The last couple of weeks have been a rollercoaster, and today I got off of the ride.
I had to withdraw from the AFC tournament with a wrist injury one week before sectionals.
Wrist ended up being ok for Sectionals. I qualified for nationals, but mostly because only 4 people showed up. I had some decent touches, but I had a much more difficult time with some bouts than I should have had. Watching the video back, my extension sucked.
And today...today was the D and Under and an Open at FSA. And I spent a good 10 minutes in the bathroom crying. I lost my first DE in the D and Under to a fencer I should have beaten no problem. My husband, fencing for only about a year, won and earned his E. Then the Open was just a disaster.
I've decided to quit competition. I feel like complete shit after the majority of tournaments I enter. For fuck's sake, MY HUSBAND EARNED HIS FUCKING E. I'm trying very, very hard to be happy for him. I cheered when he won. But it just throws into high relief the fact that I fucking suck. I may have the tools to do better, but I just can't give any more. I go to practice much more than he goes. I take more lessons than he takes. I have more experience. And he's better than me and I have no idea why.
I've had more than enough. I've had enough of being on the edge of tears (and actually crying). I've had enough of working my ass off with nothing to show for it. NOTHING. I've had enough of having my husband's success highlight my failures. I've had enough of feeling like complete shit walking out of a tournament venue. I have had enough.
I just don't know what else to do. I can't afford to take more lessons. I work my ass off at practice - and with work, I can't go any more than I already do.
I'm done competing after Nationals. I would drop from Nationals now if I wouldn't be letting down our team. I'll probably still keep going to practice for the exercise. I do still want to improve, so may keep taking a lesson every so often. But competing is over after July, for the foreseeable future.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Divisional Champions - Results and Thoughts
Divisional championships were this past weekend. Unfortunately, I didn't qualify for Nationals, but I still feel like I did pretty well.
I fenced in the Div II in the morning. Surprisingly, I won my pool. I beat a teammate, 5-2, but she got there late and hadn't warmed up. She is a much better and more experienced fencer than I am. It still helped my confidence a lot though. I won my second pool bout against the girl who ultimately ended up winning the Div C. She was rushing a lot in the morning. I got very lucky getting the first touche, and then we doubled up to 5-4. I lost a bout to a former club mate - she beats me more in pools than I'd like, but what can you do? Some people are just like that. Won the last bout.
Generally, I felt ok while I was fencing. I felt fairly confident. I stayed positive about my bouts (even the one I lost didn't get upset until the end when I actually lost, and even then I shook it off in time for the next bout). I didn't fence my best, but I did enough.
In DEs, I had a bye first round and unfortunately pulled another teammate for my first DE. She is a stronger, more consistent fencer than I am and knocked me out. I don't think I fenced my best in this DE though either. It wasn't horrible, I got some good touches, but I feel like I could have done better. It was generally a frustrating set of DEs - the two teammates that qualified each knocked the other two of us out to advance.
The Div III went better. I was in a very, very tough pool (of the top 5 fencers after pools, 3 were from my pool). I lost my first bout that I could have won. I felt uncomfortable at first, a bit intimidated. I lost to my "nemesis" in pools - she doesn't do much other than stick her arm all the way out and do small disengages. I get frustrated when I fence her, rush a bit, etc. I won the rest of my bouts pretty handily.
I seeded 5th after pools, which was great. Had a bye, and won my first DE handily. I then got knocked out by the nemesis. This one everyone agrees I should have one. I KNOW I'm a better fencer. I just made some stupid, stupid mistakes and was just generally flummoxed at how my bouts with her go. And the killer was that if I'd won that stupid DE, I would've qualified for Div III Nationals. I did feel better to hear that my other team mate (a stronger fencer, and the one who knocked me out in Div II) got beat by this girl as well in the next round. Ugh. We have a plan though - we're going to get a tall girl in our club to fence us by standing still will her arm stuck out doing disengages! We'll figure it out sooner or later. It actually is a good thing for me to do, because I do tend to have difficulty with people that fence like that (it's not just the nemesis).
Despite not qualifying, I feel like I performed quite well. Once I got over the nerves in pool, things went well despite the 2 bouts I lost. I made good decisions and had very good distance in the bouts I won. I played my opponents well and, much to my surprise, got many points on counter attacks. I felt good. I totally floored my coach when he came by during my first DE in Div III, asked how I was doing, and I told him I felt good and I felt like I was in control of the bout.
