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A Review of Major Polish Scholarly Studies on Fencing in the 21St Century

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A Review of Major Polish Scholarly Studies on Fencing in the 21St Century © Idōkan Poland Association “IDO MOVEMENT FOR CULTURE. Journal of Martial Arts Anthropology”, Vol. 15, no. 2 (2015), pp. 1–9 DOI: 10.14589/ido.15.2.1 HISTORY: BIBLIOGRAPHY Maciej Łuczak University School of Physical Education in Poznań (Poland) e-mail: [email protected] A review of major Polish scholarly studies on fencing in the 21st century Submission: 10.10.2014; acceptance: 7.03.2015 Key words: fencing, sport training, fencing psychology, kinesiology, history Abstract Aim and Problem. The aim of this paper is an overview of 21st century scholarly and popular publications by Polish authors on fencing theory and practice. It also attempts to identify the main research trends represented in these publications. The chronol- ogy of the review covers more than a decade of theoretical and technical achievements of Polish fencing. Material and Method. The methodology used includes document analysis, induction, deduction and synthesis. The present review addresses two research questions: What is the current state of research on fencing in Poland? What are the prevailing research topics in the studies conducted in various academic disciplines? Results and Conclusion. The author briefly discusses the achievements of Polish fencing literature until 1918, between 1918 and 1945, and from 1945 until 2000. The review of Polish works on fencing from the 21st century shows that the number of publi- cations as well as their thematic range have increased significantly. The main topics covered by the Polish authors focus around theory and methodology of sport training, fencing psychology, kinesiology, and history. The majority of published monographs deal with fencing theory and methodology. Introduction killing, wounding, or eliminating the enemy. The intro- duction of the foil as a practice weapon and the mask in Fencing is a combat sport practised by men and women, the 18th century led to the development of recreational with three different weapons: the foil, the saber and the fencing (next to the existing real military fencing), and epee, each contested with different rules. The fencing piste in the 19th century, to modern competitive fencing. The is 14 m long and 1.5 m wide. Fencers wear special fencing most fundamental rule of fencing is to hit the opponent dress, mask, gloves and plastrons. A referee presides over while avoiding being hit. Fencing involves offensive and the bout with the aid of an electrical scoring apparatus. defensive actions with a fencing weapon: the foil, the epee Foil and sabre are governed by priority rules. and the saber. Modern competitive fencing derives from This means that a fencer initiating an attack has pri- military fencing and has its own theoretical and meth- ority in scoring before a fencer who counterattacks. odological frameworks [Zabłocki 2011]. Epee involves no rules of priority, i.e. whoever hits In recent years the number of published mono- the opponent first, scores a point. Fencers must hit the graphs and articles on competitive fencing in Poland has so-called valid target area on the opponent’s body. If been clearly on the rise. The aim of this paper is an over- a hit is landed outside this area, points are not scored view of 21st-century scholarly and popular publications [Roi, Bianchedi 2008]. by Polish authors on fencing theory and practice. It also The names for fencing have different etymologies in attempts to arrange the state of theoretical knowledge different languages. In ancient India fencing was known on fencing and to identify selected research trends. The as carma, in Scandinavia skrimen, in France escremie or review starts with the discussion of a number of works eskermie, in Germany skrimen, in Spain esgrima , in from the very beginning of the 21st century dealing with France escrime, and in Italy scherma. Fencing became a the application of research methods in sport theory and sport when it ceased to be a military activity aimed at practice, e.g. sport psychology, kinesiology, and sport 2 “IDO MOVEMENT FOR CULTURE. Journal of Martial Arts Anthropology”, Vol. 15, no. 2 (2015) history. The chronology covers then more than a dec- so-called parry quarte, known in Europe as the hellish ade of theoretical and technical achievements of Polish quarte [Starzewski 1932]. Starzewski instructed fenc- fencing. The gathered material is interpreted using meth- ers according to the Polish school, but he also knew the odology of historical sciences, e.g. deduction, induction, French and German methodology [Bernolak 1898]. and source analysis. Synthesis was used for the formu- Polish fencing masters taught both long and short lation of final conclusions. cuts. Antoni Durski in his manual Szkoła szermierki The present review addresses two research ques- sieczonej (Fencing with cutting weapons) demonstrated tions: What is the current state of research on fencing technical and tactical fencing issues in a fairly novel in Poland? What are the prevailing research topics in manner, especially, when