Hatfield Coaching Course

Here is a reproduction of the course notes provided for a series of three coaching sessions run by Prof. 'Jes' Smith at the University of Hertfordshire.

All information is © John Edward Smith

Routine or Warm-Up Lesson

Should not be routine and ideally will "sharpen" the pupil/fencer.

How can we achieve this:-

1. deceive the pupil's parries
2. parry the pupil's hits
   deceive and/or parry then complete a short phrase
3. add redoubles
4. attack on the pupil's recovery
   
   redouble and/or attack and then complete a short phrase
5. deceive the pupil's parries
6. delay own hit (will prompt the pupil to hold their parry or to
   redouble according to the phrase)

Also take a stroke and use it with different footwork/distance and in different parts of the phrase

Lesson and Control

1. Over control
   "step forward, now ... step back and ... etc."
2. Lax control
   "With mobility ... let's do it moving"

no timing or co-ordination is coveyed because the fencer is either:

1. mechanical, inhibited and slow
2. has no knowledge of correct co-ordination

Answer:

1. in the warm-up and in general use the feet and blade to give direction and movement and not the voice.
2. in the lesson be specific
   e.g. "Parry as the front foot completes the step back"
   "Make the engagement as the front foot advances"
   "Retire with the rear foot as you make the riposte"
   

When we give a lesson on a stroke/action use all the 'T's

1. Technique - for every stroke the coach should have a minimum of two teaching points and/or points to check.
2. Tactic - for every stroke the give one or more tatical applications
3. Timing - for every stroke have a very specific timing or variety
4. Territory - for every stroke change the distance
5. Tic-Tac - for every stroke put it into a short phrase
6. Terminology - use it and make it clear

Types of Lesson

1. Routine - as above, student must be familiar with the strokes
   Danger - fencer may interpret some continuity hitting strokes outside of their true tactical concept.
2. New Material - introduce the stroke within a phrase/situation.
   
   isolate skills; use touch and sound - not just sight.
   put into phrase
   put into routine lesson.
3. Skills repetition - using an action repeated in different parts of the phrase or with different footwork/distance.
4. Open reaction/choice reaction - similar to a routine lesson but with a limited and fixed set of routines.
5. Choice of action
   The fencer decides the opening or closing action of an exercise.
   The fencer decides whether to use first intention or "open-eyes".
6. Mimic/Mirror/Loop - the fencer is required to copy the coach's choice of stroke when riposting or counter-riposting and/or work continuously with changes of rhythm.
7. Tactical Circle - the lesson progresses through simple parry + riposte - compound - counter - simple
8. Choice reaction - the fencer observes and responds to stimuli A + B, then A + C and then finally A + B + C - the % is varied.
9. Open-eyes attack or riposte - an advanced form of choice reaction: the student must be familiar with the possible stimuli.
10. Tactical (new) - similar to (2) but the fencer knows the strokes and only the particular use is new.
11. The exam lesson - an artificial device to probe knowledge and ability demonstrated through giving of a lesson. True competence can be exhibited by applying aspects of the above lessons to the task set.

Some Key Coaching Points

1. The three 'T's - Technique, Timing, Tactics
2. Avoid all negative instructions
   "don't drag the rear foot" becomes "fix the rear foot" or "drag the rear foot only when 110% committed to a first intention attack"
   "don't drop the hand" becomes "finish with the hand at my shoulder height"
3. Remember that touch is an ealier stimulus than sight.
4. Be Specific
5. "step-beat-lunge" becomes "step-beat just ahead of the rear foot landing-lunge"
6. Exploit Error
7. If the fencer uses a "wrong" stroke, develop that as a contrast to the required stroke.
8. Use Mnemonics
9. How Powerful Can Repostes Be with Repeated Prise-de-fer
   Hits Parries Compound Repostes Beats Renewals Prise-de-fer
   
10. Hand/Blade Co-ordination
11. Two blade actions per step or if one blade action where is it done?
12. Think how you can make the fencer perform the action faster
13. With a phrase let the pupil practise the final action, the penultimate + final action and then the whole phrase (work backwards)
14. Sympathetic blade presentation.

What is Timing

When can you hit?

1. Attack at the commencement of a preparation:
   (difficult in modern fencing unless it is well anticipated)
2. Attack at the opponent's feint - at the commencement or the recovery
3. Attack at the opponent's attack - on the recovery
   (control of distance and footwork)
4. Attack at the opponent's hesitation - immediately - simple or compound?

When can you best induce a line for counter time?

When can the 'defender' take control?

1. Induce the attack with feint parry
2. Induce the attack with feint stop hit
3. Induce the riposte with feint attack
4. Induce the renewal with distance