Generally, in the last two weeks, I feel as though I turned a corner in my training. This is the first tournament where I seeded very high after pools. Final results aren't up yet, but I'm guessing I ended up in a decent position (possibly 5th in the Div III, since I made it to the round of 8, and got knocked out b someone seeded above me). I feel like something's just clicked. I don't know if it's a confidence thing or something more (my money is on both). For one thing, I feel like I'm riding the distance better - riding that edge of close enough to bait, retreat and counter without being in too much danger. I'm starting to get a little better recognizing my distance issues and correcting it in practice and bouts. My lesson this past Thursday before the tournament was really good - I was generally much better, much earlier in the lesson (although I did just plain get exhausted at the end! More so than ever before, anyway). So I'm hopeful for the first time in quite a while that I'll finally be able to move to the next level.
Anyway, there is a lot going on lately with work, but also lots going on in fencing. I need to find a way to stay intense with my training for stuff that's coming up. There's a tournament in two weeks I've signed up for. I think several of us are going to make the 5 hr drive up to NC for Sectionals. The top 8 women qualify, and right now there's only 7 signed up (although many more may make toss their hat in the ring), so there may be one last chance to make it to Nationals this summer.
And if not, well, at least I'll have the team event!
I fenced in the Div II in the morning. Surprisingly, I won my pool. I beat a teammate, 5-2, but she got there late and hadn't warmed up. She is a much better and more experienced fencer than I am. It still helped my confidence a lot though. I won my second pool bout against the girl who ultimately ended up winning the Div C. She was rushing a lot in the morning. I got very lucky getting the first touche, and then we doubled up to 5-4. I lost a bout to a former club mate - she beats me more in pools than I'd like, but what can you do? Some people are just like that. Won the last bout.
Generally, I felt ok while I was fencing. I felt fairly confident. I stayed positive about my bouts (even the one I lost didn't get upset until the end when I actually lost, and even then I shook it off in time for the next bout). I didn't fence my best, but I did enough.
In DEs, I had a bye first round and unfortunately pulled another teammate for my first DE. She is a stronger, more consistent fencer than I am and knocked me out. I don't think I fenced my best in this DE though either. It wasn't horrible, I got some good touches, but I feel like I could have done better. It was generally a frustrating set of DEs - the two teammates that qualified each knocked the other two of us out to advance.
The Div III went better. I was in a very, very tough pool (of the top 5 fencers after pools, 3 were from my pool). I lost my first bout that I could have won. I felt uncomfortable at first, a bit intimidated. I lost to my "nemesis" in pools - she doesn't do much other than stick her arm all the way out and do small disengages. I get frustrated when I fence her, rush a bit, etc. I won the rest of my bouts pretty handily.
I seeded 5th after pools, which was great. Had a bye, and won my first DE handily. I then got knocked out by the nemesis. This one everyone agrees I should have one. I KNOW I'm a better fencer. I just made some stupid, stupid mistakes and was just generally flummoxed at how my bouts with her go. And the killer was that if I'd won that stupid DE, I would've qualified for Div III Nationals. I did feel better to hear that my other team mate (a stronger fencer, and the one who knocked me out in Div II) got beat by this girl as well in the next round. Ugh. We have a plan though - we're going to get a tall girl in our club to fence us by standing still will her arm stuck out doing disengages! We'll figure it out sooner or later. It actually is a good thing for me to do, because I do tend to have difficulty with people that fence like that (it's not just the nemesis).
Despite not qualifying, I feel like I performed quite well. Once I got over the nerves in pool, things went well despite the 2 bouts I lost. I made good decisions and had very good distance in the bouts I won. I played my opponents well and, much to my surprise, got many points on counter attacks. I felt good. I totally floored my coach when he came by during my first DE in Div III, asked how I was doing, and I told him I felt good and I felt like I was in control of the bout.
Generally, in the last two weeks, I feel as though I turned a corner in my training. This is the first tournament where I seeded very high after pools. Final results aren't up yet, but I'm guessing I ended up in a decent position (possibly 5th in the Div III, since I made it to the round of 8, and got knocked out b someone seeded above me). I feel like something's just clicked. I don't know if it's a confidence thing or something more (my money is on both). For one thing, I feel like I'm riding the distance better - riding that edge of close enough to bait, retreat and counter without being in too much danger. I'm starting to get a little better recognizing my distance issues and correcting it in practice and bouts. My lesson this past Thursday before the tournament was really good - I was generally much better, much earlier in the lesson (although I did just plain get exhausted at the end! More so than ever before, anyway). So I'm hopeful for the first time in quite a while that I'll finally be able to move to the next level.
