I keep losing...

[RiseAndFall]

Lately I've been learning and practicing a lot. I've been fencing as much as possible, but still I'm doing bad. I'm not satisfied with it. Is it natural to go through a slump in terms of actually beating people when you've been concentrating on lessons for a while?

Also, here's some somewhat unrelated questions:
-Is it bad to be fencing several days in a row every week? can you do so much it's harmful?
-How do you deal with disengages exactly? I mean, the person lunges in, so of course I'm going to parry it, but then they pull a quick disengage. Is it just a matter of quickly parrying that as well? It can't be. There must be some better way of dealing with that.

[RITFencing]

Lately I've been learning and practicing a lot. I've been fencing as much as possible, but still I'm doing bad. I'm not satisfied with it. Is it natural to go through a slump in terms of actually beating people when you've been concentrating on lessons for a while?

Also, here's some somewhat unrelated questions:
-Is it bad to be fencing several days in a row every week? can you do so much it's harmful?
-How do you deal with disengages exactly? I mean, the person lunges in, so of course I'm going to parry it, but then they pull a quick disengage. Is it just a matter of quickly parrying that as well? It can't be. There must be some better way of dealing with that.

First off, it's natural to go through slumps. Sometimes it helps to just not even think about fencing for a few days. Immerse yourself in some other activity. It is possible that you've burned yourself out a little bit.

As far as dealing with disengages, the only thing off the top of my head that deals with all three weapons is to make sure you're timing it properly and keeping good distance. If you telegraph to motion or start way too soon it becomes a trivial matter to deceive the parry. Also, if someone disengages your parry and you don't feel confident in a second parry, back up. That's general advice for any situation in which you think you'll be hit. Just get out of there and try to make up the distance later.

For more specific advice, you might want to say what weapon you fence and see if anyone particularly knowledgeable about it could help.

[glowstix]

well, i for one would love to be practicing everyday and taking lessons. that's not the problem. maybe you're overanalyzing..who are you practicing against/with?? guys stronger than you or guys you started with??

as far as disengages go, try distance parries or varying your parries...maybe you're predictably using a parry 4 so they automatically know where to disengage.

[keith]

coaching triggered slumps are very normal - especially if you are at a stage in your training cycle where you are focusing on technical actions in your lessons. Things take time to sink in and get incoporated into your bouting.


As to the disengage - well here is a suggestion;

USE YOUR FEET ****WIT.

as in parry to draw the disengage/final action - with a step back. When they fall short just short lunge and hit them.

Or, try and do something other than quarte at a predictable moment. So on their extension do a lazyish counter-sixte then as they disengage/finish take a sharp quarte.

Or, they can't attack if you attack first.

etc etc

[kalivor]

-How do you deal with disengages exactly? I mean, the person lunges in, so of course I'm going to --

There's your problem.

"Of course you're going to" make a certain action. If your actions can be predicted, then they can be evaded. Be less predictable. One can't be given a formula for evading deceptions, because anything formulaic is likely to just land you in the same situation.

Unpredictability can take the form of different parries, different timing on the parries (do you intercept early? wait 'til they've almost hit you? somewhere in between?), and entirely different actions -- a counterattack, an esquive, plain old-fashioned running away.

It sounds like you get regular coaching -- your coach is probably the person to ask, as they'll be much more familiar with what you do well, and where you need work.

[Thorin]

Building on what kieth said, is that you have lots an lots of options to deal with *every* fencing situation. If you can only come up with 1 solution to a situation then its no wonder if you're getting beat regularly.

to deal with this attack:

1. Don't be there when they lunge, no amount of disengages are going to make thier lunge 3 feet longer. A parry should be used to set up a riposte. If you always parry then you're predictable.

2. Counter attack, sometimes ignoring defense & hitting them works too. It will certainly make them more hesatant about thier next attack if they think you might be right there hitting them

3. Use one parry to set up another, they go aroun the first one & get hit by the second.

4. Use a diffrent parry, just for fun see how many you can make work. It may not be *best* to pick up an attack to the 4 line with a 8 or 2 parry, but why not try?

