Polish Style and Knees

[Delta]

What is the Polish style of fencing? I've heard a couple top sabre fencers fence in that style, but I'm not really sure what makes it Polish

And is this style of fencing considered to be harder on one's knees than other style?

"In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock." Thomas Jefferson.
Unfortunately, this fish is floundering.

Thanks everyone.

[epeelion]

From what I've seen and heard, very deep en guardes, big emphasis on conditioning, with lessons having such drills as fleshe from squat. That's in epee though.

[Einin]

The advanced coach at my club is polish, and we do drills like fleching from a squat sometimes. A lot of his emphasis is on general fitness, fleching, lunges at different speeds/with acceleration/changing from a step to a lunge, and being able to do bladework/footwork simultaneously. Another of his favourites is what he calls a su'nienche (that's how he pronounces it, not sure how to spell it) which is basically a step lunge with acceleration.

I'm not sure what of that is because he's polish, and what of it is because he's a good coach. Hope that helped anyway, though.

(That's all for foil.)

[magic_moose]

Not sure if Polish has anything to do with that one. Russians make you do fleche and lunge from squat drills too.

[Zilverzmurfen]

Not sure if Polish has anything to do with that one. Russians make you do fleche and lunge from squat drills too.

So did my first coach and he was -- wait for it -- swedish.

(Also my current coach does this and he's ukraininan.)

[bigdawg2121]

For clarification I'm pretty sure the OP was actually referring to saber fencing styles.

[Inquartata]

Watch any of Korfanty's fencers, in person if you can, on video if not. That's Polish sabre.

[Pescados666]

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

[Delta]

someone suggested the same idea as pescados, but I'm not the finest point in the crayon box in terms of separating what to look for and what to dismiss as personal idiosyncracies. I'm not very good at, nor have really spent time analyzing different styles. So, would someone tell me what to look for more specifically in these videos?

[Hauptman]

I had a russian coach for a bit that made us do excercises and actions that made my knees hurt from the first attempt. I made it clear that I would do none of those. He didn't like it but this ain't the "old country" so he didn't push it. Plus I gave his "well-conditioned" fencers a hard time, so he couldn't complain about performance.

[magic_moose]

I had a russian coach for a bit that made us do excercises and actions that made my knees hurt from the first attempt. I made it clear that I would do none of those. He didn't like it but this ain't the "old country" so he didn't push it. Plus I gave his "well-conditioned" fencers a hard time, so he couldn't complain about performance.

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

[rustica]

Former Eastern European Coaches and Knees (Multi-page thread 1 2)


From the Parent's corner.

Quite a discussion about what I would call Polish style coaching and knees.

[Delta]

your link doesn't link.

[bigdawg2121]

It might have just been a clue for you to go to that thread and/or search for it. 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.

[Inquartata]

Yes. The hand is also further out than the Hungarian or Russian styles; less so than the old Italian style.

[Delta]

my search function, among other things don't work on the forums. Thanks for the logical input though.

What exactly are the advantages of fencing this way?

[SEM Fencer]

In analyzing with my coach (Russian), our take is that it's a hybrid sabre/epee combination. Rather than all out, in your face, classic sabre attacks, there is quite a bit of (especially with Becca) keeping good distance, developing your sense of timing, and waiting for your opponent to make a mistake, then capitalizing on it with point actions to the wrist/arm. I have heard Ed discussing the importance of recognizing your opponents wrong actions and taking advantage of them. Seems like I've seen them do a lot of reflex drilling.

[anonymityrox]

...I'm not the finest point in the crayon box in terms of separating what to look for and what to dismiss as personal idiosyncracies. I'm not very good at, nor have really spent time analyzing different styles.

I'd say that for the most part, neither are most coaches.

With the diaspora of coaches from Eastern Europe heading out all over the place, it's hard to say that there's a Polish style of fencing. "Polishness" is a matter of nationality more than it's national school, or stylistic appearance, of fencers, in any weapon. It's not to say that a lot of Polish fencing thought isn't similar- it tends to derive from a single source, but at that point, it becomes more of a philosophy than a "style," with a distinct appearance, habits, etc.

[Jason]

Having spent several years living and training in Poland, I can tell you that there is a great deal of variety between Polish coaches and their "styles".

Though there might be certain subtle similarities amongst coaches from a particular country, the idea of a national "school" is a bit antiquated.

[Grasshopper]

Having spent several years living and training in Poland, I can tell you that there is a great deal of variety between Polish coaches and their "styles".

Though there might be certain subtle similarities amongst coaches from a particular country, the idea of a national "school" is a bit antiquated.

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