Anyway, there is a lot going on lately with work, but also lots going on in fencing. I need to find a way to stay intense with my training for stuff that's coming up. There's a tournament in two weeks I've signed up for. I think several of us are going to make the 5 hr drive up to NC for Sectionals. The top 8 women qualify, and right now there's only 7 signed up (although many more may make toss their hat in the ring), so there may be one last chance to make it to Nationals this summer.
And if not, well, at least I'll have the team event!
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Long hiatus!
Ugh, so very long hiatus here! Not that anyone reads, but whatevs.
To summarize the last 4 or so months - the holidays were pretty crazy with work and travel up to New Hampshire to see family. I got a job offer in mid-January and I had to deal with leaving one firm, horrendous delays in the conflict check/resolution process, and starting a new job in late February.
And fencing kind of sucked - I had a nice mini-break down after coming in nearly last place at a tournament. It was sort of like hitting rock bottom - all of these problems and habits I've been working to change just overwhelmed me. I took a couple of weeks off, and have had a few realizations:
1. I really, really, really, really need to get my head straightened out. A lot of my problems are stemming from mental issues - I put SO much pressure on myself and that is so counterproductive. I need to start loading up my iPod with happy, chill music and listen to it in between bouts to help elevate my mood if a bout doesn't go well, etc. It's sort of hilarious, because when I get pissed at myself for not fencing my best and telling myself I need to do better and that I can do better, I then start getting pissed at myself for getting pissed at myself! Talk about a downward spiral.
2. I need to remember to keep my weapon hand relaxed. I hadn't realized it for quite a while, but I've slowly been tightening my grip on my epee. Once I tighten my hand up, everything else gets tight - my extension disappears, I don't move, I lose point control. The difference is just astounding. I realized it one day in practice this week. I was fencing like crap in practice, and after one particularly bad touch, I just suddenly realized that I had a death-grip on my epee. I relaxed my hand and the entire bout changed. I moved better, my point control was spot on, my disengages, parries and beats were 150% better. I'm talking drastic change.
3. Extension, extension, extension! My counterattacks aren't landing often because I do a wimpy little extension as I retreat. I really need to fully commit to my counters. By not fully committing and not giving a full extension, I'm turning potential single lights or possible double touches into easy touches for my opponent. I need to work on this.
4. I need to be a bit more patient with my coach. If I'm coming to practice after missing a week of fencing, my first practice back is pretty much a wash. I don't move well, extension is bad, etc. So I usually walk into that first day back with the goal of getting moving again, getting some exercise, etc. These are often the days when my coach will tell me during practice bouts to move more, etc. He's absolutely right, but because I've written most of the day off already, I will often wave at him, say "I know, I know" and then go back to fencing. I don't ignore him and I do try to fix things, but I also know that putting expectations on myself on these days are a one-way trip to frustration. I just don't want my coach to feel like I'm waving him off and ignoring him. Far from it - every single thing I need to work on and fix are things that he's been working with me on for months now!
I fenced pretty well in practice last night - still not as consistent as I like, but I'm feeling pretty good right now about recognizing problems (like gripping my epee, or fixing my distance), and I'm getting some decent touches throughout my practice bouts. One more night of practice tonight, with a lesson. Divisional Championships are on Saturday - I'm fencing in both Div II and III. I'm doing my best to just go into it with a calm mind and with little pressure. I know I've had a rough year and have not devoted enough to training to really have any expectations about myself. So I'm going to go in on Saturday to try to have fun. A lot of my favorite people will be there on Saturday so hopefully we'll have some laughs and enjoy the day. And however I place will be however I place.
To summarize the last 4 or so months - the holidays were pretty crazy with work and travel up to New Hampshire to see family. I got a job offer in mid-January and I had to deal with leaving one firm, horrendous delays in the conflict check/resolution process, and starting a new job in late February.
And fencing kind of sucked - I had a nice mini-break down after coming in nearly last place at a tournament. It was sort of like hitting rock bottom - all of these problems and habits I've been working to change just overwhelmed me. I took a couple of weeks off, and have had a few realizations:
1. I really, really, really, really need to get my head straightened out. A lot of my problems are stemming from mental issues - I put SO much pressure on myself and that is so counterproductive. I need to start loading up my iPod with happy, chill music and listen to it in between bouts to help elevate my mood if a bout doesn't go well, etc. It's sort of hilarious, because when I get pissed at myself for not fencing my best and telling myself I need to do better and that I can do better, I then start getting pissed at myself for getting pissed at myself! Talk about a downward spiral.
