GEORGE SANTELLI, INC. United States Fencing Association, 1988-90 President: Michel Mamlouk EXL'<'utive Vice-President: Grorge G. Masin Vice President: Gerrie Baumgart Vice President: Paul Soter Secretary: John Higgs-Coulthard Treasurer: Elvira Orly Counsel: Frank Nagomey Official Publication of the United States Fencing Association, Inc. Dedicated to the memory of Jose R. DeCapriles, 1912-1969 Miguel A. DeCapriles, 1906-1981 CONTENTS Volume 42, Number 2 Editor: B. C. Milligan Business Manager: Laurel Clark Skillman Editorial ..............•........................................ 4 Poetry Editor: Leith Askins To The Editor ................................................... 5 Editors Emeritus: Ralph M. Goldstein, Mary T. In The Final Analysis .............................................. 8 Huddleson, Albert Axelrod. by Charles A. Selberg AMERICAN FENCING magazine (lSSN (0)2-8436) President's Corner ............................................... 9 is published quarterly by the United States Fencing by Michel Mamlouk Association, Inc. 1750 East Boulder Street, Colorado Springs, CO S0909. Subscription for non-members Foil Tactics and Tactical Drill ....................................... 10 of the U.S.F.A. is $12.00 in the U.S. and $1S.00 by Harold C. Hayes elsewhere. Single copies $3.00. Members of the U.S.F.A subscribe through their dues. Address all News Briefs ................................................... 12 correspondence concerning membership to the The Price of Pronation ........................................... 16 U.S.F.A. office in Colorado Springs, CO. Second by Rudy ~Ikmann class postage paid at Colorado Springs, CO and additional mailing offices. Technical Talks: How Does This Thing Work? ....................•...... 17 ©1991 United States Fencing Association by Joe Byrnes Editorial and advertising offices: These are cur­ Circuit Events: Good or Bad? ...................................... 18 rently in flux, as the editor relocated to the Balti­ by William ReIth more, MD, area as this issue went to press. For now, address all material and inquiries to American An Alternative Analysis ........................................... 19 by Ben Atkins Fencing, c/o USFA, 1750 East Boulder Street, Colorado Springs, CO S0909; (719) 578-4511. Fencing Bulletin Board ........................................... 20 Contributors please note: Articles, results of com­ On Mastering Fencing ••..•.•..................................... 22 petitions, photos and cartoons are cordially solicited. by Gil Pezza Manuscripts should be typewritten, double spaced, on one side of the paper only. Photos should pre­ A Proposal For Fencing Team Leagues ............................... 24 ferably be black and white and with a complete by John M. Dillard caption. Unsolicited manuscripts cannot be returned unless submitted with a stamped, self-addressed "My Coach Said" ............................................... 26 envelope. No anonymous articles accepted. Some Observations On The Rear Arm ................................ 27 by Charles Simonian Opinions expressed in signed articles do not necessarily reflect tile view of American Fencing or Results ...................................................... 28 the USFA. DEADLINES: Copy and advertising material should be received by Jan. 1, Mar. 1, June 1 and Sept. 1 of each year to be included in the next issue. Issues are intended to be mailed out by the first day of the following month. That's the plan - honest. We will do our best to guarantee the appearance of all dated material prior to accepting it. ON OUR COVER POSTMASTER: Send address changes "Disarming the Opponent," as taught by the to: American Fencing, U.S.F.A., 1750 great Angelo. We would prefer photos of modern East Boulder St., Colorado Springs, American fencing for our magazine, if we could CO 80909. only get some! Welcome to the latest issue of American Fencing. Once For although fencing is, indeed, a sport, it is also a again, your well-meaning editor finds himself obliged to game, and when played well it is more, rising to the level of apologize for its tardiness, this time abetted by a cross­ an art. And while the athletes may occasionally triumph, country move. We're trying, friends, but as stated previously, and the good players will often play well enough to win, it you can help. is the artists who combine all the physical, emotional and Contrary to what appears to be a rather widespread intellectual spheres into one cohesive whole who will persist belief, this magazine has no "editorial personnel" (to quote in their success. one correspondent) other than the editor him (or her, to When I was a coach, and my fencers were about to step mollify that same individual) self. Advertisements are on the piste, I would often say to them, "Don't think about handled by our business manager, Laurel Clark Skillman, it - just do it." But the only way you can achieve success and all other editorial duties, including writing some things, on the strip without