I'm a college student and recently found myself running the WCU fencing club as president and as its "coach." I've only been fencing since my freshman year (so, about 4 years) so that's about my experience - teaching new people to fence is a pretty intense responsibility.
Right now, I'm in a position where I want to keep older members of the club interested through more work with the actual sword-play (I find myself leaning towards wanting this as well), but that obviously doesn't the new people that come to learn fencing (we mostly do foil) from nothing. The first couple of weeks of every semester is dedicated to the basics, but we quickly move to simulating competition, and critiquing styles/parries etc.
So, after this past tournament we went to, I kind of want to do a jump to 'the middle.' I want ideas for basic fencing exercises (dealing with footwork - form and speed - mostly, but also aspects: lunging, bladework etc) to do with my club that can also be used in a game-like fashion so we can keep a friendly competitive atmosphere without sacrificing time spent on basic technique.
Example of something I've started:
Take two groups of equal fencers (no weapons, of course) and line them up across from one another about 14 meters away. Place an object (we use a mask) in the middle of the distance in front of one of the groups of fencers. Here is a diagram (Circles are fencers, x is object, and = are the 'lanes'):
O ======================= O
O ======================= O
O ===========X=========== O
O ======================= O
O ======================= O
On 'go' the attacking side advances simultaneously (keeping in line with one another) until the fencer with the object in front of them is close enough to lunge and pick it up (everyone in attack line lunges). As soon as the lunge begins, the defending side advances as quickly as they can with the object being to tag as many attacking fencers as they can. The attacking side wants to retreat back to where they started with the object (being tagged stops the attacking fencer from retreating). There is a brief bit of point counting (defenders get a point for every person they tagged, attackers get a point for every person they get back to the start and +half their team if they get the object back too). Teams take turns and the mask is randomly placed from lane to lane. I find its a fun game, it keeps attention, and they get to work on speed, footwork, coordination (forwards and backwards) and some little attacking thrown in as well.
Anyone have any similar drills they practice regularly?
A bunch of things I'd like to say, but i'll probably forget by the time this post is done.
1) I know the feeling. It is a daunting thing to be thrown into coaching with absolutely no experience, and basically make it up as you go. There is alot of very good stuff on this site though about coaching, and about beginning coaches.
2) Run a beginner class. We have our normal practices, plus 1 night a week solely for beginners. If you try and combine beginners and advanced, you will likely spend the whole time with the beginners, and very little time with the better fencers. Obviously, thats a problem.
3) Be carefull with the "games" you use. Every once in a while a game is fine, but they can be detrimental to good fencing. Like the one you describe. I can already see an entire line of fencers "advancing" by bringing their back foot up entirely to their front foot in an effort to get more distance. If this becomes a habit, its a HUGE problem. One bit of advice I've heard is "fence, and play games, but not at the same time." I don't necessarily agree with it, but it makes a good point...
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"Sir, didn't I parry"
"You didn't take advantage of his blade enough, so no."
Its definitely not the only thing we do during practice (the fun games thing), but they help to develop certain skills, all the while letting everyone have fun and blow off school-steam.
I've played with the idea of having another beginner's practice, but...its almost impossible to schedule with a full-time student workload. Meeting two times a week, for 2-3 hours is about the best I can do - its mostly making the older people (and some of the newer people who think they've already mastered everything) stick around through the basics drills that I push at the beginning of practice.
Then if you can only have 2 practices per week, I'd bet EVERYONE would rather have 1 practice a week devoted to their "group" rather than 2 practices a week that are wasting a large amount of their time. (Thats not to say that doing the basics is a waste of time, but...)
Or make 1 night the beginner class, and experienced fencers can just come to free fence, or whatever...
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"Sir, didn't I parry"
"You didn't take advantage of his blade enough, so no."
You can play a variation on your game. Place the mask in the middle of the floor with a glove on it. Divide your folks up into teams, each member of the team has two numbers. The teams stand behind the 2 meter line, and the mask is in the center - a lot like your diagram. You call a number and the fencers with that number come out and try to "steal the bacon" aka glove, and get back across their two meter line.
