Tyshler Personal Fencing Trainer

[keith]

Originally Posted by Jason

Let's hope for a robot opponent.

... or at second best one who will lunge on demand when we whistle.

[YAKEN]

how much is this fancy doodad going to cost?

[oiuyt]

Originally Posted by YAKEN

how much is this fancy doodad going to cost?

The direct link is included in the first post:

Originally Posted by fencing.net store

List Price: $149.95
Our Price: $99.00
You Save $50.95!

-B

[Artisan]

Seems like everyone is focusing on the the piece of hardware as if it were a pill to magically produce a better fencer. Is just a simple circuit with a timer and a a means of randomizing its calls. The chip to do it is probably $8.00. The real value (if there is any) is in the drills provided with the device.

For a lot less dough, why not have a friend call out the drill - randomly for you from a photocopied list. Even better, have your friend suit up and cue th drills reactions with the specific invitations or preparations - oh wait... that would be fencing.

IMHO, seems like a silly gimmick - spend the money on a coach's lesson or buy your coach a botlte of wine.

[shlepzig]

I have thought about recording a bunch of MP3 files with some short sequences on them and then setting my player to shuffle and follow along with the sequences that it spits out.

It won't have the balancing logic thate the Tyshler device seems to have, but would probably achieve something similar.

Shlep

[Poulet]

Originally Posted by Artisan

For a lot less dough, why not have a friend call out the drill - randomly for you from a photocopied list. Even better, have your friend suit up and cue th drills reactions with the specific invitations or preparations - oh wait... that would be fencing.

At least read its description/blurbette. The whole point of it is that it's for when you don't have someone else to practice with...

[Poulet]

This would be a trivially easy program to write for a PDA or cellphone.

[fencerX]

Next product, a device to take to tournaments to mess with people who train with this thing ...

[darius]

Next product, a device to take to tournaments to mess with people who train with this thing ...

No, no, it's for your students!

Have you ever been coaching somebody and just wished you had a remote control? With adequate training, you can get a conditioned response out of them; set the buzzer off when you need a specific footwork sequence, and you're golden.

If you ever see me standing in my coaches' box, holding up a Queen of Hearts, it's just some quirk. Honest.

darius

[Artisan]

Originally Posted by darius

No, no, it's for your students!

Have you ever been coaching somebody and just wished you had a remote control? With adequate training, you can get a conditioned response out of them; set the buzzer off when you need a specific footwork sequence, and you're golden.

darius

I heard a story once about a fencer at a NAC who once shared the same coach as her opponent. She figured out that by emulating the body language / actions of her opponents coach, she could get the same conditioned responses her coach did, as if in a lesson. However instead of checking/dismissing her weapon she'd then just hit her with an action that was NOT part of the drill. The poor girl was devastated - she did every thing "right" but kept losing the touch.

[Jason]

Originally Posted by Artisan

I heard a story once about a fencer at a NAC who once shared the same coach as her opponent. She figured out that by emulating the body language / actions of her opponents coach, she could get the same conditioned responses her coach did, as if in a lesson. However instead of checking/dismissing her weapon she'd then just hit her with an action that was NOT part of the drill. The poor girl was devastated - she did every thing "right" but kept losing the touch.

Meaning it was the coach who was doing everything wrong.

[Craig]

This is not a device designed to take the place of fencing time in the salle or lessons with a coach, but rather a training device to use as a compliment to your other training.

A great number of the clubs in the US train a few times a week, or are a 30 minute drive for the fencers.

So, if the members of the club you fence with are there on Mondays and Wednesdays, then you can use this device for a few sessions on other days of the week to compliment your normal training days. That way, you are getting more training in and don't have the excuses to avoid training.

Of people who have used the device, I have only received positive reviews. I'll be collecting more reviews as people have time to try out the device. I'll also honor our full 30 day money back guarantee on these as well.



Cheers,
Craig

[Craig]

As promised, here is some more explanation from Gennady Tyshler on the device.

Originally Posted by G.Tyshler

...the "latent period" of the human reaction cannot be greatly improved upon. This is a "hidden period", when our brain analyzes the signal and sends the impulse to the muscle. The reaction time is inherent in the individual and as such is dependent on a particular person’s physiological and nervous make up.

