Coaching Horror Stories

[remise]

One amusing story....a child at our club (around 9 years old) had ADHD and had loads of energy. This kid also studied martial arts, and would, at times, intertwine them with his fencing moves.

At a tournament, another 9 year old faced him on the strip, and when the call to Fence! arrived, the 'energetic' child began marching down the strip, making Bruce Lee-like calls and performing martial-arts moves. His opponent had never seen anything like it, and admitted that he established PIL out of sheer terror.

The first child ran straight into the point, still swinging and 'chopping' and howling. It gave everyone a chuckle.

[Peach]

We ADHD students give our coaches endless amusement. Or at least it is apparently amusement. That pained grin might have more pain in it than grin.

I had one a few years back (a high-school student) who would NOT stop leaning over and rounding her shoulders. I ended up duct-taping her upright.

My most difficult student in my little fencing club at school has an ambitious father. The kid never shows up for practice, and his father has other priorities for him, but when he does come he hits too hard and he sort of gallops his footwork, starting with his back foot rather than his front. The other kids hate fencing him. His dad bought him electric gear and takes him to all kinds of tournaments without my encouragement. People insist on reporting back to me about all the things he does wrong.

[Larrison]

To add another story -- I was attending a youth tournament (14 and under) with a young fencer; about 6 months experience, first tournament.

Watching the pools, I noticed one of his opponents would never attack, only parry riposte. So I pointed this out to him and asked him "What should you do when you fence him?"

The two fencers come on guard, and neither attacks. The fencer I knew didn't attack, and neither did his opponent. Neither of them move. The director looks at both fencer, and keeps quiet. After about 30 seconds, one attacks. Next start -- same thing.

I was trying to keep from laughing, watching. One wouldn't attack, and the other apparently didn't know how...

Funniest part, was as I was chatting with the parents of the "never attacks" fencer a bit later. He came up and started saying "Who was that guy? He didn't attack! I didn't know what to do! My legs started hurting!!!"

Now -- I was actually a little bit pleased with this. Young, relatively inexperienced fencer at his first tournament. Saw something, put together a strategy, and followed through with it. Not the best strategy perhaps, but a start.

[KD5MDK]

It would have been perfect, if he'd ensured he had a one touch lead first.

[Zelda]

I hope it's dry fencing, or he'll be wound up like a top.

Its dry, I aint letting him loose with the electrics till 1. point control is achieved, 2. we dont get dramatic dying motions every time he gets hit and twirling motions every time he hits.

(Yes I run a schizophrenic youth class why do you ask? )

[edew]

Hi!




Simple solution: put them on guard with their back foot snug against a wall, facing out into the room. They can´t kick a hole in the wall.


Have a nice time!

Peter Gustafsson

I usually require my fencers to be in constant motion before lunging. At least drumming their legs, if not actually moving forward and backwards.

[edew]

This would be my down fall. Especailly when I am directing at our local tournaments.

I am very happy now that I can use the hand-signals for refereeing. I've always had the worst time saying "left" when I meant "right". Now, I just say, "attack" and point to the side that did the attacking.

I find this hard to do. Especially without the visualization. Also, who's perspective do you want to see the "C" from? Its like holding up your left hand to show an "L" at someone. You only show it to yourself, then realizing the mistake you made, you show them the proper "L" with your right hand (or you could just turn your left hand around).

I do tell my fencers to draw a "C" from their perspective. I could say things like, bold-face C for the six-eight-six double-disengage, or lower-case c to indicate that I want a smaller disengage, or open parenthesis "(" to indicate a shallower disengage or "C" from the bottom up to indicate an eight-six disengage.

There's also the "G" disengage, more useful for saber attacks. It represents a fake the to head, travel along the "G" and make a flank or chest cut (depending on the opponent). There's also the backwards "G" for the opposite hand.

[KD5MDK]

I like doing J's myself. Start high inside against a righty, and then drop down around and to the bottom of their wrist as they parry 4.

[cfaustus]

I had a kid who decided to put my on coaching plastron and pretend to be a vending machine once.

Lol! I am still trying to picture this...

[Ordway]

I do tell my fencers to draw a "C" from their perspective. I could say things like, bold-face C for the six-eight-six double-disengage, or lower-case c to indicate that I want a smaller disengage, or open parenthesis "(" to indicate a shallower disengage or "C" from the bottom up to indicate an eight-six disengage.

There's also the "G" disengage, more useful for saber attacks. It represents a fake the to head, travel along the "G" and make a flank or chest cut (depending on the opponent). There's also the backwards "G" for the opposite hand.

Ai yi yi. It just goes to show how differently people are in how they learn things. I am a highly literate and educated person, but I would have a monstrously hard time translating that kind of explanation from my head to my hand in order to execute it properly!

[Dev]

I do tell my fencers to draw a "C" from their perspective. I could say things like, bold-face C for the six-eight-six double-disengage, or lower-case c to indicate that I want a smaller disengage, or open parenthesis "(" to indicate a shallower disengage or "C" from the bottom up to indicate an eight-six disengage.

There's also the "G" disengage, more useful for saber attacks. It represents a fake the to head, travel along the "G" and make a flank or chest cut (depending on the opponent). There's also the backwards "G" for the opposite hand.

Sesame Street Fencing?

This compound attack is brought to you by the letter... G!

[KD5MDK]

And the numbers 15-4.

[HDG]

I can't believe that no one has encountered a headbutt-er. First time they put on the mask, head down full speed ahead. Youngsters needless to say.

[edew]

I much prefer to say, "make a C parry" rather than do an eight parry. "8" is not nearly intuitive as the letter in describing the motion.

As for headbutters, when I first started fencing oh so many years ago, we had a guy who was in wrestling and used to be an offensive lineman ('merkin football). He'd make an attack which would miss, then come up and slam his forearm into your throat. Never did get to the wrestling part, though. ThanQgawd. He left fencing when he couldn't hit the side of a barn with the tip.

[KD5MDK]

You didn't send him to sabre?

[edew]

I was just a fencer then. I didn't have any say on who should be a whatever-type-of-weapon fencer. He was an arrogant SOB who never did understand that fencing had at least some amount of finesse as much as force.

[Peach]

You didn't send him to sabre?

We would have declined him.

[qatet]

I do tell my fencers to draw a "C" from their perspective. I could say things like, bold-face C for the six-eight-six double-disengage, or lower-case c to indicate that I want a smaller disengage, or open parenthesis "(" to indicate a shallower disengage or "C" from the bottom up to indicate an eight-six disengage.

There's also the "G" disengage, more useful for saber attacks. It represents a fake the to head, travel along the "G" and make a flank or chest cut (depending on the opponent). There's also the backwards "G" for the opposite hand.

At 27 years old, I still mix things up when writing a 3 and a capital E. My college students were treated to a bizarre kind of Wheel of Fortune when I write on the blackboard - guessing which letters I had left out the first time and would have to go back to replace. Nothing serious enough to ever go to a doctor about it, but boy, your method would give me trouble! I've always had to memorize the physical action, no amount of description would solve the initial learning.