The people are not using footwork, but running to the glove, taking it and getting back across their line. There are rules - if you touch the glove and drop it, it is the other teams point. If you touch/pick-up the glove and you get tagged by your opponent, it is the other teams point. If you feint to the glove, and get your opponent to tag you - it is your point. If you pick up the glove and make it across your two meter line, then it is your point. Now, if you are smart you quickly come to see that rushing and picking up the glove might not be the best strategy - you try and block your opponent, get them to tag you while you feint, create the right time to steal the glove etc. etc. You can also call TWO numbers - after your folks get good at the basic game - and see how that evolves. Rules for two sets of folks being out - one once one member of a team steals the glove, the other two must freeze. You are working against only your opponent - no moving picks or blocks. Those are the basics - as people advance you can create new ways of playing with PROPER footwork and lunges - and also create more rules as people find ways to cheat.
So in addition to be a physical warm-up, is also a strategy game - most everyone plays this game exactly the way they fence.
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Once you can accept the universe as matter expanding into nothing that is something, wearing stripes with plaid comes easy. ~ Albert Einstein
I wonder if other dogs think poodles are members of a weird religious cult. ~ Rita Rudner
Less annoying sit up game: One fencer sits. The other stands. The standing fencer plays catch with the sitting one with a weight ball, cheap masks, whatever. The standing fencer makes the toss so the sitting one must reach quite far- left or right- back or forward to make the catch. Sitter tosses the object back quickly. Play is fast- getting as many tosses and catches in as possible in a few minutes.
Less boring warm-up run around gym: As students run, slowly assign code words that call for actions. "When I say "yellow" everyone must stop and drum." After several seconds... "When I say "blue" run backwards facing the same way." After several seconds... "When I say "banana" stop, touch the floor and jump as high as you can, then continue jogging..." " "Dingo"= grapevine (soccer step)... Etc. Slowly adding new code words will increase complexity and add variety.
or: While group runs around the gym, have them toss/ pass a ball back one person at a time. The passer must turn and run backwards while making the pass. After a bit... add another ball.
Full motion Glove Catch: 3 fencers in a line facing fwd. Leader in the middle has a glove in each hand. All three are running in place. Leader starts to move forward... then backward... then mixes up speed and direction. All the time the feet are moving. Other two must stay in line with the leader. All the time feet are moving... At a random point the leader tosses the left glove... the left fencer darts to catch it... a few seconds later he tosses the other. The whole exercise should conclude in less than 2 minutes. Get a new group.
Pin the glove: One fencer holds a glove up on a wall then drops it. The other fencer pins the glove to the wall with his point. Begin at extension distance. After a few drops, go to 1/2 lung distance. Then full lunge. Then advance lunge distance. (The glove dropper may want to hold the glove up higher on the wall with his weapon, rather than hand, to provide additional time when needed).
Hope these help!
__________________ When some wild-eyed, eight-foot-tall maniac grabs your neck, taps the back of your favorite head up against the barroom wall, and he looks you crooked in the eye and he asks you if ya paid your dues, you just stare that big sucker right back in the eye, and you remember what ol' Jack Burton always says at a time like that: "Have ya paid your dues, Jack?" "Yessir, the check is in the mail."
For warm ups, you can play some variation of tag, like blob tag or sharks and minnows. Anything that gets everyone running around a lot.
Also, not every drill needs to be super fun so long as you keep changing up the activity. 5-10 minutes of one rather mundane drill isn't so bad, just move on to the next thing after (and preferably, have drills that progress towards a common topic or are at least related to one another.)
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"If I were ever to challenge you to a duel, your best bet would be battle axes in a very dark basement." Misquoted from The Prisoner
"Technical excellence is the antecedant of tactical creativity." - Nat Goodhartz
But those things which belong neither to God nor to Caeser, feeleth free to writeth them off, for yea, they are deductable.
The game you describe is a variation on "Steal the Bacon." One way you can increase the participation factor for this game is to put an object between each pair of fencers. Then, upon the coaches "Go" signal, EVERYONE is participating. Rotate fencers every so often to compete against others. Gloves or beanbags are useful for the "bacon."