5. Change the timing of any of these actions, parry early, parry late. Counter early, attack into prep, retreat late, retreat early. It's like getting a whole new set of actions for making a simple change.

6. False starts, false attacks or any number of things will keep thier attack off balance & make them more hesatant which opens up opportunities for you.

This list is hardly exhaustive, be creative!

[D+F+P=Hadouken!]

Take a break man, you're over doing it.

[ReverseLunge]

Fencing just isn't for everyone. There are people who have fenced for 20 years and still suck. That's just the way it is.

[Louis CB]

Don't give up for a start. If you are going through a slump, then it will be matched - if not exceeded - by a big jump in performance further down the line.

It is possible you are overdoing it. If you feel tired of fencing, then take a break for a night or two. Not a whole week, unless you're *really* tired.

Fence when you are full of the urge to fence and not tired. This means that you will enjoy your fencing and, if you are not tired, you will be better at noticing and correcting mistakes.

And it'd help to know what weapon you fence.

-Louis CB.

[fixxmyweapon]

w00t for slumps. i'm in the midst of one now. basically i have been doing so much lately and trying to process so much information and i want it all to work correctly at the same time that it became too much and i got frustrated. most likely you are going through a transistion period. if you are taking lots of lessons then you are learning so many new things that you are also trying to work into your bouts. and be perfect and wonderful and winning everything ever, all at the same time. it might help you to take some time off and get your head back together. it could also help just to focus on a few things at once and maybe not take as many lessons until you are comfortable with the new things. but eh, just my two cents.

[Fencing Jesus]

I suggest fencing inferior fencers.

If that doesn't work, quit

[D+F+P=Hadouken!]

I suggest fencing inferior fencers.

If that doesn't work, quit

Jesus, you suck. The solution is to pray more. Pray more and you'll slay more.

[Fencing Jesus]

New test:

If you fence DFP, and lose, then you should quit fencing.

[Amadeus]

Fencing just isn't for everyone. There are people who have fenced for 20 years and still suck. That's just the way it is.

and some people live long and are smart enough to use the internet, but dumb enough to be you.

there's no reason to quit fencing because you're at a plateau. it happens to everyone. and often, it precedes a time with alot of growth.

other than that, listen to the experts (as in, not reverselunge) about how to improve your training to start getting better faster.

[JackOfHearts]

Take a break man, you're over doing it.

If you're fencing as much as you say, then I'd have to agree with DFP here. Take a day or two off, relax, then get back into it. If you're overworking yourself, then of course you're going to have some problems.

[chiz]

New test:

If you fence DFP, and lose, then you should quit fencing.

It’s obvious you haven’t fenced him yet. Just stack you stuff next to the door on your way out.

D+ I’ll see you Saturday.

Chiz

[HDG]

1. Are you seeking feedback from your coach(es) about what you're doing right and wrong on the strip?

2. Are you seeking feedback from your opponents?

[MikeHarm]

If you don't give yourself time to think about what you're doing in between the fencing its hard to advance in skill.

[bigdawg2121]

As far as the slump...tough it out, try the suggestions...if that doesn't work quit...if you find that you don't like that you've quit, then it means you should come back and just ride out the slump (maybe your biorythms are off lately...or maybe yours are more of a fourrier series curve than a standard simple sine curve...who knows?).

As for the disengages...barring all suggestions about not being so darned predictable, and getting better distance...there is the false-parry/real-parry school of thought. Feint your hand in the direction that's expected and change it to meet the actual finish...in theory it would work even the attack arrived straight just with both phases going in the same direction actually not a totally useless thing to try, especially if all other roads lead to brick walls.

[slain4sooth]

... well my coach emphasizes that there is no evading the latest possible parry; the best parry being a millimeters before being hit. wait, watch until the attack is comitted; until then, if you must respond at all, do not make committed actions to intercept the blade, but take actions that account for the greatest spread of possible change-ups that may occur in the distance remaining, (as over time). parry late, (but also mix it up); and watch, and don't panic. good luck.