Chaining?

[RiseAndFall]

I was just reading over the Canadian armband program, and in the technical skills column for the black armband it lists "chaining". All 3 weapons have it as a needed skill. I've looked around but I can't find out what chaining is. I'd assume is has something to do with linking together several actions but I really have no idea... would anyone care to explain?

[Mihail]

Is this about fencing or video games?

[RiseAndFall]

... Fencing...

[dramamine]

Wondering the same thing. Man, what a stupid idea.

[RiseAndFall]

Wondering the same thing. Man, what a stupid idea.

Read some of his/her other points, it's a troll.

[melihop]

I think "chaining" may be the same thing as chain stepping, cross stepping, grape vine, etc... seen here!
http://www.jazzercise.com/videoclips/grapevine.wmv

in fenicng its probably done without the arm movements.. and without the little kicky thing afterwards....

[dramamine]

I meant the armband thing. Don't get what the purpose behind it is.

[Gav]

Post a link, an illustration, (or even) a better description of what you are talking about and we can see what we can do.

Is this fencing related? You say it is but don't explain what you mean.

[esskreemr]

He/She is referring to the Canadian Fencing Federation's Instructional Program that apparently rewards a certain level of demonstrated competency with its respective armband.

http://www.fencing.ca/downloads/armband_program_eng.pdf

With just a quick look, I think chaining does refer to the ability to smoothly transition into different skills.

[Gav]

He/She is referring to the Canadian Fencing Federation's Instructional Program that apparently rewards a certain level of demonstrated competency with its respective armband.

http://www.fencing.ca/downloads/armband_program_eng.pdf

With just a quick look, I think chaining does refer to the ability to smoothly transition into different skills.

Ahh cool. No one had posted a link so I was slightly irked. I kept equating chaining with chain fences or chain letters in my head.

[esskreemr]

Ahh cool. No one had posted a link so I was slightly irked. I kept equating chaining with chain fences or chain letters in my head.

I recognized it immediately because I used to play Street Fighter on a disturbingly regular basis.

[mrbiggs]

I think "chaining" may be the same thing as chain stepping, cross stepping, grape vine, etc... seen here!
http://www.jazzercise.com/videoclips/grapevine.wmv

Well, THAT move would certainly throw off my opponents.

Step...cross...step...lift

[RiseAndFall]

Thanks for your interpretations guys. I find it strange though that I can't find a single reference to chaining anywhere else.

Does the U.S. have armbands or something equivilant to them? I assumed it did.

[jBirch]

Chaining refers to a series of connected actions that kind of a follow a "whoopsie" anaylsis. I try an attack to wrist in sabre for example, with remise to belly w/ moulinet and parry 3. I attack in foil and my opponent beat parry/ripostes w/ advance so I envelop the blade and flick to back while maintaining flick distance. Or the wrist/elbow/shoulder/head pattern in epee. Attack, whoops, remise, whoops, PARRY!!! It's supposed to evaluate tactical training as it relates to skills development.

It's a lot like Bucky's near, middle, far system for remising to targets but covers stringing technique together in ways other then just remising. It's also known in other circumstances as "eyes open" drills or "open ended" drills or "options drills" or "tactical" drills and is designed to evaluate the student's ability to adapt to changing situations *during the execution of an action*. I start an attack and my opponent does something (parry, retreat, advance, attack, whatever). I now need to chain a counter-action into my action in order to deal with the changed threat.

It's different from tactical analysis (where you simply vary the intial action to get the point) in that it requires a high degree of training to choose an appropriate secondary (and sometimes tertiary) action and execute it when the circumstances require.

Hope this helps.

James.

[Lemberg]

So.. speaking of the whole armband system.. Can anyone explain to me the utility of this thing as a whole?

[kalivor]

So.. speaking of the whole armband system.. Can anyone explain to me the utility of this thing as a whole?

1. It standardises the skills taught across the country. If someone walks into my club, and has an orange (or, more particularly, a green or better armband, where they have to be evaluated by an outside coach), I know what they know and what they don't know. "I've been fencing for X years at club Y" doesn't mean much -- they could have been fencing 4 nights a week and working hard with a coach I don't know, or be from a reputable club, but rarely shown up, and ignored their coach. Time spent fencing isn't a good indicator of what skills a fencer does or does not have. Neither are rankings and ratings, for that matter.
2. It provides a blueprint for the skills for a coach to teach, and goals for students who are either (a) not competitive, or (b) not successful in competition.
3. It helps to create more well-rounded fencers. Fencers are required to learn the rules, learn how to referee, and how to instruct others.

The main problem, as I see it, is that experienced fencers are going to resist the idea of being tested for the damned things. But it should (hopefully) work well with new fencers coming into the system -- particularly younger ones.

[RiseAndFall]

4. Masses of young fencers were showing up at tournements above their skill level, sometime clogging it up way too much.

I'm all for going to lots of competitions to gain as much experience as possible, but from what I hear it was just too much of a problem.