Yelling in bouts

[tonybogdan]

How many of you yell in bouts after you score a point, and do you feel it really helps?

[Cipher]

I find yelling and loud outbursts in general to be distracting and annoying. I'd also think that screaming and carrying on whilst everyone gawks at you would be a bit embarrassing. Just a thought.

[Araznal]

When I get a touch that I'm proud of, I will scream. I will scream because I can't help it, because fencing is intense. I feel that if I didn't, I wouldn't like competitions nearly as much as I do now. I also feel like it's ridiculous to think that screaming is "unsportsmanlike". I mean, come on... what about celebrations after a goal in soccer? Are we going to ban all emotions in sports? If you don't scream, fine, you don't have to. But you better not judge me for enjoying myself and getting caught up in the intensity of the bout.

Good follow up, who has a great scream in fencing?

[jrgunn]

Never. I find it unuseful in every situation.

[RebelFencer]

I find it interesting how the ones who really criticize the yelling so far are both unrated in every weapon. Not that I'm criticizing them for having opinions, just that it's an interesting trend.

Now, on to the yelling. There are two particular types of screamers a) the ones who do it every bout b) the ones who end up doing it in very intense bouts. Now while I find doing it for every single point somewhat excessive, the people in the "b" group (which is what I'm from) tend to use it to help them focus and to keep their intensity up. This is very important in high stress bouts, where you've just gotta let some of it out. So it has its purposes as long as it isn't taken to a ridiculous extreme.

[Rapier_wit]

Well, coming from a martial arts background, I'm used to the yelling. The Eastern reasoning behind it is that when one is fighting, all of one's chi is directed to wherever that attack is going. If one does not cry out, some of the chi is withheld. So, it's encouraged to yell on every strike whether for a win or loss. (Though I tend to find that I'll yell more if I miss than if I win)

Of course I'm a big fat hypocrite since I've never yelled at a tournament before. Since this is fencing and not shaolin, yelling is not part of training, so I didn't want to be the one dork out there yelling my falcetto voice out.

[tonybogdan]

I find it interesting how the ones who really criticize the yelling so far are both unrated in every weapon. Not that I'm criticizing them for having opinions, just that it's an interesting trend.

Now, on to the yelling. There are two particular types of screamers a) the ones who do it every bout b) the ones who end up doing it in very intense bouts. Now while I find doing it for every single point somewhat excessive, the people in the "b" group (which is what I'm from) tend to use it to help them focus and to keep their intensity up. This is very important in high stress bouts, where you've just gotta let some of it out. So it has its purposes as long as it isn't taken to a ridiculous extreme.

though im unrated also, i agree

for example, if its an intense bout, and i just scored a touch to tie it up 4-4, i'll give a big yell. A) it lowers their confidence, and b) it increases mine.

I saw at a competition this foil yell 'PUNCTE' when he won his bout, i tried it once and it fit nicely. Usuaully though i just let out the first thing that comes to mind, either something like "YESSSS!" or something along those lines.

[Ordway]

I yell when I make a good touch (or think I did ) in a particularly intense bout in competition. I can get myself too wound up at times, so I try to keep it under control. Informal polls of my teammates suggest that it's not an annoying yell, though asking one's friends "Am I annoying?" is not always guaranteed to get an honest answer.

I don't mind at all when I have an opponent who yells that way - in a tough bout, for a good touch or good effort that he/she thinks got the touch.

What does annoy me are the ones who yell... Every. Single. Touch. That gets old very, very quickly. Especially if they are shriekers. You know who they are: the girls who screech rather than yell, usually at a pitch high enough to break glass.

Of all the potential yells, the ones that are most charming are the variants on "C'est la!" You know - Op-pa! Op-pa-la! Etc. (Maybe only sabrists do it. And only men. I don't think I've heard a woman sabrist yell that way.) I would yell that way if I could, but it's not like I actually *think* about it, I just react, and it comes out in rather inarticulate form.

At least I don't screech. I think. (I hope.)

[ShadowFlick]

When I get a touch that I'm proud of, I will scream. I will scream because I can't help it, because fencing is intense. I feel that if I didn't, I wouldn't like competitions nearly as much as I do now. I also feel like it's ridiculous to think that screaming is "unsportsmanlike". I mean, come on... what about celebrations after a goal in soccer? Are we going to ban all emotions in sports? If you don't scream, fine, you don't have to. But you better not judge me for enjoying myself and getting caught up in the intensity of the bout.

Good follow up, who has a great scream in fencing?

I'm sorry but there is a big difference between a yell and a scream. A yell is something the red blooded He-man does while screaming is for the She-man. How high pitched is your scream?