I did my master's certification thesis on just this type of thing. If you'd like, I can send you a copy of the thesis, which contains a lot of background info (what makes a good game, safety issues, competitive vs cooperative games, etc) in addition to lots of games/exercises. (send me a private message with your email address). I'm expanding it into a book based on the same topic, but with less theory and more games. This thesis and more great stuff can be found on the US Fencing Coaches website.
If you do a search on F.net for "games", or through google for "fencing games" you'll find lots of stuff - but most of it's a re-hash of the same old stuff. And much of it is just bad or unsafe. Many coaches, when searching for games/exercises, don't fully consider how it fits into their program, how safe it is, what it brings (e.g. what skills it promotes or impacts) or how to progress the game to a valid fencing exercise.
Of course, having said that, 417 different coaches will probably post innovative, dynamic, fencing-specific games & exercises here....
Cordially,
Rick Thompson, MdA
Coach, Palmetto Fencers,
Columbia, SC
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A weapon is a device for making your enemy change his mind. The mind is the first and final battleground, the stuff in between is just noise.
L.M. Bujold
Ah, yes. Steal the bacon. I remember those days with the giant gloves we used as the "bacon".
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Suddenly, an arrow sprouted in his shoulder. Glancing down at it, he snarled,
You'll have to do better than that."
The next arrow took root between his eyes.
Cool idea! i can really use this during practice with my fencing team. I am the current Foil co Captain and i was looking for some new fun exercises and warm-ups to do. I will diffidently use this and try it out.
First off major props for taking the responsibility.
Games like these can often get out of hand, footwork will eventually evolve for better efficiency in the game and thus worse for fencing.
Something I would advise is bear pits. essentually its a quick 3 point bout, winner stays up and you just rotate through the weapon. Its a really easy way to have a quick "competition" in the club, the winner is the one that stayed up for the longest number of bouts. but not only that it somewhat forces the fencers on deck to observe their peers where as free fencing can be too hectic.
Something I would advise is bear pits. essentually its a quick 3 point bout, winner stays up and you just rotate through the weapon. Its a really easy way to have a quick "competition" in the club, the winner is the one that stayed up for the longest number of bouts. but not only that it somewhat forces the fencers on deck to observe their peers where as free fencing can be too hectic.
A variation on this that my club's become rather fond of is the 'King of the Hill' game Gav (I think) posted some while back. One minute of fencing time, first to get to three points wins. If time expires first, whoever's ahead wins. If they're tied, both fencers lose. The winner stays on strip but now has a starting score of -1 which means, of course, that she has to get four touches before her opponent gets three. If she wins again, she starts the next bout at -2 and so on.
This helps fencers work on time and energy management, understanding that 'enough' is sometimes better than 'more!', and so on. Not to mention it's fun.
If you have any questions on this one, shoot me a note or grab me next week. Or remind me next week and I'll run any willing fencers through a few rounds of it so you can see it in action.
I'm a college student and recently found myself running the WCU fencing club as president and as its "coach." I've only been fencing since my freshman year (so, about 4 years) so that's about my experience - teaching new people to fence is a pretty intense responsibility.
First congrats on taking on this responsibility. What and where is WCU? ...and your right....it is a big responsibility.
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"...you must be a pirate for the pirate's code to apply and you're not. And thirdly, the code is more what you'd call "guidelines" than actual rules." Capt. Barbossa
Here's a game that we play at my club - the goal is not so much to work on foot work, but rather reaction speed. Its a game that we play if we're feeling particularly unproductive - maybe 2 or three times a semester.
The foot game:
Players stand in a close circle, everyone putting their dominate foot in the center. Everyone then takes two giant leaps backward. Then play begins and the object is to eliminate the other players by stepping on their feet or causing them to fall. The first person to start (we usually do 'nose goes' to determine) gets one offensive advance toward the person to their left. Once the first foot of the offensive player has left the ground, the defensive player can make one defensive hop. When both players have moved, the defensive player now becomes the offensive player and gets an offensive hop. This continues in a circle until only one person is left standing. Note: Players can move one step at a time i.e. player picks up his right foot, sets it down, picks up his left foot and sets it down. This is a good way to trick the defensive player and to cover more distance. It is counted as one move once both feet have been placed in a new position.
