The essence and
importance of timing (sense of surprise) in fencing
Zbigniew Czajkowski
Academy of
Physical Education, Katowice, Poland
The
sense of tempo is the most essential of the speed abilities. It is one of the
most valuable assets, and virtually nothing can compensate the lack of it. But
a sense of tempo can compensate for inadequate physical speed to a considerable
extent
Istvan Lukovich
ABSTRACT
The author
begins his article with a description of branches of sport in which the most
visible and salient features are physical effort and motor activity. Then he
concentrates on fencing as an example of sport in which the most important
elements are tactics and psychomotor abilities. He stresses the fact that in
fencing - like in other combat sports and games - energy abilities,
co-ordination and technique are “subordinated” to tactics and psychomotor
abilities, like perception, speed and accuracy of reaction, various qualities
of attention and very specific ability: timing, the sense of surprise. The main
part of the article is devoted to discussing and describing the essence,
importance and value of sense of surprise He stresses the point that in fencing
- and all combat sports and games - it is extremely important and vital not
only how to execute a certain action (technique, sensory motor skills), but
what and when to apply it. Strangely enough, although the sense of surprise
(timing) is so very important in other combat sports and racquet and team
games, it is only discussed in fencing text-books
Key words:
Different branches of sport - Tactics and psychomotor abilities – Sense of
timing (sense of surprise) in fencing.
INTRODUCTION
The most important indication
of fencing talent is the ability of lightning-speed assessment of a situation;
either someone possesses this ability or does not
Vera Kuznetsova
The most
„typical” branches of sport may be divided into three main groups
1)
Sports of artistic expression
(artistic gymnastics, figure skating etc), characterized by: numerous closed
(intrinsic) sensory-motor skills (motor habit patterns), big importance of
motor educability and motor control, no direct opponent, the mere execution of
planned, foreseen movements is important and assessed by the judges.
2)
Branches of sport based on high level
of specific energy abilities (field and truck events, weight lifting, swimming,
cycling etc.) There is only one closed (intrinsic) sensory-motor skill of motor
type and technique serves to achieve better result - faster, further, higher.
There is no direct opponent, no change of situation.
3)
Branches of sport in which most
important are tactics and psychomotor abilities (combat sports, games). In
these sports energy abilities, co-ordination, technique are subordinated to
tactics. There are numerous open (extrinsic) sensory-motor skills of
cognitive-motor type. The very important psychomotor abilities are: speed and
accuracy of perception, speed and accuracy of sensory-motor responses, various
qualities of attention (level of attention, range, selectivity, divisibility,
shifting of attention). Of great importance are technical-tactical capabilities
(based on sensory-motor reactions in unforeseen actions), tactical capabilities
(based on observation, perception, preparatory actions in foreseen,
premeditated actions) and sense of surprise (sense of timing).
It is (it
ought to be) obvious that teaching, coaching and applying in competition of
sensory motor skills in these branches of sport is very different.
Fencing, of
course - like other combat sports and games - belong to the third group of
sports. Fencing, however, differs from other groups of combat sports:
a)
there are no weight categories,
b)
sheer, “brutal” force is not
necessary and not important
c)
the time of bout is not so important;
if the time of the bout elapse, then the winner is the fencer who scored more
hits,
d)
one, even most spectacular action,
does not finish the bout; victory is described by the score of hits.
Apart from
these differences, there are however many common and similar traits in fencing
and other combat sports, among other very important is value of tactics,
tactical capabilities and sense of surprise (sense of timing) - the main
subject of this article.
The famous
words of the Fencing Master in Moliere’s “Citizen
turned gentleman” (“Le Bourgeois
Gentilhomme”, 1670) define the essence of fencing as giving hits without
receiving them. Thus fencing may be defined briefly as the art of holding
weapons with the intention of touching the opponent by cut or thrust while
avoiding being hit oneself.
The following could be considered among the most important aims of a
tactical fight and one the most salient aspects of fencing:
1.