2. I need to remember to keep my weapon hand relaxed. I hadn't realized it for quite a while, but I've slowly been tightening my grip on my epee. Once I tighten my hand up, everything else gets tight - my extension disappears, I don't move, I lose point control. The difference is just astounding. I realized it one day in practice this week. I was fencing like crap in practice, and after one particularly bad touch, I just suddenly realized that I had a death-grip on my epee. I relaxed my hand and the entire bout changed. I moved better, my point control was spot on, my disengages, parries and beats were 150% better. I'm talking drastic change.
3. Extension, extension, extension! My counterattacks aren't landing often because I do a wimpy little extension as I retreat. I really need to fully commit to my counters. By not fully committing and not giving a full extension, I'm turning potential single lights or possible double touches into easy touches for my opponent. I need to work on this.
4. I need to be a bit more patient with my coach. If I'm coming to practice after missing a week of fencing, my first practice back is pretty much a wash. I don't move well, extension is bad, etc. So I usually walk into that first day back with the goal of getting moving again, getting some exercise, etc. These are often the days when my coach will tell me during practice bouts to move more, etc. He's absolutely right, but because I've written most of the day off already, I will often wave at him, say "I know, I know" and then go back to fencing. I don't ignore him and I do try to fix things, but I also know that putting expectations on myself on these days are a one-way trip to frustration. I just don't want my coach to feel like I'm waving him off and ignoring him. Far from it - every single thing I need to work on and fix are things that he's been working with me on for months now!
I fenced pretty well in practice last night - still not as consistent as I like, but I'm feeling pretty good right now about recognizing problems (like gripping my epee, or fixing my distance), and I'm getting some decent touches throughout my practice bouts. One more night of practice tonight, with a lesson. Divisional Championships are on Saturday - I'm fencing in both Div II and III. I'm doing my best to just go into it with a calm mind and with little pressure. I know I've had a rough year and have not devoted enough to training to really have any expectations about myself. So I'm going to go in on Saturday to try to have fun. A lot of my favorite people will be there on Saturday so hopefully we'll have some laughs and enjoy the day. And however I place will be however I place.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Finding time to breathe, let alone fence
Life continues to be crazy! Work is intense and the to-do list just never ends. I have another busy week ahead with two hearings (one of which is in a loser of a case, ugh!), some drafting work, and a never-ending document review. Add into all that holiday stress, and my edges are beginning to feel frayed.
After a week of missing practice, I finally made it on Saturday. My husband and I each got some personal attention in terms of footwork drills and then we bouted. Coach had me change up my timing by bouncing a bit. It was a great change - when I got a rhythm down, I could feel the improvement in my speed and fluidity. I'm going to work on doing that more.
Couch also gave us a list of tournaments in our area; I'd already been through the list and have a good number of them picked out to fence. I think that was his way of letting both me and my husband know that he'd like to see us compete more. He has stated unequivocally that he would love to see all of his fencers fencing at a national level. I believe that I can - definitely not div I, but the lower divisions are something to reach for.
We're going to have to have a discussion with him about the upcoming Div II/III NAC in Dallas. We have to figure out if it is worth the money to go. We don't want to invest the money to fly to Dallas (including luggage costs - fencing gear counts as oversized, even though a fencing bag is the same size as a golf bag (which gets no extra/oversize fees!!)), then get a hotel room for a few days. Additionally, the entrance fees for NACs are ridiculous - I believe it's over $100 for each fencer. If it was just me fencing, that's bad enough; but in our household, everything fencing related is doubled!
Anyway, even though work will be crazy this week, I'm hoping I can get to practice at least twice. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
After a week of missing practice, I finally made it on Saturday. My husband and I each got some personal attention in terms of footwork drills and then we bouted. Coach had me change up my timing by bouncing a bit. It was a great change - when I got a rhythm down, I could feel the improvement in my speed and fluidity. I'm going to work on doing that more.
Couch also gave us a list of tournaments in our area; I'd already been through the list and have a good number of them picked out to fence. I think that was his way of letting both me and my husband know that he'd like to see us compete more. He has stated unequivocally that he would love to see all of his fencers fencing at a national level. I believe that I can - definitely not div I, but the lower divisions are something to reach for.