I wouldn't recommend this game often, because it has the potential to teach bad habits, but every now and then, its good fun.
The foot game:
Players stand in a close circle, everyone putting their dominate foot in the center. Everyone then takes two giant leaps backward. Then play begins and the object is to eliminate the other players by stepping on their feet or causing them to fall. The first person to start (we usually do 'nose goes' to determine) gets one offensive advance toward the person to their left. Once the first foot of the offensive player has left the ground, the defensive player can make one defensive hop. When both players have moved, the defensive player now becomes the offensive player and gets an offensive hop. This continues in a circle until only one person is left standing. Note: Players can move one step at a time i.e. player picks up his right foot, sets it down, picks up his left foot and sets it down. This is a good way to trick the defensive player and to cover more distance. It is counted as one move once both feet have been placed in a new position.
I'm sure it's fun, and has some training benefit, but it sounds dangerous to me and I would not recommend it. Think how easily an ankle could get sprained or a knee dislocated.
I'm sure it's fun, and has some training benefit, but it sounds dangerous to me and I would not recommend it. Think how easily an ankle could get sprained or a knee dislocated.
This is very true - that's why its usually just a diversion. Also, being college students, we're prone to not taking the possibility of injury into account. "Its only a flesh wound" It probably wasn't the best suggestion, though it is quite a bit of fun!
The foot game:
Players stand in a close circle, everyone putting their dominate foot in the center. Everyone then takes two giant leaps backward. Then play begins and the object is to eliminate the other players by stepping on their feet or causing them to fall.
Aaarrghhhh!!!! This is not just possibly dangerous - it is OUTRIGHT dangerous. Not only that, it enforces some VERY BAD fencing habits - like stepping on someone's foot, forcing them to fall or (worst of all) both at the same time.
There are 26 bones in the foot, some of which are very small and fragile. A shoe is NOT adequate protection for this type of activity.
It is only a matter of time before someone gets hurt, possibly badly, with this type of activity. Not to mention the liability that the coach/club/school may have for encouraging this type of irresponsible activity. I strongly urge you NOT to conduct this type of game any more!!!!
Sorry if I offend, but I have seen, heard of and gathered examples of unsafe games like this for years. It is a matter of being aware of what is safe and what is good for fencing skills. Unfortunately, this is an area in which most fencing instructors are not schooled.
I have not seen any text that deals with these issues for fencing coaches. While I don't want to toot my own horn on this, I did address the issues of safety in my thesis. Coincidentally, this game (or one very similar) was an example of an unsafe game. If you'd like a copy of the thesis, it's on the USFCA Website (you need to be a member to access all the thesis papers). Or send me a message and I'll forward you a copy.
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A weapon is a device for making your enemy change his mind. The mind is the first and final battleground, the stuff in between is just noise.
L.M. Bujold
My apologies again. I don't think its ever really occured to us that its a terribly unsafe game as none of us has ever gotten hurt. I'll make the suggestion that we not play it any longer for that reason. I think you lose the part of your brain that says, "this might be a bad idea" whenever you enter a college campus.
I don't think its ever really occured to us that its a terribly unsafe game as none of us has ever gotten hurt. I'll make the suggestion that we not play it any longer for that reason.
As a coach, one of the things that keeps coming up is Risk Management and liability. In a student-led club, it's less likely that someone could turn to a particular person and say "You encouraged the activity that ended up with my son's foot in a cast." But the coach of a club must consider aspects of the activities he/she recommends.
Quote:
I think you lose the part of your brain that says, "this might be a bad idea" whenever you enter a college campus.
Heh. I like that.
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A weapon is a device for making your enemy change his mind. The mind is the first and final battleground, the stuff in between is just noise.
L.M. Bujold
Not only that, it enforces some VERY BAD fencing habits - like stepping on someone's foot, forcing them to fall or (worst of all) both at the same time. 
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