Gentlemen/Ladies,

Has anyone ever heard of Harry's Half Ass Technique (HHAT) ?

It enables the lunge to be performed at a speed higher than the fencer's
best (when in the absence of HHAT).

It is stealthy - in that the opponent does not know HHAT is being performed.

All you need to perform HHAT is classically bent legs. No message
telegraphed!

Harry A. Shamir
Head Coach
MA South Shore SaEF Fencing Clubs
508 747 5803; Fencing_SaEF@...; www.SaEF-Fencing.org




-------Original Message-------

From: Michael Heggen
Date: 11/21/2008 10:24:23 AM
To: classicalfencing@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [CFML] Re: Sprints?

Thanks for the links, David.

However, the jury is still out on plyometrics—both in general, due to
increased risk of injury during training, and in particular as to
whether plyometrics is more beneficial for fencing than training using
actual fencing movements.

A study comparing plyometrics to sprints, for example, found that both
forms of training improved vertical and horizontal jump distances by
equal amounts, but found that sprints were slightly more effective at
improving performance at the 20m sprint and shuttle runs. In other
words, the form of training that is closest to the actual action
provides the best results for that action.

This subject also came up this year at the USFCA national conference
in the strength training workshop. The presenter (himself a former NFL
player who does strength training professionally, including for NFL
teams, and who uses plyometrics for many of his clients) pointed out
that plyometrics DOES train athletes for explosive movements, but that
this is NOT the kind of training one wants for fencers. I know this
sounds counter-intuitive, as you're probably saying, "What's more
explosive than a lunge???"

The problem is that speed in fencing comes from joints that are kept
loose and muscles that are supple (with virtually no time allowed to
prepare for the action), and that speed needs to be reproducible
dozens (or even hundreds) of times an hour for several hours during a
competition—i.e. aerobic activity. Plyometrics, on the other hand,
excels at improving explosive power, which is by definition anaerobic.

Plyometrics also depends on concentric contraction of the affected
muscles, which means that the muscles are stretched under load
immediately before the desired action (with a very short window of
opportunity). In games like basketball, this shows up as the quick
bend in the knees before a jump, for example. In fencing, the fraction
of second required for concentric contraction telegraphs the fencer's
intention and delays the action—not good. In football, for example, a
player has time for concentric contraction—even in timing critical
activities like intercepting a pass—because he is working against an
object with a fixed, predictable trajectory. A fencing weapon,
however, is at all times under the direct control of another thinking
being who will begin to react the moment you act, which dramatically
reduces the predictability factor—there is simply no time for
concentric contraction.

As a side note, the bent knees of a fencer's guard position stretch
the muscle under load for too long a period of time for there to be a
plyometric benefit. However, I defy anyone to develop a useful lunge
from a straight-legged guard position, as such a guard position
effectively eliminates the contributions of the quadriceps and glutei
maximi.

Try pinning a dropped glove against a wall from extension distance
with a foil or an epee, and see which produces the better result: the
supple smooth extension or the explosive extension. The smooth
extension feels slower, but will consistently pin the glove partway
down the wall. The explosive extension feels faster, but will almost
always arrive too late, allowing the glove to hit the floor. The same
thing is true with this exercise at lunge distance. Clearly, the
slower-feeling smooth action arrives earlier, with the added bonus of
occurring without any visual cue to telegraph the fencer's intent.

In fencing, it is not raw speed that is important, but the time
elapsed from the visual, auditory, and/or tactile stimulus until the
weapon tip or edge arrives at the desired point in space-time, as well
as the timing of the action. The smooth action is generally the one
that achieves this goal.

Finally, the biggest problem with ANY strength/speed training program
in fencing was accurately captured by a number of coaches at the
conference: fencing is such a highly technical sport that it is nearly
impossible to find time for plyometrics or anything else besides
fencing training. All the speed and endurance in the world does you no
good if you don't understand distance, tempo, right of way, technique,
and tactics. The average fencer spends a couple of hours a week
fencing, with more competitive fencers as high as 10-15 hours a week—
for year after year after year as they work to improve their technical
and tactical games. Where in the world are these folks going to find
time to squeeze in 1-3 hours a week of additional training—without
training full time like Mariel Zagunis or Rebecca Ward) and without
having the technical and tactical aspects of their game suffer?