We're going to have to have a discussion with him about the upcoming Div II/III NAC in Dallas. We have to figure out if it is worth the money to go. We don't want to invest the money to fly to Dallas (including luggage costs - fencing gear counts as oversized, even though a fencing bag is the same size as a golf bag (which gets no extra/oversize fees!!)), then get a hotel room for a few days. Additionally, the entrance fees for NACs are ridiculous - I believe it's over $100 for each fencer. If it was just me fencing, that's bad enough; but in our household, everything fencing related is doubled!
Anyway, even though work will be crazy this week, I'm hoping I can get to practice at least twice. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Still alive...still fencing
Work has been crazy busy, and fitting fencing in has become challenging. I've managed a few practices, a lesson, and a tournament, but otherwise, I'm strapped for time. So clearly writing has gone by the wayside.
The tournament was....alright. I could have done much better, and I struggled mentally. I'm not sure how much was non-fencing stress related and how much was actually caused by the tournament. I felt unfocused and frustrated, which just kept feeding into itself. I still managed to have a pretty good time (the group that showed up to fence had some great people in it), but....
Anyways, coach insisted that I did well, that he learned a lot, and we just need to keep going with the lesson plan. I expected to get worse as I got "rebuilt" and I have so much to tackle mentally in terms of tactics and strategy that I've never really mastered. So I have a lot of work to do. It's just been difficult for several reasons. First, not having the time to put in is hard. Second, watching your husband have that one lesson that makes so much just "click" just threw in high relief that I'm not anywhere near that point yet.
Ok. Enough b*tching out of me. I don't mean to sound whiney (but I'm sure I do!). I'm hoping after Thanksgiving work will calm down a little bit. If it doesn't, I'm going to have to figure something out, since I refuse to live my life just to work. Hell, part of the reason I work is so I can afford to fence!!!
The tournament was....alright. I could have done much better, and I struggled mentally. I'm not sure how much was non-fencing stress related and how much was actually caused by the tournament. I felt unfocused and frustrated, which just kept feeding into itself. I still managed to have a pretty good time (the group that showed up to fence had some great people in it), but....
Anyways, coach insisted that I did well, that he learned a lot, and we just need to keep going with the lesson plan. I expected to get worse as I got "rebuilt" and I have so much to tackle mentally in terms of tactics and strategy that I've never really mastered. So I have a lot of work to do. It's just been difficult for several reasons. First, not having the time to put in is hard. Second, watching your husband have that one lesson that makes so much just "click" just threw in high relief that I'm not anywhere near that point yet.
Ok. Enough b*tching out of me. I don't mean to sound whiney (but I'm sure I do!). I'm hoping after Thanksgiving work will calm down a little bit. If it doesn't, I'm going to have to figure something out, since I refuse to live my life just to work. Hell, part of the reason I work is so I can afford to fence!!!
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Progress
Practice last night was much better than Monday. My coach started by giving me a new squat/quad exercise to do as well as giving me a standard footwork warm up. I'm making slight adjustments in my footwork, and by doing so, I'm realizing how lazy I was fencing before. I was just sort of stepping rather than pushing myself forward and back. My lunge is also slowly improving.
As for fencing, I actually got a few really clean and pretty counterattacks. This was a very big victory after Monday night. I also felt really focused and was able to watch, wait, and time my attacks well. One guy always keeps score when he fences, and he was up on me at first 7-1 or 7-2. I then scored 6 or 7 unanswered touches. He caught up, and we ended up see-sawing up to 14 all. I got stupid and rushed though, and lunged into his blade on the last touch. Oh well. My timing in this bout was much better and I was moving pretty well, so overall it was good for me.
Going back to the lazy fencing point, I've realized how bad my extension was too. My extension is better than it was two weeks ago, but it's not as strong as it should be yet. I missed a lot of touches that were right there, and just a tiny bit short. If I had a full extension, I would have gotten them. I'm realizing how many times during the last year I thought I was just way off while fencing, or had a bad idea, or whatever, when what was really happening was that I wasn't extending. Fixing just this one thing will make a big difference.
One last thing - I'm working on fixing a lot of basics, but I'm starting to slowly be able to work on all of it while still fencing tactically. Everything I'm doing is still pretty simple - straight attacks, simple disengages, simple parries. Nothing complex. But last week I felt paralyzed because I was so focused on form, en guard position, etc. So that's an improvement. I'm sure once I take my next lesson (which is Saturday), I'll slip backwards on this point again, but that's to be expected, I think.
