Sergei Golubitsky on Foil Fencing: Part III Analysis and Predictions

[gladius]

Part III of Sergei Golubitsky magisterial thesis is now on Schermaonline.com.

This is an updated version of the original Italian text, kindly provided by Sergei. Anyone interested in fencing in general, and foil in particular should enjoy reading the maestro's examples and comments.

http://www.schermaonline.com/scherma...rder=1&thold=0


Nobody would question the status of Sergei Golubitsky as a fencer. Escrime magazine (September 2001) described him as "today considered the best foilist ever." Salvatore Sanzo, to the question by Schermaonline as to who had been the strongest foil fencer replied "... only one name, Golubitsky. And please, nobody tell me that [Fabio] Dal Zotto was better. He [Dal Zotto] won one Olympic, bravo, but he did not win what, or as much, and how Gola won. Totally in another class..." http://www.schermaonline.com/scherma...rticle&sid=204 Andrey Geva, 2006 USFA Developmental Coach, who saw Sergei compete several times at the peak of his career in the '90's, says "He fenced with elegance and beauty. In Russian we call this "krasavets." I always wondered how did anyone ever manage to score a point against such an incredible fencer!"

The transition from such an exceptional athlete to fencing coach must not be an easy one, something few great champions have managed with success. As a coach first in Holland, Sergei had his student Sebastiaan Borst take 3rd place at the Cadet World Champs in Gdansk 2001. Since coaching in Conegliano, Italy, for the past five years, his student Marina Bolis took 2nd place in the team Junior World Championships in Belek 2007.

Now he is moving to Tauberbishofsheim where he will continue his impact on world foil fencing in the years to come.

I believe that his unique talents belong to the world of fencing, not just to the East European, or the Italian, or German schools. This thesis is a step in the direction of globalization.


Sergei Golubitsky personal web site is www.gfc-world.com

:-)

[erooMynohtnA]

What style do you think American fencing resembles? Is it a fusion of the four, a discrete spattering of them, or a branch of one of the schools?

[edew]

I'd say a good majority of US fencers are of East European descent, given that their coaches are from the East European countries (Misha in LA, Slava in West-Rock, Petin, Gia, Gia, Alexeys, Garik, et al). However, I think the US descent coaches like Massialas and Marx come from a more french school. Others like Nat, Buckie and a host from the mid-west have a hybrid which I think has speciated to be a distinctive American school.

That's the real beauty of fencing: coaches constantly making adjustments and changes to the pedagogy to make things work. (And of course, we can see those coaches who don't make changes, or think that their way is the best and only way: eventually their students get hit by those who know what to do against it.)

A lot of foil coaching is making specific actions work against specific counter-actions. In other words, a fencer can't just use movement X and expect it to work. There are two types of actions: generic ones from which variations can sprout from and specific ones against specific actions. For example, the advance-lunge is a generic one. If the opponent stands or counter-attacks, you should hit. You need to learn this action from that standpoint. However, how often will that action really result in a touch, if just done randomly? So, there are variations from it: with disengage, with counter-parry riposte, or at least a counter-parry to stop the riposte and then do something from there. A specific action would be counter-attack with a close out. Or, the counter-time to hit the opponent doing a counter-attack with a close out. You need to work on good point control and speed control to make your opponent commit to the counter-attack and then you do your action to hit. You can't use this action if the opponent is not a counter-attacker.

I think the most important aspect of foil coaching is getting the fencer to attain point control. No amount of fancy technique or creative tactic matters if the tip can't hit on target. I'm learning that the hard way with my students and I'm making big efforts to get them to have better point control.

[Allen Evans]

Very interesting series. It was fun to read, and there are probably 20 other topics that I would like to see explored a little more.

I thought it funny that in the comparison of the different schools of fencing, all the non-Soviet systems came out looking/feeling about the same, and in stark contrast to the Soviet system....little bit of personal bias there, perhaps?

Definately a lot of food for thought.

AE

[Allen Evans]

I think the most important aspect of foil coaching is getting the fencer to attain point control. No amount of fancy technique or creative tactic matters if the tip can't hit on target.

More important than understanding the distance?

AE

[edew]

Nowadays, probably. At least with my kids and fencers, distance is less of an issue than putting it on. Maybe it's because they're still fencing beginning level fencers, neither fencer is moving so much or so fast that they can't keep up, but I seldom see my fencers falling short or getting hit in prep or stop-hit. But, they do get through a parry or two and then wham, they hit the mask or the upper arm or butt or thigh. Aargh!

[zéphirin]

hey, I noticed that in the Coupe Buenos Aires of women's foil Caroline Golubytskyi got first place ahead of Emily Cross. Any relation with Sergei?

By the way, I loved this series and the third part is really interesting even for an epee fencer! Great job!

[500gms]

She's his wife

[gladius]

hey, I noticed that in the Coupe Buenos Aires of women's foil Caroline Golubytskyi got first place ahead of Emily Cross. Any relation with Sergei?

As others have pointed out, Carolin (spelled without the final e) is Sergei's wife and is currently ranked #10 in FIE women's foil points. After winning in Cairo (see Serge Timacheff's audio interview http://www.fencing.net/content/view/500/2/) she indeed won the following week in Buenos Aires by beating Emily Cross for the gold.

She is the former Carolin Wutz, #1 in the junior women's foil FIE ranking at the end of the 2003-2004 season. Her last name appears to have a different spelling from her husband, but the actual transliteration from Cyrillic to Latin characters of her husband's name is Sergii Golubytskyi (as written on his passport). However, in the fencing world over the years he became known as Sergei Golubitsky.

Carolin with her 3 victories this year in the senior circuit, Salzburg, Cairo, and Buenos Aires, is now at the top of the German women's foilists in international points, ahead of her club mate Anja Mueller at #13.

Carolin trains at Tauberbishofsheim where she will now be joined by Sergei.

Best of luck to her to make it to the Olympics!

[Timacheff]

I notice that the FIE site has her name spelled "Caroline Golubytskyi" in the rankings, and that is how it was spelled in the seeding for the Cairo world cup. So perhaps there may be some flexibility in the name spelling, depending upon the "host" language used.

[gladius]

I notice that the FIE site has her name spelled "Caroline Golubytskyi" ... perhaps there may be some flexibility in the name spelling, depending upon the "host" language used.

Her name is Carolin Golubytskyi. The FIE has a wrong spelling.

Here is an article in German about her recent successes

http://www.fechten.org/startseite/ne...lubytskyi.html

As Sergei told me, for him it is a case of not changing the name he became known in the fencing world, Sergei Golubitsky, into his real name of Sergii Golubytskyi, as printed on his passport.

His wife goes by her real last name. The FIE has it still wrong the way it spells her first name Caroline (with a final e). It is Carolin without an e. Maybe, years from now, she will become Caroline, because of habit, but now she is Carolin.