Video training

Hi everyone, I started fencing couple months ago and was wondering if it
would help to buy those "TYSHLER" videos so I can practice on my own at
home. Anybody have tried those videos? Are they any good?

Thanks.

The oft stated rule of thumb is that videos and books don't
don't teach you fencing. Only a maestro/coach and frequent
bouting to test what you've been taught will educate you
properly.

That said, over the years/centuries there have been numerous
books written and within recent history likewise videos.
For my part I think a really good book will help a fencer put
what they've learned into an contextual framework. Which is
very useful. Likewise if you learn by "monkey see, monkey do"
as I do then watching the occasional video may be enlightening.
But if the choice were one lesson or one video - I'd go with
the lesson.

Jonathan

P.S. While I have copies of the more common literary references
including a photo copy of Silver's "Paradoxes of Defense" as
well as Nadi's and Gaugler's books so far I've found the most
recent translation of Imre Vass's "Epee Fencing a complete
system" to be the most useful practical book. On the other
hand if you want a very readable background book I personally
recommend Christoph Amberger's "The Secret History of the
Sword". Which I must confess is one of the few that I've actually
been able to read from cover to cover.


barbapapa wrote:
> Hi everyone, I started fencing couple months ago and was wondering if it
> would help to buy those "TYSHLER" videos so I can practice on my own at
> home. Anybody have tried those videos? Are they any good?
>
> Thanks.
>
>

The oft stated rule of thumb is that videos and books don't
don't teach you fencing. Only a maestro/coach and frequent
bouting to test what you've been taught will educate you
properly.

That said, over the years/centuries there have been numerous
books written and within recent history likewise videos.
For my part I think a really good book will help a fencer put
what they've learned into an contextual framework. Which is
very useful. Likewise if you learn by "monkey see, monkey do"
as I do then watching the occasional video may be enlightening.
But if the choice were one lesson or one video - I'd go with
the lesson.

Jonathan

P.S. While I have copies of the more common literary references
including a photo copy of Silver's "Paradoxes of Defense" as
well as Nadi's and Gaugler's books so far I've found the most
recent translation of Imre Vass's "Epee Fencing a complete
system" to be the most useful practical book. On the other
hand if you want a very readable background book I personally
recommend Christoph Amberger's "The Secret History of the
Sword". Which I must confess is one of the few that I've actually
been able to read from cover to cover.


barbapapa wrote:
> Hi everyone, I started fencing couple months ago and was wondering if it
> would help to buy those "TYSHLER" videos so I can practice on my own at
> home. Anybody have tried those videos? Are they any good?
>
> Thanks.
>
>

In rec.sport.fencing on Wed, 22 Jan 2003 11:01:28 -0800
Jonathan Jefferies <jonathanjefferies@alamedanet.net> wrote:
>very useful. Likewise if you learn by "monkey see, monkey do"
>as I do then watching the occasional video may be enlightening.
>But if the choice were one lesson or one video - I'd go with
>the lesson.
>

Mainly, I think, because it's very hard to do *properly*. Even with a
mirror, if you don't have an experienced eye looking at what you are
doing, you can miss a lot.

Anyone who has taught knows the weird feeling of seeing someone do a
manouevere, finding nothing wrong, and having a more experienced
teacher point out all sorts of mistakes. That you never saw.

Even if you are of the "form doesn't matter" school, you can still end
up praticing things that are counter-productive and you'll find that
out the hard way.

If you've been fencing for long enough to have good kinesthetics,
good, feeol for what your body is doing and how that translates to
good fencing, then you can probably work things out from a book or
video. But if you are a novice, it's all equally weird, and you won't
realise you have been practicing it wrong until you try to use it,
find it's hopeless, and have to unlearn all that body memory.

Books are good for theory - for strategy, for some understanding of
how it fits together. And also for reminders, a way to remember some
of what you were just taught. But not for learning physical things
from...

Zebee

In rec.sport.fencing on Wed, 22 Jan 2003 11:01:28 -0800
Jonathan Jefferies <jonathanjefferies@alamedanet.net> wrote:
>very useful. Likewise if you learn by "monkey see, monkey do"
>as I do then watching the occasional video may be enlightening.
>But if the choice were one lesson or one video - I'd go with
>the lesson.
>

Mainly, I think, because it's very hard to do *properly*. Even with a
mirror, if you don't have an experienced eye looking at what you are
doing, you can miss a lot.

Anyone who has taught knows the weird feeling of seeing someone do a
manouevere, finding nothing wrong, and having a more experienced
teacher point out all sorts of mistakes. That you never saw.

Even if you are of the "form doesn't matter" school, you can still end
up praticing things that are counter-productive and you'll find that
out the hard way.

If you've been fencing for long enough to have good kinesthetics,
good, feeol for what your body is doing and how that translates to
good fencing, then you can probably work things out from a book or
video. But if you are a novice, it's all equally weird, and you won't
realise you have been practicing it wrong until you try to use it,
find it's hopeless, and have to unlearn all that body memory.

Books are good for theory - for strategy, for some understanding of
how it fits together. And also for reminders, a way to remember some
of what you were just taught. But not for learning physical things
from...

Zebee

> Mainly, I think, because it's very hard to do *properly*. Even with a
> mirror, if you don't have an experienced eye looking at what you are
> doing, you can miss a lot.
>
> Anyone who has taught knows the weird feeling of seeing someone do a
> manouevere, finding nothing wrong, and having a more experienced
> teacher point out all sorts of mistakes. That you never saw.

I think the odder feeling is watching someone do something, know there's
something wrong about it, but be unable to determine *what* is wrong.

-Bill

> Mainly, I think, because it's very hard to do *properly*. Even with a
> mirror, if you don't have an experienced eye looking at what you are
> doing, you can miss a lot.
>
> Anyone who has taught knows the weird feeling of seeing someone do a
> manouevere, finding nothing wrong, and having a more experienced
> teacher point out all sorts of mistakes. That you never saw.

I think the odder feeling is watching someone do something, know there's
something wrong about it, but be unable to determine *what* is wrong.

-Bill

Skip it...or I'll sell you mine for cheap. Its the tyshler Foil CD.

"barbapapa" <axel_b52@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:BxoX9.1777$x9.507194@twister.socal.rr.com...
> Hi everyone, I started fencing couple months ago and was wondering if it
> would help to buy those "TYSHLER" videos so I can practice on my own at
> home. Anybody have tried those videos? Are they any good?
>
> Thanks.
>
>

Skip it...or I'll sell you mine for cheap. Its the tyshler Foil CD.

"barbapapa" <axel_b52@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:BxoX9.1777$x9.507194@twister.socal.rr.com...
> Hi everyone, I started fencing couple months ago and was wondering if it
> would help to buy those "TYSHLER" videos so I can practice on my own at
> home. Anybody have tried those videos? Are they any good?
>
> Thanks.
>
>