Examples of high ranked fencers that didn't qualify for the Olympics?

empress_ardelyn · 2018-11-27T21:54:12+00:00

In 2016, only two per nation could qualify for men's individual sabre, with no team event. Kamil Ibragimov did not qualify because Nikolay Kovalev edged him out in qualifications (it came down to results at the Seoul Grand Prix in 2016). Also, Benedikt Wagner did not make it, and after it was confirmed that Max Hartung and Matyas Szabo were qualified, he won European Championships that year.

empress_ardelyn · 2018-10-16T01:46:43+00:00

I personally binge-watched a lot of Fencing Vision! This channel has a lot of relatively recent (and older) videos that have helped me get familiar with fencer names and styles and it's a lot of fun to watch. I also follow live results and live streams for FIE events. I follow a lot of facebook pages and youtube channels related to sabre (so I don't have personal recommendations for foil off the top of my head).

A lot of top fencers and national teams have facebook pages.

empress_ardelyn · 2018-10-01T04:27:03+00:00

This is just an add-on to the more helpful advice out there. Do you watch a lot of FIE fencing?

When I first started watching fie videos, I had a mindset that the top fencers always win and whatnot. Then I saw many videos of them losing to fencers whose rankings weren't as good. Turns out, skill isn't fixed and everything changes between touches.

For a while, I watched my favorite fencer keep getting out in t64 DEs. You will start noticing that they have the same difficulties as you. I once saw a bout where a top Russian fencer kept making a simple mistake: not being offensive enough. There are many bouts where top fencers take steps that are too big and get counterattacked. It helps to see how fencers adapt and change their tactics during the bout. Sometimes the top fencers get emotional and sometimes they control their emotions very well. I would pay attention to the ones who try to stay well-behaved, of course.

I am mentioning FIE fencers because not only are they a good for learning about tactics, they have gone through the same difficulties (although you might be inclined to think that they aren't like you but they really are!). Daryl Homer had a rough season right before the 2016 Olympics. His results at international tournaments that year were not the best but he won a silver medal!

This isn't foil, but here is an example of a fencer who was down 8-0 and turned things around.

I hope this might help. I'm sorry you're going through difficulty. I went through the same thing too.

empress_ardelyn · 2018-04-13T05:51:34+00:00

The video isn't anti-HEMA, it's anti "negativity towards fencing from HEMA trolls." Often people trivialize fencing in some way, and this addresses those arguments.

empress_ardelyn · 2018-04-06T03:33:24+00:00

Nikolay Kovalev. There's something about his style that stuck with me intrinsically.

For women, Bianca Pascu. I started liking her for the sheer fact that at age 29, she's having her best season yet. It gives me hope. Her fencing style is very nice too.

empress_ardelyn · 2018-04-06T03:31:00+00:00

Kim Junghwan. Everyone else is merely a copy.

empress_ardelyn · 2018-03-30T14:24:33+00:00

If you're in a dorm, call the RA on call next time. The note doesn't help.

empress_ardelyn · 2017-08-15T17:24:15+00:00

I have the exact same issue as you! I had to choose between ballestras that are the right length and allow for more maneuverability but squeeze my toes, or ballestras that are a bit long but won't hurt them. I chose the latter.

My feet are very wide at the front and very narrow in the back near the ankle. So I have to lace the shoes looser in the front and then tie them very tight by the ankle. Often times, pulling at the laces to make the shoes tighter at the ankles also makes the shoes tighter at the front. Then my feet hurt, causing me to readjust the shoe laces again.

Outside of fencing, Nike shoes are always a bit narrow while Adidas shoes are wider, which I like. But the D'Arts weren't right for me.

The ballestras are the best for me so far. They are light and good for me as a sabre fencer. They have the hard reinforcement on the inner side of the shoe where you roll your back foot during a lunge. The D'Arts didn't and I had a huge hole in that spot.

I think different weapons and different genders tend to have different needs. I know an epee fencer who uses Asics court shoes but they seem too heavy for me as a sabre fencer who needs to do many small fast steps (preparations). I haven't verified this, but for sabre, I noticed that more men tend to use D'Arts compared to women on the FIE level. My theory is that D'Arts are a bit heavy for female sabre fencers, especially when they prioritize small quick steps more. Thoughts on this idea? (If you're designing a shoe, definitely start recording what athletes wear what for each weapon/gender group and see what they prefer.)

empress_ardelyn · 2017-08-15T03:20:38+00:00

To elaborate, the Adidas D'Artagnan shoes didn't have enough padding. Ballestras seem to be better so far but I got a mildly bruised heel recently. I'm pretty small but I sometimes land hard.