it came to teaching fencing the studies conducted in various academic disciplines? according to the Polish model. Fencing became part of The review allows the reader to follow chron- the curriculum of the Sokol gymnastic societies, and was ologically the main considerations of Polish fencing considered an important determinant of psychophysical researchers. The reviewed literature may encourage fur- development and national identity. In Lvov, Jerzy Żytny ther in-depth analyses and may help understand the – a gymnastics teacher and fencing master in the fenc- development of competitive fencing. The discussed works ing section of the Sokol society published a book titled may also indicate new areas of future research. Krótki zarys szermierki na szable podług systemu włosk- iego (A short outline of saber fencing according to the Italian model) (1900). He was followed by Stanisław From the beginnings of Polish fencing theory Marian Tokarski, the author of fencing handbook Szer- until 1918 mierka bronią sieczną (Fencing with cutting weapons), and Bolesław Gnoiński who wrote a brochure Szkoła Swordsmanship was historically an important compo- szermierki (School of fencing). Tokarski in his fencing nent of military education of the Polish youth. By the late instruction borrowed from the experiences of the Ital- 16th century the saber had become the Polish national ian and German fencing school. Gnoiński, on the other weapon. With its curved blade it turned out to be more hand, made use of the Italian methodology, which in effective than the sword. Further developments in saber combination with the rules of the Hungarian school fencing led to the emergence of the Polish saber fenc- dominated Polish fencing in the interwar period. ing school in the 17th century and to the establishment of fencing as the most popular sport in Polish schools at the turn of the 18th century. Fencing was practised in Fencing theory and methodology in the years the famous Krzemieniec Lyceum (1805-1832) and in 1919-1939 the Kraków and Lvov universities. In the 19th century saber fencing was also taught in fencing and gymnastic The interest in fencing theory started to grow after Poland schools in Warsaw and Lvov, in Sokoł societies in Lvov regained independence in 1918. The most renowned (est. 1867), Kraków (est. 1884) and others, as well as in authors of fencing training manuals published between fencing circles in Vilnius (1868), Lvov (1867), Kraków 1919 and 1939 were Wiktoria J. Goryńska – Szermierka (1900) and in the Society of Movement Games in Lvov (Fencing) (1935), Władysław Sobolewski – Szermierka (1904) [Łuczak 2002]. na szable (Saber fencing) (1920), and Włodzimierz Very few Poles contributed at that time to fencing Mańkowski – Szermierka na szable (Saber fencing) theory. The most prominent Polish authors included (1929). Wiktoria J. Goryńska – a fencer and referee in Michał Franciszek Starzewski, who in his monumental the KS “Warszawianka” sports club as well as an activist treatise O szermierce (On Fencing) stated that “fenc- of the Polish Fencing Association, propagated women’s ing is a science” [Starzewski 1932], and Karol Bernolak sport and recreation as well as, little known at that time, who in Podręcznik szermierczy i krótki opis szabli pol- women’s foil fencing. She promoted fencing for fun, skiej (Fencing manual with a short description of the health, and leisure. Mańkowski in his manual Szermierka Polish saber) observed that “fencing training is one of na szable (Saber fencing) (1929) demonstrated the meth- the most wholesome and beautiful physical exercises” odology of saber fencing according to the Italian fencing [Bernolak 1898]. Bernolak made his analysis of saber school and provided practical examples of activities on fencing technique and tactics using the premises of the the fencing piste. As the first author in the Polish litera- French fencing school, and he also made comparisons ture he described the fleche, and provided useful hints for between the old Polish terminology for saber fencing fencing against left-handed opponents and the so-called cuts with the existing names in French, Italian and Ger- “naturalists”. Similar rules of competition against left- man [Bernolak 1898]. handed fencers were described by Władysław Sobolewski In his treatise Starzewski described the Polish saber in Szermierka na szable (Saber fencing) (1920). Both fencing school (featuring frequent cuts to the head and Mańkowski and Sobolewski used concurrently the Polish the trunk), cross-cuts with rapid repetitions, and the and Italian fencing terminology. Łuczak M. — A review of major Polish scholarly studies on fencing in the 21st century 3 Fencing classes were held in various types of schools, fencing specifics was still rather rudimentary. Training in the military and fencing sections of sports clubs and loads, for example, were adopted selectively in fenc- student corporations (academic fencing). Fencing was ing training, mostly on the basis of coaches’ intuition part of the curriculum of the Central Military School of rather than research results [Celejowa 1975; Olszewska Gymnastics and Sports in Poznań, the Central Institute 1975; Borysiuk 2006].
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