troubles...

[belligerent_sorceress]

I have a meet TONIGHT...and i'm worried about a couple things. (FYI: I'm a lefty foilist)

• I'm a first year fencer and I am starting on the varsity squad...this is only my second meet, ever. I'm pretty nervous about how things are going to turn out.
• I'm having problems with my disengage. I know the basic motion, but I end up disengaging INTO the parry. When I beat attack, I can't avoid the parry riposte and end up getting hit. What's wrong with me? I can use all the help I can get.

[Cutter]

First off, if you meet is tonight, don't worry about any of that stuff. You should focus on what you are doing well and not what you can't do well. After the tournament, evaluate your performance under pressure and figure out what you need to work on then focus on those areas in training. When the next tournament rolls around it will be a whole new set of "I am having trouble with..." but you can't let that be what your mind focus' on or you will likely not fence your best. Again, just concentrate on what you do best and do it. Don't worry about the other stuff.

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Cutter
Reach out and "touch" someone.

[Rick]

Greetings fellow lefty rookie foilist.
Cutter is right. The meet is too close for you to be making dramatic adjustments. Just do what you've been most successful in at practice.

But you can try a simple addition to beat attacks... try beat-feints. Beat your opponents blade then extend your point without advancing or lunging. This way you can see how they parry, or parry and riposte while keeping relatively safe distance. That way you'll get an idea of which way your disengage should go (under or over the blade depending on the motion).

Hope this advice doesn't mess you up.
Goodluck!

[Moonitic]

Don't worry about tonight, as everyone else said...just warm up & stay relaxed. Let your body do what comes naturally.

As for disengaging into the parry...could be that you're too close when you try your disengage. Drills will help you with that. Talk to your coach & get some feedback.

[belligerent_sorceress]

Thanks for your advice- I'm back from my meet. I fenced two bouts. The first one I lost, 5-0. The second one I managed to score two touches- I was extremely nervous for the first one, the second I was more focused. I didn't feel too badly because this is only my second meet, and I've only been fencing since October- I was up against 3rd and 4th year fencers. Also, the second girl I fenced was the team captain- and the opposing team is beset in the state. Our captain scored 3 touches on her, so I was very surprised with my 2.
The advice I got from my teammates was to do the beat-lunge in one smooth motion, and to fully extend my arm. I missed several possible points by not extending fully. Thanks again for all your help!

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Melissa
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"You can beat me, you can bind me, but you can't touch me!