Overall, I'm so happy that I felt better last night than Monday. I know that I have to expect bad days where I'm more frustrated than anything else. I admit that I was concerned on the way to practice that it would be the same.
As for fencing, I actually got a few really clean and pretty counterattacks. This was a very big victory after Monday night. I also felt really focused and was able to watch, wait, and time my attacks well. One guy always keeps score when he fences, and he was up on me at first 7-1 or 7-2. I then scored 6 or 7 unanswered touches. He caught up, and we ended up see-sawing up to 14 all. I got stupid and rushed though, and lunged into his blade on the last touch. Oh well. My timing in this bout was much better and I was moving pretty well, so overall it was good for me.
Going back to the lazy fencing point, I've realized how bad my extension was too. My extension is better than it was two weeks ago, but it's not as strong as it should be yet. I missed a lot of touches that were right there, and just a tiny bit short. If I had a full extension, I would have gotten them. I'm realizing how many times during the last year I thought I was just way off while fencing, or had a bad idea, or whatever, when what was really happening was that I wasn't extending. Fixing just this one thing will make a big difference.
One last thing - I'm working on fixing a lot of basics, but I'm starting to slowly be able to work on all of it while still fencing tactically. Everything I'm doing is still pretty simple - straight attacks, simple disengages, simple parries. Nothing complex. But last week I felt paralyzed because I was so focused on form, en guard position, etc. So that's an improvement. I'm sure once I take my next lesson (which is Saturday), I'll slip backwards on this point again, but that's to be expected, I think.
Overall, I'm so happy that I felt better last night than Monday. I know that I have to expect bad days where I'm more frustrated than anything else. I admit that I was concerned on the way to practice that it would be the same.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Unlearning is hard!
Practice was frustrating tonight! We did a drill in the beginning to work on counterattacks. I've never had great counterattacks, but it's something my new coach really emphasizes as an important tool to perfect. The drill was...difficult. I kept missing the timing of my retreats and getting hit, or else I would retreat well, but my extension would fall short (or my arm just wouldn't do anything at all!). I did start getting it a bit at the end though.
Then free fencing wasn't that great either. I ended up being the odd woman out a lot where there were no open strips or opponents. Or I would fence with someone who had stayed up, so they would end up getting tired sooner resulting in a much shorter bout. Then there wouldn't be anyone open to fence and I would end up sitting on the sidelines.
My poor husband, on the other hand, ended up just never coming down. At one point, he had fenced 3 or 4 people in a row, and instead of his opponent staying up, he just hopped down. This would have left me sitting out even more. My hubby then stayed up for me, exhausted as he was.
And this was where the frustration really began. I knew it would be difficult and I'm definitely not expecting miracles. It will take time. But I failed to hit even one counterattack during my bout with him. He gave me a good number of straight attacks (it was all he had left in the tank, poor guy!), and I either misjudged my distance or simply failed to extend.
We re-did the drill a few times since I was having so much trouble with it. I got 100% of those! They were smooth and pretty, right on the arm. Then, as soon as we went back to bouting, nothing. My arm just didn't extend or I instinctively went to do a parry or something rather than a counterattack.
So all in all, not the best night of practice. I'm heading back on Wednesday and will be happy if I can just land ONE counterattack in a bout. Baby steps, right?
Then free fencing wasn't that great either. I ended up being the odd woman out a lot where there were no open strips or opponents. Or I would fence with someone who had stayed up, so they would end up getting tired sooner resulting in a much shorter bout. Then there wouldn't be anyone open to fence and I would end up sitting on the sidelines.
My poor husband, on the other hand, ended up just never coming down. At one point, he had fenced 3 or 4 people in a row, and instead of his opponent staying up, he just hopped down. This would have left me sitting out even more. My hubby then stayed up for me, exhausted as he was.
And this was where the frustration really began. I knew it would be difficult and I'm definitely not expecting miracles. It will take time. But I failed to hit even one counterattack during my bout with him. He gave me a good number of straight attacks (it was all he had left in the tank, poor guy!), and I either misjudged my distance or simply failed to extend.
We re-did the drill a few times since I was having so much trouble with it. I got 100% of those! They were smooth and pretty, right on the arm. Then, as soon as we went back to bouting, nothing. My arm just didn't extend or I instinctively went to do a parry or something rather than a counterattack.
So all in all, not the best night of practice. I'm heading back on Wednesday and will be happy if I can just land ONE counterattack in a bout. Baby steps, right?
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