Help, I was fencing well, now I'm horrible.

[mfencer2008]

Hello, I'm having a trouble with fencing and I think I've hit a large deep trench and I don't know where to go. Have any of you been in this scenario before?

In my case,
I've been fencing for a year and I've gotten a C recently and I've tried a different form of fencing of the Modern Italian style. I was originally in a Russian style mixed with slightly a classical stance. Ever since one competition, my First NAC, and the acquired new style, I've been doing horribly.
Also, Junior year in high school with classes and etc has been stressful and I guess I'm not fencing as I used to for some reason.
I've been so frustrated by my fencing lately and blamed it on my distance and attacks. I'm incredibly fast and my distance/form is excellent, but I don't know what happened to me. I can't seem to do it. It's like I've died inside.
My coaches tell me I never finish my attacks anymore and my focus/ intent on hitting/decisiveness isn't there as before.
I also can't keep my previous calm state of mind and focus anymore.
The problem seems to be my mentality. I love fencing, but I can't seem to focus or finish and become mechanical in my attack. I'm beginning to become too passive and cautious.
I've been going up and improving so quickly and rapidly, but suddenly I hit a brick wall and things are tumbling down! It's kind of like the great depression of the stock market, however; I'm afraid things won't get better.
My parents are pressuring me to win and my fellow fencers are improving and leaving me in the dust. I feel horrible that I am doing far worse that I used to be.
Fencing is my love and life, I don't know what happened to me. Has anyone been through this before? Is this just a stage and drop before a big bang of improvement?

[Warrior Princess]

I see it a lot, expecially in myself. People fence really well, suck for a while, then get better than they were before. Just keep working. *shrugs*

[Telemakhos]

If you've been fencing for just a year and are a C, I'd say you're doing pretty well.

[Phaeton]

You're probably fine. Negativity about it may end up being half the problem.

Everyone has ups and downs. You may have had a big jump and have hit a plateau. You may be getting worse. Either way the issue isn't THAT you're getting worse, but WHY you're getting worse.

As an athlete I feel I don't have time to despair in a lack of improvement or over a bad result. It doesn't accomplish anything. Think analytically. Record yourself fencing; talk it over with your coach. Talk it over with friends. Look at what you're doing and find out what you're doing wrong.

Then fix it.

It sounds cold. It sounds harsh. I by no means want to sound mean as I if I have never been in a similar position, which I have, but you have to realize the only way you are going to get better is if you do something. In the end, no matter what coaching you have your success is ultimately in your hands. Find the problem and fix it. The problem may well be your coach after all.

It might be good to take a week off fencing just to clear your head and give you a clean view of what's up when you come back, but when you come back you need to focus.

Keep in mind that not only fencing things can hurt your fencing. Maybe you are technically great, but your head is in the wrong place. Maybe you aren't having any issues a coach can fix. Perhaps your problem is related to physical or aerobic ability? Maybe it's psychological or emotional. Sit down and take a look at why you are fencing. Decide what your motivation is and if it is worth it to you.

Beyond that try and find out if any other aspects of your life are bleeding into your fencing. Are you having problems at school? Are you having problems with a girlfriend/boyfriend/peer group? Is anything going on with your family? We are all fencers, but we are all people. As athletes we can't perform at our best when there's issues going on life. Find out what's bothering you and find out how to fix it, or at the very least how to deal with it in a way where it won't bleed into your fencing life too much and have a pronounced effect harming how you fence.

If you train intelligently, and attempt to take measured action you will get out of a rut and improve. It may take a lot of running into walls. It may not be the most pleasant thing in the world, but you will get better. The only question is whether or not you want to or have the wherewithal to do so.

[HDG]

Go back to your old style. It wasn't broken; you tried to fix it, and now it is broken.

[mfencer2008]

Thank you for your prompt, considerate, and wonderful reply. It's quite a kick!

[DangerMouse]

And you're stressed. Get laid, sleep, and take a couple weeks away from fencing. It'll do wonders for you.

[flyingfencer]

At 16 and a C, you're doing pretty well.

Why did you change styles? Did you change coaches?

It sounds like you have alot to digest. Slow down, practice what's familiar and do it slow and right. Work on foot work, a lot, but make sure you're doing it right.

You're learning new actions. It takes familiarity and comfort to start to trust things. Start with simple actions while you're practice bouting and build on these actions slowly to gain more confidence. Once you're comfortable, you're confidence will improve, and you'll get better.

