What seperates an excellent ref from a so-so ref

[pkt]

I guess these are some of - IMHO - the attributes that distinguishes a so-so ref to a good to an excellent ref.

~ attacks that land on the guard or the blade - esp. the forte -first then onto the target are remises;
~ in sabre, attacks that land after the front foot lands are remises;
~ in sabre, beats that land on the forte are parried;
~ beats that merely touch the opponent's blade without actually moving the blade are 'caresses' and not beats;
~ passe' avants in sabre are difficult to see because as a ref one sees that only with one's peripheral vision;
~ while looking at the action in foil and epee, I position myself so I can also see the unarmed hand of the right-handed fencer who's on my left so I can see any illegal use of the non-sword arm;
~ look for the shoe laces, and zippers on the jacket - the undoing of the latter could be deadly, literally;
~ curvature of the blade esp. in epee; and if you think flicking in foil is difficult to ref, make sure the foil blade do not exceed the legal curvature - try doing a flick with a straight blade.

By all means add to this list.


PK

[Craig]

So So refs make a large number of mistakes and attempt to be consistent, but are not always.

Good refs make some mistakes, but are consitent in their calls.

Great refs make fewer mistakes.

[mifencer]

I really like it when the ref knows he/she is there because of the fencers. I hate refs who want to take over the bout and be the center of attention -- God I hate those referees. I don't like refs who are wishy washy and can get influenced by the fencers either.

I guess I'm picky.

[pkt]

mifencer,

that's what Craig means by consistency.

If or when a good ref is wrong, he's wrong consistently so the fencers can make allowance for the idiosyncrasies of his interpretation of the rules, or of his perception of the actions.


"I don't like refs who ... can get influenced by the fencers either."

I s'pose that's because they do not have confidence in their knowledge of the rules.
When a ref is knowledgeable of the rule, the fencers will show respect and will discuss courteously the call. Any discourteous, disrespectful challenge by the fencer will result in the fencer being carded.

A few telltale signs of a ref who's not knowledgeable of the rules are manifested by his/her losing control of the discipline of the bout in that the fencers argue with his calls, repeatedly and getting away with it.

PK

[sabreman]

There are certain sabre refs you can't even attempt simo action against top ranked fencer. To them the name on the back means they always have the attack. LOL!

[drayke]

They can referee the action and keep score correctly

[pkt]

Originally posted by sabreman
There are certain sabre refs you can't even attempt simo action against top ranked fencer. To them the name on the back means they always have the attack. LOL!

I try to sharpen my skills and learn from the FIE refs in the WC tapes [which you can buy from Eric - free plug. Eric, Do I get a discount next time? ]

The FIE refs call the smallest time difference. If you don't beleive me... Oops, I'm about to repeat myself.

So be fair, sabreman, sometimes it's becasue the better-known sabreur's move is better defined... Any way, if you don't believe me, try judging some raw beginners' bouts and you'll see hwat I mean.

pk