There has been much written about optimum methods utilized in fencing tournaments. Conventional wisdom suggests that good training, good attitude, and superior motivation are necessities in successful bouting. It is my experience that there are alternative ways to approach successful tournaments. I'd briefly like to discuss with you diversions, physical survival, and psychological strategy.Our division is geographically isolated. This simply means that we are far away from all other clubs. Trips to other tournaments are at least six hours long! Diversions are needed to keep ourselves mentally alert during the long road trip. Some inventive fencers have devised a road kill check list that allows them to classify different genre of road kill. Check lists usually have a place to identify the location of the road kill by a state highway mile marker. The usual road kill include canines, birds, and large mammals like deer and elk. On one road trip a pig was noted to be bloating along the highway. Some fencers have become so adept at identification of road kill that all they really need is a silhouette of the flattened fauna to make a positive ID. Should you want to keep your self mentally alert please contact selected members of Salle Boise for the exclusive road kill check list. Other diversions include a litany of sexist blonde jokes, implicit and explicit scatology, and belching. Much of the fencer's diversions are used to relieve tension that comes from high expectations to be a person of breeding. Although these diversions do not directly effect your tournament techniques, they do give you a proper mental set to allow you to compete with that special edge.
Now about physical survival...forget what you have heard about good food, enough sleep, and avoidance of excesses. Fencers generally do best when they think that their world is flushing down the toilet. Carbohydrates ingested 12 hours before a competition sounds like a good idea but three pounds of prime rib and quarts of the beverage of your choice have been a tradition that has been hard to beat. There is nothing like attempting a ballestra and finding that your abdominal area is still moving downwards when the rest of your body is attempting to move upward and forward. When the night before is taking its toll on you in the middle of the bout there are techniques that can help you get through the bout. When and if you feel that you are suffering an oxygen deficit, request to remove your mask and ask for a detailed explanation of the fencing action. If you are still breathing hard, take umbrage with the explanation and attempt to appear indignant and ask for a grievance hearing from the bout committee. Be sure that there is no monetary deposit necessary for the grievance. Fencing is a strenuous sport. Don't allow anyone to impugn its character by calling it a pansy sport. Injuries are common place and malingered physical damage to your body is always good for at least a five to ten minute delay in the bout. Some fencers believe that drinking lots of fluid and eating high energy foods like fruit and nuts are helpful. Some even suggest that the potassium in bananas helps with endurance. Not!! Some of the highly competitive fencers have found that coffee and/or a six-pack of Mountain Dew is much more helpful for making it through the long, arduous day. Dr. Pepper is also a reasonable substitute. If you are inclined to eat solid foods during competition it is recommended that you eat cinnamon rolls of the Mrs. Powell's type.
Psychological strategy often implies an internal preparation necessary for using your fencing strategies. Strategy also involves knowing how to manipulate your opponent's perceptions. Faking a limp is always good for your initial bout; however, this technique has been much over-used. Complaining about having a hang-over is also getting pretty old and many fencers are not as sympathetic as they previously were. A technique called the Notre Dame Syndrome has been used successfully in many tournaments. This involves acting as if you are the nicest person in the world and being disgustingly amiable. During practice sessions with opponents always acknowledge a hit even if it was not even close to a target area. Ask about your opponent's family and the family dog. Small talk and an impression that you care often disarms your opponent to the point that they feel bad about thinking of defeating you in a bout. When and if you do defeat your opponent it is important to act gracious and tell him/her that the win was just your good fortune. And don't forget the director...it's always important to butter-up the director as often as you possibly can. You should tell him/her that the bout that they just directed was one of the best you've seen since you fenced in the last World Cup Tournament. The next time you fence off-balance the director may then mistake it for a well-executed passata sotto. Fencing is a mental game. Physical skill alone isn't going to make you a good fencer. And remember that we are no different than lower animals...we do respond to the stimulus, response, and reinforcement paradigm that those strange psychologists talk to us about. So, when you do well with your psychological strategies always finish up with a special reward for yourself. As for me, it's time for a large order of onion rings...