More memorable: bouts won or bouts lost?

[victord66]

Just curious as to which bouts we remember the best. Wins or losses? Personally I probably remember lost bouts more since there is usually something that comes out of them that I'm more careful about next time - a certain tactic or move that I should have used.

Of course this only applies to those of us who win AND lose....

[glowstix]

i think it depends. of course you remember some losses because they was something significant that you learned from them that allowed you to grow..then there are some bouts that you win against a strong fencer you didn't think you could beat; this type of bout for me i remember as well because they mark turning points in your progress.

good fencers learn from losing; great fencers learn from losing AND winning.

[ThatReallyHurt]

Wins. I've had so few, they're easy to remember.

[Inquartata]

Some of each, but not really "equal".

And therefore....

[Kyzander]

I think it definately depends on the person you are fencing against. My most memorable bout was with this D ranked fencer who i beat by 1 in overtime to get my E.

[Larrison]

Not bouts won or loss, unless in really exceptional cases - and then its not the actually winning, but the feeling of entire bout; the movement, the actions combining, the entire flow of the bout for good or bad.

What I remember are specific touches or actions, that went well or were just disasterous... And I hope to learn from them.

[RebelFencer]

I remember my losses long after the fact. I replay the bout in my head for days....losing at a tournament just makes me feel like I have unfinished business there..that I haven't done what I came to do. As for memorable, I remember bouts that pushed me to fence to my full potential...win or lose.

[Li'l Bebe]

I remember both spectacular wins (coming back after a 9 point deficit to beat my nemesis 15-13) and terrible losses (losing 15-0 at a national event....that SUCKED) Each memory offers me something, the wins give me confidence, and the losses give me the drive to win.

[RITFencing]

...losing 15-0...

I thought I was the only one that ever happened to

[Fencing Jesus]

I was fencing one time and this guy tried to do a backflip over my head. Well, I just ducked, parried in the classical 5 position and stabbed him out of the air. Boy was he surprised. This is why people should keep studying the old techniques. You never know what will happen. The best part is that I hit him 11-12 times before he hit the ground. Of course he fell right on top of me, which hurt real real bad, but it was totally worth it. I was so excited that I kept stabbing him on the ground.

His mom was going crazy, but I told her to shut up because her son could have killed someone fencing all crazy like that. Then grabbed the ref and made him give her a red card.

That was a memorable bout.

[Rapier_wit]

Fencing Jesus: Nice...

I'd have to agree with Li'l Bebe and Rebel Fencer. I remember the first DE I won like it happened two seconds ago, mostly because I wasn't expecting to win anything at my first tournament. But then again, I tend to remember my losses more as the endless scenarious begin to play in my mind like a faulty projector. Skipping forwards...skipping backwards...never stopping to get a clear view of the picture. So I'm stuck with all the things I could've changed until the next bout where I eventually fix it.

RIT - Oh no buddy, you're certainly not the only one. I've only had three DEs. One I lost 5-15, the next 6-15, and the last one was 0-15. Yeah, still nursing bruises from that one...

[remise]

I savor my victories. I get beaten a lot.

[cherubknight]

One of my most memorable bouts was probably this weekend at Temple when I had to fence my squad captain to get into the 16. She pretty much ate my face off, but Ive never lost a bout and been so genuinely glad that the other fencer was advancing instead of me. That was a nice feeling

[gatorjosh]

my most memorable bout came this past weekend at temple as well. I was fencing to get into the 16 (MF) and unfortunately didnt pull it out at the end after a strong start.

it wasnt so much losing that i remember the most. it was having 40+ teammates behind you cheering you on regardless of what the score said. i dont think i will ever forget this weekend. it was really special.

[SpHeRiaN^_^]

For me, i usually remember the bouts that i lost more. After losing, i will just keep replaying that bout in my head and trying to correct my own mistakes with my own coach. I am fortunate enuf to have a coach that is there always to watch me fence and gives me lessons after the competition just focusing on my mistakes.

I dunno y but i think that most ppl have this mentality after they are the champion of the competition and they just go wild and crazy over their win and forget abt the mistakes that they actually made.

But for me, i nv seem happy with my fencing whether i win or lose because if u dun win 15 - 0 or 5 - 0, it just means that the number of touches they have on you is the number or mistakes you have made.

