When to compete?

[sandworm]

I've been doing foil for several months and am getting increasingly interested in competing. Not to say I'm in any shape or experienced enough to start competing yet however, I was wondering if there is a certain amount of time to be fencing before one starts to go to a tournament? And where would I find this information concerning where they are being held in my area?

Thanks!

<epee or sabre? coach says pick one for now!!! but i want them both!!!>

[D+F+P=Hadouken!]

Originally Posted by sandworm

I've been doing foil for several months and am getting increasingly interested in competing. Not to say I'm in any shape or experienced enough to start competing yet however, I was wondering if there is a certain amount of time to be fencing before one starts to go to a tournament? And where would I find this information concerning where they are being held in my area?

Thanks!

<epee or sabre? coach says pick one for now!!! but i want them both!!!>

The time to start competing is when you think you're ready to take it seriously. If you dont take competition seriously, you're insulting the hard work of those that do.

[mrbiggs]

Originally Posted by D+F+P=Hadouken!

The time to start competing is when you think you're ready to take it seriously. If you dont take competition seriously, you're insulting the hard work of those that do.

That's very true.

Also, keep in mind that you probably want to start out in easier tournaments. If you're under 19, you can do age events, if not, you can do limited events by ranking. Depending on your section, an open event could contain nearly all very experienced fencers, from which you may not be able to learn anything. The point of this is that tournaments are rare in August, so you may not be able to find a good tournament for you until a month or more from now.

As for where they are held in your area, if you don't live in the northeast U.S., odds are reasonable that your division uses AskFred.net, which I am not familiar with (But which you can check out at www.askfred.net). Otherwise, go to usfencing.org, click on "Find a club in your area," click on your state, and see if your division has a website. If it does, tournament information might be there.

[ThatReallyHurt]

Originally Posted by D+F+P=Hadouken!

The time to start competing is when you think you're ready to take it seriously. If you dont take competition seriously, you're insulting the hard work of those that do.

I also agree for the most part; however, I think it has to be tempered with exactly what someone wants to get out of fencing. Tournaments aren't just a mechanism for attaining rankings - they're also a very good outlet to fence different people with different styles learning under different coaches.

But yeah - when competing, I think you should be fencing as well as you can, regardless of experience or skill.

[Mo]

Originally Posted by D+F+P=Hadouken!

The time to start competing is when you think you're ready to take it seriously. If you dont take competition seriously, you're insulting the hard work of those that do.

What the heck are you talking about??
There are all kinds of tournaments for novices. Someone who takes it seriously should not be fencing in them.
A fencer has to start somewhere.
You can't take a sport seriously with no experience what so ever.
I've seen kids that were really good fence in competitions and hate them. I've seen kids who lost all their bouts have the time of their lives.
It is not all about DFP ya know?
Try it and see. See if you like competing and the sooner the better.
Our club and divisions both have meets for beginners. They are frequent and fun. The better people get the less they fence in them.
When someone is very good they usually referee.
Fencing has a synergy, everyone has a place in it.

[OROD]

Originally Posted by sandworm

I've been doing foil for several months and am getting increasingly interested in competing. Not to say I'm in any shape or experienced enough to start competing yet however, I was wondering if there is a certain amount of time to be fencing before one starts to go to a tournament? And where would I find this information concerning where they are being held in my area?

Thanks!

<epee or sabre? coach says pick one for now!!! but i want them both!!!>

Ask yourself what you want to accomplish in fencing. If all you want is to have fun then you can go compete whenever you want, you'll find out soon enough if it's fun for you.

If on the other hand you want to be in fencing long term and really improve your skills, then you might want to wait a while. My suggestion would be to start taking lessons regularly (if you arent already), do drills whenever you can, and talk to your coach about what you can do to prepare yourself. One problem with jumping into competitions too early is that you'll start developing bad habits right away, habits that you'll have to unlearn eventually if you want to improve. The best thing is to keep improving with the help of your coach, until you both decide that you've got the basics down. Then at that point when your footwork, distance, and basic attacks/perries are fairly solid, then you will be able to get on the strip and do well enough. You still might not be winning right away, but at least you'll have a solid foundation upon which to build.

Doing this might be a bit painful if you're a competitive person, since you'll want to get out there right away. But you have to believe that in the end you'll be a better fencer for it, and when you do start competing you will do that much better.