Very
generally, one may say that the main purpose of a fencing action is to
forestall, or be ahead, of the opponent. In epee, this is literal. One has to
forestall the opponent in time. A hit, to be valid, has to be a fraction of a
second earlier. In sabre and foil, forestalling takes a more subtle form. A
sabreur or foilist, when counter-attacking, must either close the line of the
opponent’s attack or be ahead by a period of fencing time. In offensive
actions, he fights to be ahead in gaining the right of way: he must be first to
initiate the attack (not only in his own but, above all, in the referee’s
opinion). The conception of forestalling or keeping ahead of the opponent is
expressed, not only by the mere speed of movement, but also, and perhaps above
all, by the necessity for more selective and acute perception, and by the
necessity for faster transformation of information (to understand, at once,
what one sees, feels, and hears). To put the idea colloquially, the fencer has
to be a thought ahead of his opponent.
2.
A factor
of immense tactical importance is surprise—the ability to act in a way
unpredicted by the opponent. The more skilful the fencer is in exploiting the
element of surprise, the less his opponent will be able to anticipate the time,
speed, type, and intention of the action employed.
3.
A very
important feature and aim of tactical combat is the ability to gain the
appropriate distance in a situation most inconvenient for the opponent. For
example, if, after manoeuvring, one gains lunging distance at a moment when the
opponent is concentrated and waiting for an attack, it is not sufficient. It is
far more valuable to gain the distance when the opponent is temporarily off
balance, not concentrated, or expecting something quite different. Generally
speaking, one may state that practically all fencing actions, and the footwork
accompanying them, aim, in a way, at gaining “nearness” while preserving combat
initiative.
4.
Of equal
importance in tactics is recognition and understanding of the opponent’s
actions and intentions-at the same time, misleading him by concealing one’s own
(confusion of display).
5.
In their
application, tactics are connected with technique and other factors of training
and fights. This point will be discussed below.
6.
The main
tasks of tactical fencing activities are: a) to avoid being hit, b) to prepare
an action, and c) to score a hit. These tasks are given here in a logical time
sequence, but in practice they are intermingled.
Purposeful and efficient application of technical-tactical and tactical
capabilities on the strip depends upon the specific energy and co-ordination
abilities, technical skill and level of psychological preparedness.
The ability to conduct a bout and use proper
tactics is closely connected with the fencer’s psychological state, his power
of concentration, and self control. Undue nervousness, over-excitation, lack of
confidence, overestimation of the opponent’s strength, apathy, insufficient
warming up, prevalence of inhibitory processes - all these factors may hamper the fencer in
conducting a tactical bout, realisation of tactical solutions, and display of
his technical abilities. Conversely, self-control, optimal level of arousal,
consciousness of his own experience, and technical and tactical capabilities,
positively influence the psychological state of the fencer, increasing his calm
assurance, dexterity and courage in action.
Sense of surprise (scelta di tempo, l’á propos)
A
sense of surprise is the ability which allows us to choose the moment most
favourable for the execution of a fencing action.
Paul Pattesti and
Louis Prost
In tactics, a
very important role is played by the sense of surprise—often called choice of
time (scelta di tempo, l’à propos). Every
fencer—even one who has just begun to do loose play—has been told, and realises
from experience, how important it is to choose the right time for attacking his
opponent. Of course, we realise that the expression “choice of time” or
“timing” is inadequate. There is also a question of distance, tactical
situation, and taking the opponent by surprise—all of which make a very
complicated phenomenon nearly as difficult to describe as the conception of
time or space.
It was
noticed long ago that certain situations are more conducive to scoring a hit.
This has been called, in English, “timing” or “choice of time”, in Italian,
“scelta di tempo”, in French, “l’a propos”. The expression used by Polish
fencers, “zaskoczenie” (literal translation: “surprise”) or “wyczucie
zaskoczenia” (“sense of surprise”), better depicts the situation than an
expression which only considers the element of time.