But of cos, the bout that i still remember vividly to date is during my 3rd year of fencing (i'm on my 5th now) i beat a National Youth Fencer in the Cadet Competition in an overtime which i won 15 - 14. That bout really motivate me a lot and pushes me to go to a higher level.

[Furry]

I don't remember bouts so much as hits, especially key hits for a bout or tournament.

I remember the hit that knocked me out of my first tournament, and I recall the welt that resulted from it. It wasn't my favourite hit though.

My favourite came in my last bout in a varsity tournament. I had already wrapped up placing in the top 4 and was fencing someone who was going to be cut to determine where I was going to place. I was up 4-1 or 4-2 and he was attacking, I was being very patient about not counterattacking and I ended up giving him the whole piste, except for the one inch my front toe was on. He lunged, I forced my back foot back and back. His attack went to my head, parry 5, riposte to his wrist, then I parried his reprise, and we went back and forth until the judge called Halt. I was in the splits and there was only one light on. Mine.

I think that will remain my favourite point of all time.

[archon]

I have three bouts I remember the most. 2 were in a tournament and one was a friendly bout between my roomate and I. I lost the first bout 15-2 but I made him work for it. I could parry his attacks but I couldnt hit him. Our coach actually told us to hurry it up. I guess I remember this because I knew I couldn't beat him but I didnt fence like i had given up. I dragged the bout out till the end. In this same tournament I fenced a guy who broke my wrist with a hard beat. I knew the wrist was broken but I finished the bout(and took fourth). The last bout that was memorable was a friendly fencing match that my roomate and I had. We'd fence every week to see who would take out the trash. We were very equal in skill so our bouts would last a long time. One bout in particular dragged out past 40 minutes for a 5 touch bout. I lost it 5-4. I was winnign 4-1 and then he came back. None of those touches were easy but it was a great match. In the end he helped me take out the trash.

[MHS Fencer]

Some of each, but not really "equal".

And therefore....

I'm going to bite on this one, and I know it's not proper to flame somebody, but for christ's sake, if you're going to be such a curmudgeon all the time you ought to at least learn the English language. The question posed is: "Which do you remember more, bouts won or lost?" And you are given three good choices, as well as "never lose", which is frivilous as somebody who never loses will obviously remember the bouts they win more because, well, they never lose and thus can't remember those.

You claim to remember some of each, although not equally - well, which one's more? The question wasn't "which do you remember exclusively" it was "which do you remember [bold]more[/bold], bouts won or lost?" It's really a pretty simple question, that is if you didn't get lower than a combined 800 on your SAT. Then again, I guess they just eliminated quantitative comparisons from the test, which is exactly what this is: is A more? is B? Are they equal? If you're going to answer the question, just decide! Don't just put in some flippant remark regarding a poll created by guy who just joined.

You don't have to go nitpicking everything, and if you're going to you might as well realize that the only way this poll is flawed is that it assumed that you've fenced at least one bout - otherwise it's a perfectly adequate poll. As a matter of fact, I'm going to say it's a perfectly adequate poll as is because we're on a fencing board and it's safe to assume you have fenced at least one bout.

A-hem, that said, to weigh in on the subject at hand - I remember important bouts that I've fenced, and it just so happens that split is close enough to 50-50 in winning percentage that I said that I remember them equally - I kick myself after losing a bout (and oh how I replay them in my head) but the thrill of some of the bouts I've won has made them unforgettable.

[counter riposte]

The bouts you were supposed to lose, but won through dumb luck, stupidity, or a moment of brilliance.

ie the 64th seed beating the 1st seed.

[Joe biebel]

I've had the good fortune of having 37 years of competetive fencing experience. I remember many highs and lows. The "highs" make you feel good, probably help you to keep coming back, and that has some value from a couple of perspectives. The "lows" often will make you feel bad, but from a philosophical perspective, give you the most "guidance." One of the differerences, I think, between a fencer that improves and a fencer that is stagnant, is making use of the defeats you suffered. What a complete waste of time when a touch against you occurs, and you allow strong emotion to delete the experience from your short-term memory. When I am fencing well, I am psyched up and simultaneously aware of every detail. My chances of winning go way up. When I am too emotional, I am worried about the referee, the equipment, etc. and not focusing on the five seconds I have between touches to "replay the action" in my mind and tweak my plan. I still have to learn things many times before thay become instinctual, but I focus on that much better now, and get there much faster than when my fencing was pure speed and guts.

30% won, 70% lost