01/06/2024
READY, STEADY, GO, STOP, GO....
Not a technically challenging call: Left looks for parry as Right counter-attacks and fails to find the blade. Point Right.
One of the challenges of refing is filtering the literal and metaphorical 'noise' in any exchange. This is possibly why video review and referee exams based on video are done without sound as sound can often be a false friend. Was that metal clash blade contact, the blade striking the mask, or both at the same time? In this action one judges by distance and timing to say that the parry does not find the blade.
But I'm more interested in how this illustrates the idea of 'punctuation' in exchanges. Had Left introduced a slight pause between the parry and the riposte he might have found the blade and successfully made the action. Unfortunately he rushed. And this is a more general fault that i am working on myself: how to not rush my delivery of actions so as to improve clarity in ex*****on in a way both pleasing to the eye of the ref as well as more inclined to success. Ianos Pop's lessons stress giving a clear distinction between the parry and the riposte, but this extends to all the components of a fencing phrase: a phrase without punctuation is garbled in the delivery. If we rush at top speed through everything there is no separate 'slow' and 'fast', and consequently without that contrast you can't identify or employ 'acceleration' because it's ALL going as fast as possible. It's still a work in progress but I'm already finding it is increasing my versatility to introduce both slowed actions and pauses to delineate phrasing. It also makes my strategy less predictable as always going as fast as possible has a very predictable cadence. (Not to mention how the slight pause before acceleration gives an intimidating edge to an attack)