conscious thought is if you have done editing all others, pasteup, proofing, etc., are the duty of the all of your thinking in advance. editor. But you can still help, with your articles, letters, Fencing is too rapid a sport to allow much more than results and especially (for now) photos - now I can better quick tactical changes when in the midst of a bout. As a appreciate why our previous editor took so many pictures. corollary, however, it is too complex a sport to permit We need art! much in the way of success without planning. The material we do receive, in my opinion, is often excel­ "The unexamined life is not worth living," Aristotle is lent, insightful and thought-provoking. Articles such as reported to have said. "The unexamined bout is not worth Harold Hayes' piece on foil tactics and training; Nick fencing," say I. I hope you will agree, and will find some Jamilla's essay on achieving mastery of the art of the inspiration for further thought of your own after reading fencing; and others which did not fit in this issue are of some of the articles in this issue. great interest to me, and hopefully to others as well. It has long been my belief that while fencers in this country devote - even as "amateurs" - countless hours to lessons, bouting and conditioning, they spend all too little time on intelligent and intellectual reflection and discourse on their sport. PROFESSIONALS Pro's appreciate engineering, design and workmanship of Uhlmann fencing equipment. Uhlmann is your professional partner, and the proud sponsor of two U.S. fencers at the 1990 World Championships. Uhlmalft'.I~ International The world's leading producer of fencing equipment. Wolf Finck President - U.S.A. Headquarters 330 N. Fayette Drive Fayetteville, GA 30214 Ph. (404) 461-3809 Words of Wisdom Of course, to do that, we have to build a bigger Coaches aren't the only ones with good advice, or support base and keep good demographics so adver­ with pertinent observations. Here are a few which tisers have a reason to advertise with us instead of have circulated for some time: somewhere else. I plan to be very active about getting Attributed to Albie Axelrod: "When you're Musketeer into the hands of people not already in­ down four-zip you got nothing to lose by being volved in fencing. The only way to make fencing grow creative." is to attract new people to the sport. Attributed to Bill Shipman, commenting on the The point is that maybe there are more fencers directing idosyncracies of a particular unnamed out there who can combine their profession with their fencing city and its famous fencing director: "Accord­ hobby to the benefit of everyone involved. There ing to AFLA rules, the further you get from (the city) must be someone out there who does television or the more time you have to finish your riposte." knows someone who does television who could invest Attributed to Norman Campbell: "You can in an ad for fencing that would bring a healthy always tell who fences what at a fencers' party: the return. That's what I'm trying to do. Anyone out epeeists are all standing around in Brooks Brothers there who has a comment or wants to buy an ad or a suits talking about how much money they make, the subscription to Musketeer or just wants to send me foilists are running around trying to "establish money can reach me at: temporary romantic liaisons" (not the phrase he Allen Zehyer, used), and the sabrists are all complaining to one Editor, Musketeer another about the last touch they were cheated out of." 5632 S. Maryland Ave., Chicago, IL 60637 Rudy Volkmann, Coach (312) 667-1318. August Fencers Club A Worthy Cause Stars on Texas I was very pleased to read the notice about A truly class champion competed in San Antonio Musketeer in American Fencing magazine. I am the January 4-5 in the person of 1988 Olympic Games editor of Musketeer and I have been very fortunate in epee gold medalist Amd Schmitt of Germany. having a coach at the Great Lakes Fencing Associa­ U.S. National Champion Rob Stull arranged to tion, Janusz Steplowski, who is an excellent fencer have Schmitt participate in a one-touch as well as a and coach and also has some very interesting ideas standard fencing competition as part of Schmitt's about how the business of fencing ought to be run. visit to Houston for New Year's, and the results were I am only a mediocre fencer myself, but one of the rewarding for everyone. things the coach teaches is that fencing should be an Stull placed second to Schmitt in both events, but integral part of your life. It's another expression of it was the personal side of the Olympic medalist that your personality. So I decided to start a newsletter­ made everyone feel like winners. He conducted a Musketeer - as something I could do to make a clinic for two hours following the one-touch; com­ contribution. I was the managing editor of a Chicago­ mented on a video of the Olympic finals, and area newspaper for several years and I have a desk­ answered questions from all levels of fencers.