The
expression “tempo” (literally, “time” in Italian) originates from the XVI
century Italian rapier play. When a fencer made a preliminary movement to cut
to head, and his opponent executed a very fast cut to flank, they called it
“tempo” (of course, it is stop-hit). If somebody attempted to execute a
stop-hit—“tempo”—and his opponent counter-acted it by a stop-hit with
opposition, it was called “tempo contra tempo”—the origin of contemporary counter-time,
understood as an action against a counter-attack. In later years, the
expression “tempo” lost its meaning as stop-hit, and began to be used to
describe a sense of surprise (stop-hit was called “colpo de’arresto” and
stop-hit with opposition was called “colpo di tempo” - time-hit, nowadays
called stop-hit with opposition). Since then, the expression, “to attack in
good tempo,” has come to mean to attack, taking one’s opponent by surprise. It
is not a very fortunate description as everything we do occurs in time, and the
success of an attack depends on lightning-like speed assessment of the
situation and surprising the opponent by immediate action.
Most fencing
textbooks, while stressing the element of “choice of time” delicately side-step
the difficult problem of defining, describing, and discussing it.
The
well-known fencing masters, Paul Battesti and Louis Prost [1] simply call it
the ability to choose the moment most favourable for the execution of a fencing
action.
Kazimierz
Laskowski [2], the director of the military school of fencing in Warsaw before
the war, stated that “tempo, or surprise, is the moment of taking unawares an
opponent who, in that particular situation, is hit most easily by an unexpected
action.”
Janos Kevey
[3] gave his conception of timing as follows: “by the expression tempo, we mean
the moment which is the most favourable for the beginning and execution of a
fencing action. . . in such a moment the opponent is helpless and not capable
of making a defensive movement.”
The Hungarian
author of a well-known textbook on sabre fencing, Zoltan Ozoray Schenker [4],
wrote, “a fencer must catch the moment when his opponent is totally or
partially incapable of action,” and “such favourable moments occur when the
opponent executes badly thought-out or purposeless blade movements or footwork,
when his attention is distracted and his readiness for action is diminished.
Such moments occur also when the opponent is, for example, preoccupied with
planning the bout, or is distressed by its unsuccessful course.”
Paul Clery
[5] stated, “L'á propos. . . c'est l'art de profiler des
inattentions ou des fautes adverses a l'instant precis ou elles se produissent.”
(“Sense of timing is the art of taking advantage of inattention or the
opponent’s mistakes at the precise moment when they occur.”)
Professor
Leon Bertrand [6], in his Cut and Thrust,
describes timing in slightly more detail, and in combination with other
elements. He advises that, in construction of attacks the fencer should employ
three essentials: “what the Italians call ‘scelta di tempo’—choice of time,
judgement of distance and speed. They are three further lodes in the main
stratum. The first is by far the most important of the three. Assuming the
possession of the highest technique, the sabreur stands or falls by the
presence or lack of this vital sense. Choice of time means the selection of the
psychological moment to launch the offensive, it means executing the movement
when your opponent is unprepared or least expects it. That is choice of time in
its broadest significance. The final definition of ‘scelta di tempo’ is the
seizing of the precise fraction of a second to move at the slightest sign of
mental irresolution on the part of your rival. He may be keyed up to the
highest pitch of concentration yet that fractional measure of time must come
when, by some movement or thought, that concentration wavers. This lapse must
be reflected by some sign, infinitesimal perhaps, but it is your ‘cue’, your
signal, and on this golden opportunity you must act immediately. If we could
imagine a highly sensitive machine registering a graph of your adversary’s
mental concentration, we should visualise an undulating line and we should
attack with every downward turn of the pen, with the recording of each
depression.”
Generally it
is accepted that when a fencer catches his opponent by surprise, when the
opponent is off balance and not fully concentrated, that fencer has chosen the
right “tempo”. Everybody knows that it is extremely difficult to sustain the
highest concentration of attention for a very long time, and invariably lapses
of attention occur in a bout: a fencer, concentrating on his own attack, may
forget about his defence; a competitor, manoeuvring on the strip, may expose
himself dangerously to his opponent’s action; a fencer, executing blade
movements, may open certain lines of his target—such and similar situations may
be taken advantage of for surprise action. The ability to recognise, and
instantly take advantage of, such situations is usually inborn, but it may be
further developed by special exercises, and constitutes the “sixth sense” of a
fencer.