I know we have wandered off topic from the original post, so I'll go
back to teaching fencing now. Actually, given the late hour, I'll go
to bed....

-Mike



On Nov 20, 2008, at 6:56 PM, David Chessler wrote:

> There are a couple of books on fitness specifically for fencers. I
> have seen
> others in this series, and there is really only one chapter
> specifically on
> fencing, as I recall:
> The Ultimate Guide to Weight Training for Fencing
> http://www.amazon
com/Ultimate-Weight-Training-Fencing-Sports/dp/1932549080/ref=sr_1_39?ie=UTF8
s=books&qid=1221369105&sr=1-39
>
> This is a different book on strength training for fencing. I have
> not seen
> this book or others in the series. Several suppliers handle it.
> http://www.blade-fencing.com/store/item.htm?itemid=606
> http://www.amazon
com/Strength-Training-Fencers-Harry-James/dp/0978902203/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=
ooks&qid=1227235919&sr=1-1
>
> There is a carry-over between oriental martial arts (especially
> karate) and
> fencing. I have read other books by this author. Speed training is a
> new
> specialty, and there should be a carry over to fencing, though it
> might
> involve some different muscle groups.
> Speed Training : How to Develop Your Maximum Speed for Martial Arts
> http://www.amazon
com/Speed-Training-Develop-Maximum-Martial/dp/0873648595/ref=pd_sim_b_3
>
> I have a copy of the following book. It has a lot of drills for
> strip fencing,
> many of which are applicable to rapier. It is easy to get from many
> suppliers,
> probably including amazon
> http://www.blue-gauntlet.com/store/products/382
>
> Here are a couple of books. I've seen the Plyometrics book. It's a
> technique
> for developing speed and power in sudden, "explosive" movements.
> Fencing uses
> such movements, but many other sports don't, and most strength
> training does
> not develop speed. The Barth/Beck books is a translation of the
> training of
> the German olympic fencing team. I've read it. It has a chapter on
> strength,
> etc, training, that seems good and up-to-date. The book on mental
> preparation
> is for completeness--one of the people in my practice has a copy and
> finds it
> helpful.
> Power Plyometrics The Complete Program (McNeely/Sandler) Ref: BMS2
> The Complete Guide to Fencing (Barth/Beck) 2006 Ref: BB12
> One Touch at a Time (A Kogler) Ref: BK4
> http://www.leonpaulusa.com/fencing/acatalog/Shop_Home_Books_97.html
> http://shop.fencing.net/product_p/fb-1touch.htm
>
> ------ Original Message ------
> Received: Thu, 20 Nov 2008 01:43:13 PM EST
> From: Michael Heggen <michael@...>
> To: classicalfencing@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [CFML] Re: Sprints?
>
>> The best exercise for fencing always has been and continues to be...
>> fencing!
>>
>> (Strength training, properly applied, can also be beneficial, of
>> course, but that's a separate issue.)
>>
>> Instead of running sprints to improve your endurance, do more line
>> drills (solo or with a group) and paired drills emphasizing footwork.
>> You'll improve your endurance and you'll be training your body to
>> perform fencing actions better at the same time.
>>
>> After a proper warm-up (no stretching!), work on a mixture of
>> advances, retreats, lunges, pattinandos, and balestra-lunges, staying
>> in continuous motion and varying the tempo and size of your
>> movements.
>> If you can, do this with your foil. If the foil is a distraction,
>> then
>> set the foil aside until such time that the footwork no longer
>> requires conscious thought. If you are working alone and have access
>> to a mirror, use it to monitor the correctness of your movements. As
>> you get better, try visualizing a "shadow fencer" as your opponent
>> during line drills.
>>
>> Keep the intensity at such a point that you are just shy of huffing
>> and puffing. You should not be working so hard that you cannot speak
>> fairly easily. If you have a heart rate monitor (available for $50 or
>> less at Rite-Aid, Walgreen's, etc.), keep your heart rate in the
>> range
