terms of what to practice?

I always tell my fencers that unlike tests in school, you cannot cram for fencing! The week before the tournament is for confidence building drills and rest, as achilleus noted.