When
describing the clever seizing of an opportunity to score a hit, and in the
majority of definitions (see above), the expressions “moment” and “time” are
commonly used. Even the names given to the “sixth sense” of a fencer, by
various fencing schools, are closely connected with the conception of time. And yet it is very obvious that this is not
a question of mere time. The opportune application of an action in a bout,
taking the opponent unawares, is closely connected with many factors of the
tactical situation, such as distance, the movements of the two fencers, the
opponent’s state of attention, quality of perception etc.
“Timing” or a fencer’s “sense for
surprise” may be, perhaps, a little more exactly described as perceiving, based
on lightning-speed assessment of the situation, the opportunity to score a hit
(convenient distance, careless movements by the opponent, signs of the opponent’s
inattention or that he is preparing to launch an attack, etc.) and taking
immediate advantage of it.
A fencer may
take advantage of potentially suitable situations or he may, himself, create
situations suitable to his purpose by the use of carefully chosen and executed
preparatory actions.
My suggested
definition above, like all attempts at simple definitions of complicated
phenomena, is inadequate. In order to better understand “scelta di tempo”—so
complex and difficult to define and yet so important in fencing—we have to
discuss it more fully, on the base of personal experience as competitor and
coach, observation of many tournaments, reflections, and literature.
The right
choice of time – sense of timing - using the expression in the accepted English
(as I know no better expression in English), means, in a very broad sense: to
surprise, to attack the opponent unaware, to make a surprise action, to take by
surprise, etc.
Professor
Tadeusz Kotarbinski [7], one of the creators of praxeology, in his general
theory of conflict, when discussing surprise, states, “We may assume that
taking the opponent unaware derives its technical value from anticipation and
from misleading the opponent or, at least, from taking advantage of the
opponent’s mistakes or lack of knowledge,” (this last here meaning lack of
information or inadequate appreciation of the situation).
Let us now
analyse this element in a fencing fight. Since a tactical intention (task,
resolution, solution) has chances of success only when it is executed in the
right time (Greek, “kairos”; French, “l’à propos”;
Russian, “moment”) and is adequate to a given situation, it is obvious that it
is very important a) to be able to seize the opportunity to launch an attack or
any other action, b) to display psychological resistance in view of the
opponent’s sudden attack.
Every
manifestation of “sense of surprise” (“timing”, “sense of tempo”), understood
as an opportunity to score a hit, has two aspects:
1. A
situation—a complex of conditions—giving possibilities of receiving a hit
(being caught unawares, being taken by surprise, being attacked when one least
expects it). This might be called “negative timing” or “negative surprise”.
2. A
situation favourable to scoring a hit (catching the opponent by surprise,
catching the opponent unawares). This might be called “positive timing” or
“positive surprise”.
Neither
positive nor negative timing occurs separately. In a fight they occur as two
aspects of the same situation, comprising both external and psychological
factors. What is “positive” for one fencer is “negative” for his opponent, and
vice versa.
Full and
successful application of the right timing (“positive surprise”; taking the
opponent unawares)—i.e., scoring a hit—may happen only with the occurrence of
an adequate complex of various factors such as attention, distance, speed,
accurate and fast perception, quick decision, appropriate choice of action and
it efficacious execution, etc.
The sense for
“fencing surprise” is inborn but, under the influence of training, it improves
in that: a) the ability to recognise and take advantage of appropriate
situations increases with practice and experience, b) resistance to the
opponent’s surprise actions is also increased.
“Negative
surprise” often leads to a temporary loss of technique, both in standard of
execution and repertoire of strokes. A high degree of fencing skill, good
automatisation and variety of sensory-motor skills (motor habit patterns), and
ease of application of technique, are fundamental factors in increasing fencer's
psychological and technical resistance to “negative surprise”. By developing,
in the course of training, technical prowess, technical-tactical abilities,
specific fitness and co-ordination, accuracy of perception, speed of reaction
and movements, one at the same time shapes “sense of fencing surprise”—choice
of time.