>> of your anaerobic threshold (AT) down to to ten beats per minute
>> below
>> that.
>>
>> AT = 180 - your age - 10 (based on what you are describing for your
>> current condition) *
>>
>> So, if you are 30 years old, keep your heart rate in the range of
>> 130-140 beats per minute. This will not seem like you are working
>> "hard enough", but you will be building your aerobic endurance and
>> enabling your body to do more with less effort. Going beyond that
>> will
>> be training your anaerobic fitness, and that's not what you need to
>> work on right now....
>>
>> As you begin to fatigue, you will not be able to maintain the
>> intensity of your workout within your target heart rate range. Now
>> it's time to start cooling down. Gradually reduce your intensity so
>> that your heart rate slowly drops down to where it was when you
>> started your warm up. As a rule of thumb, a one-hour aerobic workout
>> should have 10-15 minutes of warm up and the same amount of cool
>> down.
>> If you're fatiguing during a bout, you will probably want to start
>> with a shorter workout—say, 30 minutes, with 7-8 minutes at each end
>> in warm up and cool down.
>>
>> Disclaimer: Consult your physician before beginning any exercise
>> program—especially if you are overweight, have cardiac issues, or
>> have
>> a history of other serious illnesses or musculoskeletal issues.
>>
>> After you've been doing this for a few days and become familiar with
>> the tempo you need to maintain your target heart rate, you might
>> experiment with a mix of music at the appropriate tempo. Use music
>> with an easily discernible beat for most of your workout—it may be
>> that music you do not normally listen to works best, as the beat is
>> what is important. The tempo of the music should fit with the tempo
>> of
>> your footwork. Using music can help you to learn about the tempo of
>> your own footwork and how to change it. You can gradually increase
>> and
>> decrease the tempo at the beginning and end of your music mix to help
>> you with your warm up and cool down. If you have iTunes and a Mac,
>> there is a very nice application called Tangerine that will
>> automatically calculate the tempo of your music in iTunes and will
>> even build playlists based on tempo. There is probably a similar
>> product out there for Windows.
>> http://www.potionfactory.com/tangerine/
>> Disclaimer: I have no connection with the company—I just like the
>> product.
>>
>> Good luck!
>>
>> -Mike
>>
>>
>> * For more information, see The High Performance Heart by Philip
>> Maffetone.
>>
>> --
>> Michael Heggen
>> certified 3-weapon moniteur, US Fencing Coaches Association
>> head instructor, Salem Classical Fencing
>> 354 Belmont Street NE
>> Salem OR 97301
>> 503-375-9209
>> http://www.salemclassicalfencing.org
>> michael@...
>>
>> This e-mail may have my digital signature attached.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On Nov 19, 2008, at 3:11 PM, classicalfencing@yahoogroups.com wrote:
>>
>>> Classical Fencing Mailing List
>>> Messages In This Digest (1 Message)
>>> 1.
>>> Sprints? From: Rebecca Warner
>>> View All Topics | Create New TopicMessage
>>> 1.
>>> Sprints?
>>> Posted by: "Rebecca Warner" slumberparties_bybecca@...
>>> slumberparties_bybecca
>>> Wed Nov 19, 2008 12:28 pm (PST)
>>>
>>> Would running sprints be a good way to train my body to not tire
>>> easily in a bout?
>>>
>>> Thanks for any advice,
>>>
>>> Becca
>>>
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>>
>>> Back to topReply to sender | Reply to group | Reply via web post
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--
Michael Heggen
certified 3-weapon moniteur, US Fencing Coaches Association
head instructor, Salem Classical Fencing
354 Belmont Street NE
Salem OR 97301
503-375-9209
http://www.salemclassicalfencing.org
michael@...

This e-mail may have my digital signature attached.




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The CFML is sponsored in part by Twin Arms Fencing, featuring custom
Italian foils. www.twinarmsfencing.com
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