Polish Style and Knees

[KD5MDK]

And do they have Polish style foil...? I'd like to embrace the Polish that is in me! (Grandpa is Croatian, grandma is Polish)

Ask Delfina, your local Polish foil Olympian.

[Pescados666]

Ask Delfina, your local Polish foil Olympian.

NY seems far from being local.

[Jason]

So you are saying that Polish style is better than other styles? OK, OK, you have made your point.

Crane Style will defeat your Grasshopper Style! Your kung fu is weak!

[Slacker]

My coach is Polish, particularly known for his sabre. I think all of you have a piece of what is Polish fencing, but, I agree, there is a great variety in their styles, albeit fencing or coaching. We sit low, concentrate on footwork, do that accelerate/fleche thing (well, I try to do that). I was taught to hold my foil more sabre-like than many foilists do. One point they try to make is to strike like a cat would.
As far as coaching goes, some are more the sterotypic Eastern block that will make you cry at least once a week. but I have seen similar behavior from Ukrainian and German coaches.

[Delta]

As far as coaching goes, some are more the sterotypic Eastern block that will make you cry at least once a week...

Now that's my kind of teacher.

[Hauptman]

According to my Russian coach, in the "old country" they do not have veteran fencers in training either. He finds this a nice novelty.

lol.... I wasn't a veteran fencer at the time.

But seriously, based on the excercises they were doing I expect to see a lot of blown knees and fencers burned out by the time they are 30.

More excercise does not equal good excercise.

[Dread Pirate Roberts]

Yarrr... Just cut 'em off at the knees, I say.
No one ever hurt his knees with a peg-leg.
Stumps is the way!

[KD5MDK]

NY seems far from being local.

Is she not at BCFA anymore? I think Meyerland is close enough to South Houston that if you're that interested in experiencing Polish Foil you could go there. Or are you not in Houston anymore?

[Pescados666]

Is she not at BCFA anymore? I think Meyerland is close enough to South Houston that if you're that interested in experiencing Polish Foil you could go there. Or are you not in Houston anymore?

Oh, now that I look back at it, I read it wrong. I somehow got the idea that it was at

THE MASTERS SCHOOL—
Dobbs Ferry, NY
PE teacher and fencing coach

.
It was on that day that I only got 1 1/2 hours of sleep because of school.

[Phaeton]

Oh, now that I look back at it, I read it wrong. I somehow got the idea that it was at .
It was on that day that I only got 1 1/2 hours of sleep because of school.

Until today I always read your screename as Pecados666...it makes less sense now.

[anonymityrox]

[snip] ...I'm not sure what it says but in general the biggest difference between the Polish style and other styles is that fencers are lean much further forward and put their weight mostly over their front toes (the knee makes a much more acute angle than the 90 degree angle you might usually think of). Over time that style wears on the knees a bit more than other styles.

Are you talking about the weight over the front toe in the lunge, or in the en guarde position? I'd disagree witth the former, and almost agree with the latter.

Again, try to remember, this may be a stylistic issue surrounding a coach, not a National "style." It's like saying that Elthes' fencers were Hungarian-school fencers. They were American fencers coached by a classically trained Hungarian. Big difference.

[bigdawg2121]

Since you ask, I meant wrt the en guarde position. Where did you dredge this thread up from?

[Inquartata]

Again, try to remember, this may be a stylistic issue surrounding a coach, not a National "style." It's like saying that Elthes' fencers were Hungarian-school fencers. They were American fencers coached by a classically trained Hungarian. Big difference.

How finely do you wish to chop this logic?

"There are no Americans, only unique, idiosyncratic individual human beings who live in America..."

People classify things. The classifications usually have utility for them. If not, they don't last.

[Blakeian]

How finely do you wish to chop this logic?

"There are no Americans, only unique, idiosyncratic individual human beings who live in America..."

People classify things. The classifications usually have utility for them. If not, they don't last.

If they don't they end up being used in Sociology classes.

[Sean Butler]

I took saber lessons for about a year and a half from a Polish instructor from their 80's Olympic team. His name was Andrew Urban, I think (this was 20 years ago). He had a Masters in coaching and IRCC his thesis was on the proper age and technique for training young fencers for international competitions.

His drills focused primarily on footwork. Like others have said, he emphasized putting most of my weight on my front leg, but I think this was because the Fleche was still allowed in saber back then. His goals in the training seemed to revolve around me maintaining proper distance and making very quick direct attacks, mostly long lunges.

His bladework drills had me with my forearm pointed only slightly downward, outward and with the tip of my saber pointed between his eyes. The attacks were the "accelerating" kind as descibed by others on this thread.

Overall I remember being thoroughly exhausted after each lesson. I was fit then too, and he'd still run me into the ground every night, mainly with his emphasis on lunging. I don't think his style was necessarily reflective of his Polish background as much as it was of his physical education background. It was clear though that he had a very good understanding of the sport, having fenced on the Polish national team.

[Inquartata]

That's a fair description.

The center of gravity is still over the front leg much of the time.