Too impulsive

[Carlos37]

what´s a nice way of eliminating the nasty habit of being too impulsive in fencing?

[Dr Epee]

Referring to your previous post about switching from epee to sabre, if you're "too impulsive" then you should switch to sabre, at which time you will be instantly cured. because, as we all know, it's impossible for a sabrist to be too impulsive.

[i'mnottelling]

Get a Russian coach. Or get any coach. If you are coming here for all of your fencing advice then you need a coach.

i'mnt

[Peach]

Since most initial sabre actions must be premeditated before the "fence" command, it doesn't help to be impulsive in that weapon either , though it seems to be a common personality trait.

We usually deal with impulsiveness at my club by doing a bouting task, the "rock, paper, scissors" drill: you must decide before the "fence" command which action you are going to do--straight attack, parry-riposte, feint-deceive are the basic ones, but you can add in stop-cut, counter-attack, feint-in-tempo, or whatever other action you want to practice.

In my experience, "impulsive" means "reactive," and you must act (not react) in fencing. "Decide what you're going to do, then do it," is the mantra. Impulsiveness usually comes across as "second-guessing" yourself and the most common sign of of it is the person who tries to attack and parry at the same time, or counter-attacks ferociously.

[Craig]

what´s a nice way of eliminating the nasty habit of being too impulsive in fencing?

Set up some practice time where you goal for bouts (in epee) is not to score lots of touches, but to keep the overall score down.

That way, you'll have to be enough of a threat so your opponent can't run all over you, but restrained enough to hold back when invitations are given.

Take the score for your typical 3 minute period and see if you can make yourself keep the score to half of that.

Craig

[oso97]

Since most initial sabre actions must be premeditated before the "fence" command, it doesn't help to be impulsive in that weapon either , though it seems to be a common personality trait.

We usually deal with impulsiveness at my club by doing a bouting task, the "rock, paper, scissors" drill: you must decide before the "fence" command which action you are going to do--straight attack, parry-riposte, feint-deceive are the basic ones, but you can add in stop-cut, counter-attack, feint-in-tempo, or whatever other action you want to practice.

Peach,

This sounds interesting and similar to an idea I've been playing with for awhile. Can you expound upon the particulars of the game?

[Warrior Princess]

Everytime you do something impulsive in practice that doesn't work, do a bunch of pushups or situps or leg lifts or something (try using the fibinachi thing, it's 'fun' (and it's more affective) the fibinachi thing is the first time you do something impulsive that doesn't work you do one pushup (or whatever), you do one the second time, two the third time, three the fourth, five the fifth, eight the sixth, est. following the fibinachi sequence). That way, you associate impulsiveness in fencing with those pushups ect. and you don't want to be impulsive anymore.

[Peach]

Peach,

This sounds interesting and similar to an idea I've been playing with for awhile. Can you expound upon the particulars of the game?

It's not much more than I described, actually - fencers face one another at the on-guard line, instructor calls "Fence!" and each must already know what first action he or she is going to do before that. It can look funny when both fencers do the same thing at once, but by gum it teaches people to make a real action.

We use pushups too. I have a couple of teammates right now who do them if they force through a head parry.

Fibonacci sequence, I think it's called.