[Araznal]

I'm sorry but there is a big difference between a yell and a scream. A yell is something the red blooded He-man does while screaming is for the She-man. How high pitched is your scream?

HAHA, I guess you're right, I don't scream, I bellow.
My yells, screams, whatevers, are more primal... Like a lion. ROAR!

Though I have heard FOTL scream like a girl a bit...

[glowstix]

i'm not a yeller after EVERY SINGLE touch. usually i'll yell if i won a tough bout against someone i wasn't sure i could beat, i.e. A or B fencer.

[melihop]

i do not mind yelling.. or the roaring.. or.. the grunting.. but its when people SCREACH that it drives me crazy.. that tone of voice that you only hear when a toddler slams their fingers in the car door, or a person is giving birth.... It just makes me feel like i am causing the other person pain which really freaks me out.... it happened to me last weekend, the girl screamed like that, and i started to cry... not for any reason, it was just the pitch of her scream that made me start to cry; there was no reason for it, it just made me feel like i was hurting her..... the screaming always reminds me of when you aore babysitting a small child who gets overly exvited and scarts to screech, but only its coming out of a bigger body and its louder and more high pitched.... I don't mind the celebrations as long as its in an appropriate octive.......

[telkanuru]

One of my favourite games in practice or at a crap tournament I don't care about, or when fencing a teammate in competition was given to me by a certain fencer at the NYAC.

It's called the shouting game.

One fencer gives the other a (non-offensive) word he has to yell at the next touch. Once that fencer yells the word, he can give the first fencer a word. And so on.

Thus, you see top-30 people on the points list yelling "Snuffleuphagus!" or "Onomonopoea!"

[Inquartata]

Those who insist that they "can't help it" are fooling themselves. Make it a cardable offense and watch how fast they'd shut up.

Actually, I don't think they are really fooling themselves, they know very bloody well they're choosing to do it. Doing it because they are imitating someone they admire who does it, or because their coach taught them to do it, or they're conforming to a club norm, or they just crave attention, or out of some psychological quirk known only to themselves. In all cases a bit of introspection would reveal that it's anything but involuntary.

If this sounds harsh...too bad. Screaming is a moronic practice, part and parcel of the utter lack of dignity and respect worn by today's youth as some sort of badge of honor...

[D+F+P=Hadouken!]

I yell more when it pisses people off. For some people, they get so upset when I yell, that it throws their concentration off. It also gives me a little bit of a boost.

[telkanuru]

Those who insist that they "can't help it" are fooling themselves. Make it a cardable offense and watch how fast they'd shut up.

Actually, I don't think they are really fooling themselves, they know very bloody well they're choosing to do it. Doing it because they are imitating someone they admire who does it, or because their coach taught them to do it, or they're conforming to a club norm, or they just crave attention, or out of some psychological quirk known only to themselves. In all cases a bit of introspection would reveal that it's anything but involuntary.

If this sounds harsh...too bad. Screaming is a moronic practice, part and parcel of the utter lack of dignity and respect worn by today's youth as some sort of badge of honor...

To sum it up: DAMN KIDS GET OFF MY LAWN!

[kmak_577]

I say yes to myself when I get a point but it might just be me being mad and talking to myself lol

Kmak_577

[archon]

Boxers don't even yell after winning a round. Yelling after a touch is like getting angry over tennis;There isn't any point to it.I don't see anything wrong with celebrating after you win a bout. However,yelling over a touch seems a little premature.I feel actions like yelling disrespect the sport. Fencing is different from other sports because we do have century old traditions and most of them are deeply rooted in sportsmanship.

[KShan5[PrFC]]

I like to yell. Celebration is part of any sport, fencing isn't any different. Plus, I like the yelling game too. I have yelled "Snuffleuphagus" or "burn" or even "mozeltov". It keeps the adrenaline pumping but is still good for a laugh.

[Furry]

When I started fencing, nobody in the local tournaments screamed. When I went to my first, semi-large tournament outside of the region, everybody was screaming. It absolutely wrecked me, I was horrible the entire time, and mentally beat up from it.

So I learned how to deal with it, and then how to scream back.

Screaming has also won me bouts. I was down 3-0 in a bout and it wasn't looking good, then I landed a stop-hit and I screamed whilst going backward, staring at my opponent. I won 5-3. The opponent in question is someone I've talked to frequently, and he's still upset about that bout, I got into his head and he still feels it.

I don't need to tell you all here that fencing is largely in the mind, screaming has become a weapon in that fight and while it's not always needed or appropriate but never using it, especially in a weapon in Sabre where you also need to win over the judge in many cases, is asking not to succeed in my mind.