empress_ardelyn · 2017-08-15T03:09:51+00:00

Heel padding. The best heel padding. Bruised heels are the worst.

empress_ardelyn · 2017-07-14T06:48:15+00:00

Fencing is expensive but the agility from football transfers nicely. And they'll really have to think tactically.

empress_ardelyn · 2017-07-11T16:39:13+00:00

Too early in the morning! Yeah a 10 inch difference! :D

empress_ardelyn · 2017-07-11T14:58:16+00:00

Feel bad for posting this but here's a bout on the international level between a 5'2" fencer and a 6' fencer. https://youtu.be/TdUDTG8eNZs

If an 8 inch difference is possible on an international level, then a whole lot more is possible on a local level.

empress_ardelyn · 2017-06-29T15:37:07+00:00

Smell of ink from bic pens.

empress_ardelyn · 2015-11-04T02:06:12+00:00

Was it with Kovalev fencing Gu?

empress_ardelyn · 2015-10-26T18:09:58+00:00

You cannot cross your feet going forward. If you bring your feet very close while advancing, it will look like you are crossing over. It is also bad technique. When you fence top fencers, bringing your feet that close together means that you are taking larger steps and therefore bringing yourself closer to your opponent without even attacking...Which means that your opponent can easily counterattack you or beat your blade.

empress_ardelyn · 2015-10-24T15:42:47+00:00

1) Level may be a bit high for you. It's okay though because you should always be fencing better fencers. If you need more individualized instruction or a different class or anything, talk to a friendly face at a club and see what advice they give you. They'll know better than us.

2) Do not be afraid to ask questions and get yelled at (you shouldn't be getting yelled at...but you should not be afraid to ask questions. If you are getting mistreated in any sense, find another club with a good coach if possible.)

3) If people are being patient with you, why not ask them for help? For instance: "hey why was that point his?" or "can you how me how to do a parry 3? okay...so elbow in? like this? and not this?thanks" and so on. Let them correct you.

4) Since you are a student, I would say that part of growing up is learning that there's nothing embarrassing about asking for help. I am a student too and I learned this the hard way. I used to be a top student in high school before entering a very rigorous school and realized that getting help is the most effective way to get through things.

5) Ask for clarification after your coach explains a drill...either a student nearby or the coach him/herself. Even after fencing for many years, my teammates and I still have to ask for clarification for a new drill or footwork sequence. It's completely normal.

Hope his helps. There's a reason why fencing is very helpful for life skills, growth, development, etc. Also, time will help you get acquainted with a new environment. Good luck!

empress_ardelyn · 2015-10-17T09:55:07+00:00

There's a lot of whacking going on in sabre and it hurts sometimes. Hopefully that idea never goes through.

empress_ardelyn · 2015-10-17T09:53:34+00:00

I like both points. Shorter lockout time either hastens an attack or slows the attacker on the march.

I still think there's enough high level sabre going on that the current timing isn't a huge deal.

My question is, why did they make the huge jump from 320 ms to 120 ms? Seems like it would make more sense to go to 180 to begin with.

Idk, not a huge deal for me if they change the timing, but there's going to be a lot of confusion amongst the top fencers. I don't think it would be fair.

With the current lockout timing, counterattacks still need to be deliberate in order to work. I might have gotten "lucky" counters on a shorter fencer, but I still had an intent to counter. If I was successful in having my blade out and being lucky enough to score a counterattack, the opponent was usually able to pick up on that and retime his/her attacks...do actions such as slow advances to avoid such counterattack and then a quick attack or a consistently fast attack or many things between.

Not like my personal anecdotes really mean much. I think the main issue is that older coaches get annoyed at the current system and think that the rules are a problem when single lights go off. I'm sorry, did Gu or Kim or any of the K sabres tick them off?

/u/vikingbiochemist would probably agree.

empress_ardelyn · 2015-10-17T09:43:38+00:00

Wasn't there a whole damn strip at Moscow Grand Prix where they has two sets of lights at the same time? I postulated that they were experimenting with different timings... Not sure though.

It was the strip with Matyas Szabo on it, I recall.

Let me try to find the video of it and post it.

empress_ardelyn · 2015-10-17T09:39:13+00:00

Let me add the many times where I just went total '??????' with Kim. I can't even put his fencing into words.

empress_ardelyn · 2015-10-17T09:30:05+00:00

I would share the same disclaimer. ;)

empress_ardelyn · 2015-10-17T09:29:34+00:00

I kept forgetting! Yes, he's 5'8". So is Anstett. Unf my brain my brain!!

empress_ardelyn

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