New Video - Available for download

[edew]

If you watch the tape (?) again, you'll see that the two fencers were basically even until the 3:36 on the WMPlayer. Then, Jon got pysched after Sean made a stop-hit. Jon then demolished Sean for the next several touches.

I prefer QT (mpeg) for better resolution. This format is pretty cruddy.

[Windsor]

Yeah, just from casually watching the video, Tiompkin's lunge is insane, I don't know how he manages to recover after such a huuge lunge.

Anyone know who was directing that?

[Kodiak Kid]

Wow! You are right Eric, Tiomkin has a helluva lunge!!
Cool clip. I second the request for some sabre clips.

[veeco]

The trick it seems in Tiomkin's looong lunge lies in the fact that his feet are very close together before he starts it. Because his back foot is that much closer from his opponent than if he had a regular stance, then his lunge would be more "human".

That being said, while doing this he probably loses some balance and inability to change direction as well as with a regular stance. Doing it at the right time can work wonders, but abusing it is probably not a good idea.

I am not saying he abuses it, though. Haven't seen enough bouts with him.

[Lemberg]

First I thought that the guy directing was Seattle's Garik Balayan but I think I'm wrong...
I know for sure that the tall guy who stands up and blocks the shot in the middle of the bout is a Canadian epeeist Jordan Smith from Saskatoon lol

[edew]

It was Garik Balayan. And Tiomkin's lunge is big even when he's not starting in twinkle toes position. He can be fencing, with feet wide apart, and then make a ball-grazing lunge.

[Windsor]

Originally posted by edew
It was Garik Balayan. And Tiomkin's lunge is big even when he's not starting in twinkle toes position. He can be fencing, with feet wide apart, and then make a ball-grazing lunge.

Ok, I thought it looked like Garik but the video was a lil' blurry on the facial details.

"Ball-grazing"...quite a way to describe a long lunge. I thought having the feet close together was mainly a distance thing if the opponent wasn't paying attention?

[veeco]

It is if you start this way. On an advance lunge you can also finish your advance with feet closer together than they were, and do a lunge that seems longer.

[Dan H]

It should be noted that that strip had big black streaks running across it that were not the fencing lines. So, the big black line the Jon is constantly in front of at the beginning of each touch isn't actually the en garde line. The en garde line is a thin, black line several inches in front of it.
I lost a funny touch at nationals in which I pressed my opponent beyond the end line, then stopped, pointed at his feet and yelled "Ah ah!" in anticipation of winning the touch for making him retreat off the strip. It was only after he lunged and hit me that I realized he had retreated beyond the big visible line near the end of the strip, but not beyond the barely-visible end line about three inches behind that. D'oh.

[vegan]

I was at a tournament last year that I pushed my opponant of the end, and then was told by the team hosting (of which the guy I was fencing was a part) that then end line was the end of the metal, and lost the next touch, 14-15!!
Opps.
Oh well.
Timopkin lunges like that most of the time, no matter what his feet look like at the start, and the only thing I can say is I wonder if he'll fence at 30 or 35, or if he'll be able to walk when he's 40. Having said this, he's a great fencer, and a really amazing athlete who works very hard to be the best.
Cheers,
B.