In an attempt
to penetrate more deeply into the phenomenon of “timing” let us try to classify
it.
A competitor
who “picks up” the initiative and begins a movement may create a situation in
which he falls into “negative time” and receives a hit or, to the contrary, a
fencer who initiates the development of a certain tactical situation creates
for himself the advantage of “positive time”, and so scores a hit.
Among the
manifestations of “fencing surprise” are situations in which: a) a competitor,
usually when defending himself, takes advantage of a situation which has
arisen, mostly on the opponent’s initiative; b) the situation giving rise to
the “fencing surprise” is created by the fencer (mostly attacker), who imposes
his movements and initiative.
We could
further differentiate (only after the assessment of a given situation may its
motor complement, in the form of a fencing action, follow) the ways in which a
competitor perceives and assesses the tactical situation as: a) visual, b)
tactile, c) kinesthetic, or d) auditory. In assessing a situation, not only one
receptor is involved, but several, to varying degrees (e.g., not only touch,
but touch and sight and kinesthetic sense; not only sight, but sight and
hearing). For example, in the execution of parry-riposte a very important role
is played by tactile sensation, but under the control of sight; when timing the
beginning of an attack to the movement of the opponent’s feet, not only sight,
but hearing the rhythm of steps plays a large part. Usually, however, one sense
plays a dominant role in the perception of a particular situation.
Luigi
Barabasetti [8] - the famous Italian master at the turn of XIX and XX century
who produced hundreds of fencing masters and influenced European fencing very
much - differentiated two kinds of sense of surprise: “physical tempo” and
“psychological tempo”. Physical tempo means extremely fast assessment of the
situation, based on watching the external situation (e.g., the opponent’s
movements, distance, and his weapon movements). Psychological tempo, however,
is based on noticing the signs that reflect the opponent’s state of mind—signs
of: a temporary lowering of attention, hesitation, concentration on preparing
an attack, etc. Barbasetti thought that psychological tempo was inborn and
cannot be changed, and that physical tempo could be improved by various
exercises. In my opinion, “psychological tempo”—although very difficult to
develop—may be, and very often is—like various kinds of motor response—improved
by carefully and intelligently chosen exercises. There are some fencers who
practically can “read” the opponent’s mind and assess his state of
concentration. This helps the fencer very much in taking the opponent by
surprise.
Final conclusions and advice to coaches and athletes
Fencing is as much a mind game
as a physical test. Even though you face one another through the mesh in the
mask, your confrontation with opponent is eyeball to eyeball with all the
mental pressure this entails.
Terence Kingston
The most
important factors concerning “sense of surprise” can be summarised in the
following concise points:
1.
In our discussion on “sense of
surprise”, instead of time and moment, we have stressed the importance of a
complex tactical situation, comprising many various factors (which, like all
material phenomena, takes place in time).
2.
“Sense of surprise” is an integral
part of any bout, and an essential factor influencing result of the bout.
3.
“Sense of surprise”, “sense of
timing”, is inborn but should be cultivated in fencers, by perfecting
technique, motor responses, and tactics together.
4.
The conscious strengthening of a
fencer’s resistance to unexpected and dangerous situations, requires a high
automatisation of movement—a very high degree of acquisition of sensory-motor
skills. Thanks to this, a fencer need not concentrate his attention on how to
execute a given movement or set of movements, but rather on which movement or
set of movements to choose in a given situation.
5.
The constant tempo and character of
movements (the same rhythm, direction, amplitude, and speed) makes the correct
assessment of the situation, and choice of counter-action, comparatively easy.
Every change of rhythm, speed, strength, and amplitude of movements, interferes
with the correct assessment of the tactical situation. This causes the decision
to be either delayed or incorrect. The most important factor in taking an
opponent by surprise is change of rhythm and speed. This is why—although it may
sound paradoxical—good reaction to a moving object is a sign of a fencer’s
talent and good form.