[MarkoB]

Your parents are pressuring you to win? Why? What have they got to prove that they need victories from you? The only thing they have a right to pressure you over is cleaning your room and staying out of bars. If they need you to win for them to be happy then they should be examining their own priorities. You are a person, not a status symbol for your parents.
Next time you're attacking someone, imagine someone who is pressuring you unfairly in front of you and I guarantee, you will finish your attack.
Sport is meant to be about enjoying it. You can't do well at anything you don't enjoy. So forget about winning and losing and just do it for fun. I think that applies in life as well. As the great Wham! once said 'Do you enjoy what you do? If not, just stop.' This doesn't apply to school, by the way, but even there you should do your best and, if that's not good enough, so what? You don't need to win at fencing or anything at all to have a happy life.
Even star athletes go through dips, big dips in some cases. No one wins all the time, absolutely no one. Very competitive people are almost always unhappy because no one is the best at everything. If you're worried someone's a better fencer than you, well, they are. Even if you've just won Olympic Gold, next year there might be someone else who will start beating you and then you will be miserable again. It's best just to enjoy the level you're at, get a bit frustrated, go home and forget about about it.
The last thing is, fencing is not that important. It's only a game, albeit a great one. You're not going to make a living at it. At your age it's important to try your best some of the time but to look at boys/girls and stare out of the window for the rest of it. What difference will it make to who you are if you are successful at poking someone with a length of steel or unsuccessful? I am a pretty poor fencer but quite a happy human being.
And imagine, if you make no mistakes and have no struggle now, you're not going to have much to put in your autobiography when you're rich and famous.

[Tangostarr]

Even though I've been fencing for only two years, I am unrated and I come in DFL at every tournament I've ever competed in, except for team events. The only problem is that nobody else that I know likes team events, so I've stuck to individuals. I'm assuming that my lack of skill is from the fact that my family and I go away every summer, all summer.
If my goal is not to come in DFL at an individual event sometime in the near future, how do you think I should go about this?

[mrbiggs]

Originally Posted by Tangostarr

Even though I've been fencing for only two years, I am unrated and I come in DFL at every tournament I've ever competed in, except for team events. The only problem is that nobody else that I know likes team events, so I've stuck to individuals. I'm assuming that my lack of skill is from the fact that my family and I go away every summer, all summer.
If my goal is not to come in DFL at an individual event sometime in the near future, how do you think I should go about this?

By practicing.


Also, I fixed your post for you.

[theLuz]

Originally Posted by mfencer2008

Has anyone been through this before? ?

yup. Happens to all of us. I've been fencing since 1967. Recently got my clock cleaned in an open tournament. I'm more on time to meetings, though.........

[slowgraffiti515]

you pretty much answered the question yourself. when you are at practice or on the strip, fencing should have your undivided attention. try meditating

[bunbury]

Not hard to see what happened. You changed your game and you aren't on it the new game just yet. It doesn't mean you are bad. Tiger changed his swing and pretty much sucked for a year, and we all know how he is now. Changing your game might lead to you being a "bad" fencer for a few months, but in the long run, it (should) be much better.

If it makes you feel any better, I've been fencing for over a decade and have almost nothing to show for it.

[Got_Fenced_In]

This is how fencing improvement goes:

http://www.polarusa.com/manuals/RS80...RGB_150dpi.jpg



Yeah, the little line thingie. Now disregard anything anyone else has told you.

[Got_Fenced_In]

But on a more serious note, yes, it happens to everyone. I've changed coaches multiple times, and they all want to change my 'game'. (I visit my old city, and my old coach, for four months out of every year, too..) So I know that. It's hard. What I've done, basically, with my new(est) coach, is (try to) find my 'groove', a style that works and I like (still working on it a little) and stick with it even when I'm not at my home club. Of course, it's a bit frustrating to have my old coach try to correct everything for those four months, but I just can't have my style 're-madeover' again...

Point is, anyway, if you think this new style will eventually work for you, and you're just a little lost at the moment, stick with it. If you aren't faithful in it AT ALL (but you must be rational here; can't just look at how you're doing now, you have to look at how you could be doing with it) you should switch back. It may take a while to get back into your older groove, but you will. Good luck with this, I wish you the best.

[Tripod]

Have you considered moaning on the internet?

It is probably your best solution.

Maybe you should consider the possibility that others around you are getting better. From what I understand attending your first NAC can be quite the eye opening experience for many backwater fencing tweaks. It's called competitive reality, and in reality C rated Juniors are scraping close to the bottom of the barrel.

Maybe it's time to take a bottle of Brasso (tm), shine up your highschool medals and move on down the road. It's not like fencing is going to be a priority for you once you reach college in a couple of years anyway.

[little_old_me]

From personal observation, people who develop skill very quickly tend to be the people who hit a plateau first. These plateaus happen to be some of the longer lasting ones. This sounds like it's what's happened to you. I've noticed this trend with several fencers in my club. From personal experience, it is a frustrating time. The best advice I can give is just to work through it and keep fencing/practicing. Eventually, your head will click back into improvement mode and things will get better.

Patience, persistance, dedication, and open ears to listen to your coach. That's what it will take.

[journalmom]

Originally Posted by Tripod

Have you considered moaning on the internet?

It is probably your best solution.

Maybe you should consider the possibility that others around you are getting better. From what I understand attending your first NAC can be quite the eye opening experience for many backwater fencing tweaks. It's called competitive reality, and in reality C rated Juniors are scraping close to the bottom of the barrel.

Maybe it's time to take a bottle of Brasso (tm), shine up your highschool medals and move on down the road. It's not like fencing is going to be a priority for you once you reach college in a couple of years anyway.

Dream squisher!!

[oiuyt]

Clearly the solution is to switch grips.

-B