where to focus on your opponent?

[carlos]

What part of your opponent's body or weapon do you focus on during a bout? What cues cause you to shift your attention?

[Peach]

Nothing and everything.

[three_hundred_fifty_five]

I don't focus on just one thing. It's not like in some sports where you watch the chest of your opponent (like ice hockey, basketball, or football) to determine the direction they are going. I watch the body and the weapon. Why? Because you can score without moving the body or you can score without moving the blade and just the body. Weird, ain't it.

[D'Artagnan1673]

I try to avoid focusing on one point of the body or another. If you do that, then you stand a good chance of missing something that your opponent is doing. If you keep your foucs on the whole body, you will do a better job of finding something that your opponent is doing that can be used against them.

[epeefencer74]

I disagree that you should watch the whole body. For me I watch the coquille and the shoulder of my opponent. The rational is this, the shoulder gives the distance and the coquille gives the action of the blade.

[veeco]

I too watch the guard, mostly.

However, I think it's better not to focus on just the guard, but to get a good perspective of the body as a whole. That's where peripheral vision comes int o play. You have to be able to detect changes in your peripheral field of vision, and that's when the "watching the body" comes into play.

[scarlet_woman156k]

I'm going to have to agree w/Peach on this one.

[counter riposte]

You have to approach a Zen like state, watching the actions of your opponent, to determine your own reaction. Doing this in under a second is possible if you know what it is you are looking for and at.

Example: A person with a slow advance lunge:
Retreat, pris du fair, repost.

A person with a high/exposed forearm:
Retreat, stopcut, parry-riposte

A person with a low guard position:
Feight low, attack high.

In essence you are watching for everything that your opponent does. Once that is determined, the rest is easy.

In short: I agree with Peach

[Sciurus Rex]

I usually focus on the attractive females who enter my field of vision along the strip or behind my opponent.

[DamedEscrime]

Well Rex, that sounds like a real good way to get clobbered.
I usually keep an eye on the area between the opponents eyes and chest. Peripheral vision allows me to see where thier hand is going.
The reason I do this is because a person generally will look to what they wish to hit before they actually do it, giving a small clue to the direction they intend to go. Is this 100% of the time? Of course not, but more often than not.

[epeefencer74]

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Helvetica, Arial">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Helvetica, Arial">Originally posted by DamedEscrime:
<strong>I usually keep an eye on the area between the opponents eyes and chest. Peripheral vision allows me to see where thier hand is going.
The reason I do this is because a person generally will look to what they wish to hit before they actually do it, giving a small clue to the direction they intend to go. Is this 100% of the time? Of course not, but more often than not.</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Helvetica, Arial">Then you will not do well against me 'cos I watch your hand and weapon, my eyes will not tell you where I'm going, I hit using your blade as a reference.

[three_hundred_fifty_five]

What part of your opponent's body or weapon do you focus on during a bout?
If it's a female opponent, the soft curves.

What cues cause you to shift your attention?
Meucci, Lucasi, McDermott, Balabushka, Joss, etc.

[Inquartata]

Chalk up another vote for Peach's "everything and nothing". Sort of a non-focus...

You people who claim to watch the eyes must have really good vision if you can detect the tiny motions of eyeballs through the mesh of both your mask and the opponent's ( and frequently glasses )in the artificial light of an indoor fencing venue...

[DamedEscrime]

Well. Epee..good thing I am not in Singapore. But then again the eyes are not the only thing I am watching. By the way..is that a challenge? *grin*

[epeefencer74]

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Helvetica, Arial">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Helvetica, Arial">Originally posted by DamedEscrime:
<strong>Well. Epee..good thing I am not in Singapore. But then again the eyes are not the only thing I am watching. By the way..is that a challenge? *grin*</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Helvetica, Arial">Really Madame you honour me. I shall be most privalged if ever we are to meet on the piste. If ever you are in my humble country, please let me know.

[Jisahn]

I hate abstract answers, but ... sono d'accordo con Peach.

Peripheral vision is of utmost importance, and I just sort-of scan up and down my opponent's centerline. However, I never focus directly on the weapon. In my earliest days, this mistake cost me dearly as I would constantly lose touches to feints and quick/jerky movements of the blade.

[Gav]

This is quite an interesting question. I have no idea where I focus on my opponent. I know I react and adapt, and that my focus can change.

I've got this feeling I'm going to be distracted in my next bout thinking about this...

Oh yeah, and I have been known to be distracted by the odd scantily clad female who wandered past mid bout. I swear that at the brits I was put off by a team mate of one my opponents...

[Zelda]

Gav, I think most men lose at least 1 point a comp being distracted by women walking past....least all the guys I know are.

[Gav]

Zelda what are you doing up at this ungodly hour? I get paid to do it before anyone asks.

BTW the Fringe event was a complete washout - literally. I got soaked through to the bone. My kit got so wet that there wasn't any point getting changed to walk home (I live just round the corner) so I just walked home in my fencing kit - raised a few eyebrows. The corner shop guy just stood there with his mouth open while I was trying to pay for some items!

[Zelda]

Gav the ungodly hour got worse. Stubborness with be the death of me. If anyone really cares it took me 8 hours to get a flat dataset for my thesis. Bed was found at 6am this morning and I was awoken at 8:30 by my wonderful g/father ringing me! Decided not to go back to bed so am working on 2.5 odd hours sleep at the moment.

<small>[ 08-14-2002, 06:34 AM: Message edited by: Zelda ]</small>