What do you say when you shake hands with your opponent after a not so exciting bout?

[akaiyuki]

Close bouts, fun bouts, exciting bouts... they deserve special comments when you shake hands with your opponent. But what do you say after a not particularly exciting bout when you shake hands with your opponent? Perhaps you just got your ass kicked really really badly, or you just bageled (15-0, or 5-0) a newbie... or you weren't fencing as well as you wanted to...
Or what about after practice bouts at your club?

[Peach]

After practice bouts at the club, if it wasn't very good, I make some suggestions for improvement. But then, I'm the "Bad Auntie" at the club.

In a tournament, "Good bout" is always a courteous thing to say, unless my opponent was whacking on me like a Hollywood extra on a Tibetan gong.

[erooMynohtnA]

I say "thanks," not "thank you," but same difference. If it was really bad, I might ask "Would you like a little advice?"

[Sciurus-Rex]

"That will be $50 for the lesson."

[Zelda]

A simple thanks for the bout during competition.
Otherwise a thanks, a you bastard or something else depending on who it is at training.

[Gav]

If the bout was THAT bad why would you even comment on it?

[GorillaSmile]

In club it is usually "thanks" and then a comment on a good touch, appology for a hard touch, etc.

In tournaments just a simple "thank you".

[alexnormann]

If I win: Man, you suck!

If I lose: Man, you were lucky!

[RITFencing]

Unless it was a real slaughter, I generally just say thank you, win or lose. If it's a friend, I may joke around. If I just got aced, then I might say "Thanks for the lesson," and when the opposite occurs I do sometimes offer some advice, particularly if thier performance is being hampered by one or two particularly bad things. I also someitmes ask for advice after a bout with a really good fencer.

[chefencer]

"You lost to someone in sneakers! SNEAKERS!"

Chuck All-stars? Hi-tops? Hahahaha!

[sabreteur]

"Well, that sucked."

Against Inq it's usually "Well, that was an ass kicking of biblical proportions."

[fencerbill]

After getting beaten handily, which happens quite often, my inner response to someone saying "Good bout" is that the comment was quite sanctimonious.

At competitions, upon losing my DE, I am wont to say "Good luck."

In local competitions we all are generally fencing someone whom we know and have fenced before.

Last year I was still in a local competion into the round of 16 when I came up against a 16 year old Sabre fencer, about six inches taller than I, who was expected to get into the next round by everyone there. Well we all know about the rare bout where everything works for yourself and the opponent concentrates all his bad luck into one bout. I was ahead about 8-4 at the break. So there I stood in solitary spendor while his friends gathered around my opponent giving him lectures on what the hell was he doing playing around with me. Well I stayed ahead until he finally caught up at 12-12 and then went on to win.

I said to him "Scared the hell out of you, didn't I?" And he said, "Yeah" and we both smiled.

[Epee Scherma]

Say nothing. Why do we feel compelled to talk about the success/failure/fun/not fun of a fencing bout? I never see other sports players babble on so much about this nonsense. The exception to this of course if you are discussing something techinical, tactical, or something else substantive behind the fencing that just occured. Isn't a thank you implied by the salute and handshake? Iceman out.

[Britomart]

I usually say "Thank you." But then again, i am a newbie, and so i usually get beat. I just look on those times as lessons, and move on.

[NGFC]

win or lose, walk in the park or grudge match, a well mannered fencer should simply say "nice bout". i usually get the comment..." that was a fun bout" mostly because somehow my bouts are always entertaining ( wonder why? hmmm) for the bouts i loose, i might ask for any suggestions. for the bouts i win, i only give advice when asked as not to appear to be a know-it-all. of course there have been one or two where we barely touched fingers on the handshake and said nothing which was the better road to take at the time!( the grudge matches) but alway before the tournament ends i try to mend the few downed fences because you never want to give any fencer a reason to want to WHIP your hiney the next time around!

[hello?]

I don't agree that a "well mannered fencer should say 'Nice Bout." If it wasn't a nice bout, because it was too easy or too hard, that's a lie. Nice manners do not involve outright lies. Well mannered fencers should say "Thank you." That's it. When I lose badly (this does not count when I score at least 1 touch on an amazing fencer who is clearly, clearly superior to me...that is indeed "nice") and the person who just made me look like a fool says "Nice Bout," I want to fence the thing again and at least hurt them....Lying takes the value away from when the other person (winner or loser) really means to say "nice bout." Why do it?

[erooMynohtnA]

I don't agree that a "well mannered fencer should say 'Nice Bout." If it wasn't a nice bout, because it was too easy or too hard, that's a lie. Nice manners do not involve outright lies. Well mannered fencers should say "Thank you." That's it. When I lose badly (this does not count when I score at least 1 touch on an amazing fencer who is clearly, clearly superior to me...that is indeed "nice") and the person who just made me look like a fool says "Nice Bout," I want to fence the thing again and at least hurt them....Lying takes the value away from when the other person (winner or loser) really means to say "nice bout." Why do it?

I agree about that. I've beaten people who are obviously better than me but just weren't mentally in that bout, and I don't tell them "nice bout," because not only do they know it wasn't a good bout, they know I know it, too.

When someone who I know is a worse fencer happens to beat me, if they say "nice bout," it irritates me, because they either know it wasn't and said it anyway, or they're so bad they can't tell I fenced poorly.

Conversely, if I fence someone, and they do well because I'm fencing poorly, I won't say "nice bout." Just like I wouldn't say "nice touch" if they scored after I did something really stupid.

[Zelda]

If the bout was THAT bad why would you even comment on it?

Was that directed at me? If so I will explain over beer next weekend.

[Inquartata]

I usually say "Thanks" and add "Good bout" when it was.

Since the poll does not allow for multiple choice, it is obviously you-know-what.

And apparently there are now two of me, according to the poll answers. Tremble, oh ye people of f.net, a second querulous curmudgeon walks among you!

[Gav]

Was that directed at me? If so I will explain over beer next weekend.

Nope.

It's just a general comment.