For this reason, the coach should create for each pupil the repertoire of certain fencing actions depending on his psycho - physiological particulars. For example, a fencer with good natural choice reactions should use more attacks with the feints and parry-riposte with choice. An athlete with extraordinary simple reactions should do more direct attacks, attacks on the preparation and total parries. The fencers with good switching reactions should use more combinations of actions, starting with one beginning and developing in a different continuations in the end and so on.

That is why our exercises are mostly focused on improving the "motor component" of the fencers reactions that can be improved by multiple repetitions of the specific exercises provided. The nature of the trigger signal, visual or audio is not so important in this situation.

According to our research, the correlation between reaction time on different signals is very high, anyway.

But, more importantly, the device is not only for training reactions. The exercises provided, will help fencers to improve technique, special fitness,
footwork, accuracy with the blade work, specific motor reactions and tactical
thinking ( this part will be more developed in the next DVD).

The first time that I participated in fencing motor reaction research, was in in
1968, at the training camp of the USSR national team just before the Olympic Games in Mexico (at the age of 11 years). Research was conducted by my father David Tyshler and Doctor Keller. At that time the research was classified, all equipment was borrowed from the Russian Cosmonaut preparation centre. If you want to read more closely on that subject, you can refer to the book by D. Tyshler , S. Keller - 1972 or D. Tyshler 1981.

My Father, David Tyshler, coached 5 Olympic champions, his pupils won 11
medals at Olympics. From 1973 Dr. David Tyshler has been working at the State University Of Physical Education in Moscow. He has prepared more then 300 coaches who are currently working all over the world. He has published over 40 books on various methods of training. Under his leadership 50 people have defended a PHD degree in sport. He was awarded the title - " Best scientist of Russia in the field of sport (among all summer and winter sports, hockey and soccer included), etc.

I have been coaching for 30 years. As a coach for the USSR team, I have coached 6 world champions and an Olympic champion. I have successfully defended a PHD on the subject I have published many books, in the last 5 years I have developed 80 different fencing teaching multimedia products. In 2004 I qualified the South African fencing team for the Olympic Games.

Our teaching DVDs are sold in the world for more then 15 years.
We are both very exited about this device. It will help the fencers to train
and will take the training to the next level.

[Jason]

Order now and receive this free toaster oven!

[Cyranox11]

I really think the vast majority of responses on this thread are missing the point of the device.
It is not meant as a replacement or substitute for lessons, drills or bouting, it is an add on to your normal training regime.
What is great about it is that you dont need an opponent/training partner or coach and is in fact ideal for those times that a fencer is missing these vital people in their life.
How many people have complained on this very board that it is summer holidays, or some other time and that their school os closed/people are on holiday etc but that they now have time to train? This device is ideal for such a time.
It is also great to use if you get to training early and there is no one else around, the coach is busy etc and you can actually use the time to train rather than waste it...
This si not a silver bullet that will suddenly improve your fencing or make you into a Golubitsky/Pozdniakov/Kolobkov, what it will do is help you to train more effectively and more often at a higher intensity IT WILL HELP!

What I like about the device (apart from the fact that I can use it whenever I want), is that it models the tension of a bout in a way that it is impossible for a fencer to do on his/her own.
You are standing in front of the target waiting for the signal (you can decide in your mind that this could model the command fence/your opponents attack/your opponents preparation etc etc) and you are tense as you are waiting for a signal, you have no control over when it will come you just know that you have to execute a perfect action as quickly as possible (and that is appropriate to the situation). Tehre is no way you can replicate this on your own WITHOUT a device such as the Tyshler device!
Also, the device helps you develop your sense of distance if you do the movement (footwork) exercises in conjunction with the technical bladework exercises, you will get the sense of movement and elasticity in distance (even using a stationary target) that is the essence of a fencing bout that you cannotdevelop by standing in front of a wall target doing drills.
The device also makes the act of doing drills more interesting: you arent just standing there doing 5 parry 4 ripostes, 5 lunges, 5 circle 6 ripostes etc.
Your mind is engaged and you therefore give more attention to the exercises: you are interested in doing them and can compete with yourself to identify the sound better, improve the reaction time etc. This will make the technical exercise much more beneficial!

The device is therefore essential, sure you could build a 'beeper' but it wouldnt have the logic that has been built into this device.
Also, the exercises that come with the device are really the important aspect of the whole thing. Its a package 'hardware', 'firmware' and training exercises, that if used in conjunction with your normal training will make you a better fencer.