Good luck.


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[broncofencer]

if your through the beginners class and not a danger to those fencing with you then GO.

You will gain alot of experience win or lose. go to your division web page ask around and find a tournament to go to. I would suggest talking to club mates etc. to find out a good tournament and all go together as there are several items that occur at tournaments but not at practice that can be confusing the first time.

you don't need to be in great shape or a fencing expert to start competing you just have to have some idea of what your doing and even that isn't mandatory. Talk to your coach as well and they will help you get the info you need as there is a lot of stuff to know before you go.
Like the nike ad says

Just Do IT

[RebelFencer]

The time will vary a lot from person to person. Personally, I fenced my first tournament after 6 weeks of fencing. My suggestion to you (I'm going to assume you are aspiring above the rec level, disregard this if I'm wrong) is to fence as soon as you have a good basic understanding and CONTROL. Go into tournaments expecting only to learn and try never to get discouraged--observing how other people beat you will be great help. Remember: Getting your butt kicked is one of the best ways to learn! After matches, ask the person a bit about the match...most fencers are very personable and will be glad to discuss it with you a bit. But at this stage, just have fun and learn.

[tkrivosh]

In our club, you start to fence on the national level (NACs and Summer Nationals) the moment you join the club.
Go for it, there is a lot to learn during a competition.

[pacer]

I agree with OROD's concern about picking up bad habits if competing a bit too soon. My observations are that esp at the Div 3 level, there are some fencers with quick reaction time who have absolutely horrible footwork. Sure they get the touch, but sooner or later their footwork is going to hamper them. It's hard for some people to hit that type of plateau after being relatively successful. So I'd say consider your own goals and nature. If you can learn through competition or enjoy it for its own sake, go for it.

[mrbiggs]

Originally Posted by Mo

What the heck are you talking about??
There are all kinds of tournaments for novices. Someone who takes it seriously should not be fencing in them.
A fencer has to start somewhere.
You can't take a sport seriously with no experience what so ever.
I've seen kids that were really good fence in competitions and hate them. I've seen kids who lost all their bouts have the time of their lives.
It is not all about DFP ya know?
Try it and see. See if you like competing and the sooner the better.
Our club and divisions both have meets for beginners. They are frequent and fun. The better people get the less they fence in them.
When someone is very good they usually referee.
Fencing has a synergy, everyone has a place in it.

I disagree. If you're just fooling around, why should you compete in a tournament? The time when you should compete is when you say "I've trained and practiced, and I want to see how I do against others." The purpose of novice tournaments is not to provide a place for people to compete when they don't care about the sport. It's to provide a place for people who are begining to get serious about the sport, but have not had enough training to become a good enough fencer to be competitive in an open event.

[OROD]

Originally Posted by pacer

I agree with OROD's concern about picking up bad habits if competing a bit too soon. My observations are that esp at the Div 3 level, there are some fencers with quick reaction time who have absolutely horrible footwork. Sure they get the touch, but sooner or later their footwork is going to hamper them. It's hard for some people to hit that type of plateau after being relatively successful. So I'd say consider your own goals and nature. If you can learn through competition or enjoy it for its own sake, go for it.

Yes, this is exactly it. Many people who start competing too early rely almost completely on quickness and strength to get touches. They have to do this, of course, since they havent learned/trained anything else. So what happens is they develop all kinds of odd moves and contorted counter-attacks which get touches on other unskilled fencers, and then these techniques become second nature to them. Then once they start fencing against people who are better, these things they do will no longer get them touches. And not only will they not be able to do well at competitions, they will have to unlearn all this stuff before learning proper form and footwork to advance to the next level.

It's really worth it to wait the extra 6 months (or whatever) while you practice/drill/take lessons. Focus on your footwork and distance, ask your coach for good drills to do, and do them as often as you can with a partner.

If you do this, I promise you'll be way ahead of the pack when you start competing.


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[cherubknight]

Just a quick point of reference in addition to whats been said above...
UF has their noobs (who have only been fenicing since september) go to the Temple Open (begining of November) as kind of a deciding factor as to whether or not they want to continue competitive fencing or not. Most people get their butts kicked, which we are all told to expect , but most it definitely separates the people who want to really continue to fence on an ever-improving level from the people who decide that competition isnt for them.