6.
The above is probably connected with
various processes of inhibition and excitation in the brain cortex and requires
further and detailed study by physiologists and psychologists.
7.
The coach - and the athlete - must
remember that even perfect execution of various fencing actions does not
guarantee success in a bout. From the first stage of training a lot of
attention and effort must be paid to successful application of various actions
(sensory-motor skills) in a constantly changing tactical situation and with a
counteracting opponent. In competition - and thus in training - the most
important are technical-tactical (based on different sensory motor responses)
and tactical abilities (foreseen, premeditated action) as well as different
psychological processes connected strongly with motor activities: speed and
accuracy of perception, speed and accuracy of motor responses (various kinds of
reaction), optimal level of arousal (different for different athletes),
appropriate variety of achievement motivation (optimal level of motive of
success and low level of motive of avoiding failure, level, range, selectivity,
lability of attention etc.
8.For improving
the perception - which in turn helps to improve - the sense of surprise - very
important is knowledge of terminology, classification of fencing actions and
the way of their application in a bout. I very often say to my pupils and
students: To look is not the same as to see, and to see is not the same as to
perceive. We perceive really - on a high, conceptual-motor level - only what we
know well, understand and can give a name to. Many hundreds years ago the
famous Chinese sage Confucius aptly remarked: The ability to give a proper name
to thing is a first step towards wisdom.
9.So in the
first stage of training already the coach must teach not only how to execute a
given fencing action, but when and how to apply in a bout - he must develop in
pupil sense of surprise, speed and accuracy of perception, speed of reaction
and various qualities of attention.
10. To
teach and constantly improve pupil’s qualities of attention, perception and
sense of timing. The coach must conduct various exercises based on different
kinds of sensory-motor responses: simple reaction, choice reaction,
differential reaction, reaction to a moving object (switch over reaction),
change of decision while executing foreseen action, reaction to a pre-signal,
intuitive reaction.
* * *
If
sense of surprise (sense of timing) is so important in tactics of fencing,
racquet games and team games, it is only logical and sensible to donate an
adequate amount of time, energy and thoughts to practice of it. As I often say,
the obvious things are often most difficult to be noticed and perceived. This
is why, I suppose, many coaches in combat sports do not fully appreciate the
value and importance of timing, perception, speed of reaction, sensory-motor
thinking and tactical thinking. This article I have written taking advantage
partly from literature, but mostly from my own experience, observations and
various tests (I have been and I am still involved in fencing activities -
competitor, coach, researcher, author. This article is only very short and
concise presentation of the subject. To readers which are interested in tactics
and sense of surprise I may recommend some of my books on this subject (9, 10,
11, 12, 13, 14, 15).
The
paper might be concluded with very wise, in my opinion, words said by famous
fencing master Michel Alaux [16]:
Once a fencer has learned the mechanism of basic movements, the activity
losses its primary, total physical requirements and becomes more of a mental
exercise. Concentration, self-control, and a quick decision command muscles and
reflexes for successful scoring.
References
1. Battesti, P., Prost,
L.: Traite d'Escrime - Fleuret. INS,
Paris 1963
2.
Laskowski, K.; Sportowa
szermierka na bagnety. GKKF, Warszawa 1951,
3. Kevey, J.: Szermierka na szable. GKKF, Warszawa
1951.
4.
Ozoray-Szenker, Z.: Szermierka na
szable. Sport i
Turystyka, Warszawa 1952,
5.
Clery,
R.: L'Escrimeaux trois Armes. Amphora, Paris 1965
6.
Bertrand, L.; Cut and Thrust. Athletic Publications, London 1927,
7.
Kotarbiński, T.:
"Z zagadnień ogólnej teorii walki," in: Haslo dobrej roboty. Wiedza
Powszechna, Warszawa 1968, p. 54
8. Barbasetti, L.: Das Stossfechten, Wilhelm
Breumuller: Wien und Leipzig, 1900