Obama, Tim Morehouse and Daria Schneider fencing at the White House!

It’s gone viral! I love it, very good exposure for our sport. The first photo is a classic. I would not mind if Obama referees my bouts. Looking good, Mr. President!
One of my students works for the BBC, so quite possibly she had a hand in making this story popular. Or in making this video. [...]

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Fencers have strong legs!

Eric Hansen, US Team member and one of the best in the game. Dead Lifting at Muscle Beach, Venice CA. Yes, fencers can lift. Usually with the legs only. No, this is not for everyone. Eric is a great fencer, been around forever and fights in a very Germanic manner. Lots of strong blade actions. [...]

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Valeri Nikolajchuk: Ahead of His Time

Found an interesting article: Valeri Nikolajchuk: first coach of Pavel Kolobkov, Andrej Shuvalov and Kolobkov’s teammate/most recent coach Vladimir Ivanov. Olympic medalists. Original article here. I’m going to do my best to translate it, please do not put your faith in Babelfish in this case. Russian looses a lot of everything, including any sense with machine [...]

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USFA Halts “Stay and Play”

Well, what do ya know? The crowdsourced pushback worked? The USFA Executive Director saw the light? In any case, this was a horrible idea to begin with. How about simply negotiating with Priceline to get consistent low prices? No one is an idiot when it comes to getting the best deal, I have faith that [...]

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One more nice bout

USA’s Seth “Force of Nature” Kelsey vs. 2008 Olympic Gold Medalist Matteo Tagliariol.
Yes, yes, Seth Kelsey is not aesthetically pleasing, but Matteo Tagliariol definitely is. This was the final of a very strong World Cup. The bout was pretty close at early on, but MT clearly had control of it. I love his super [...]

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Stay’n Play saga continues.

A rebuttal from the Pacific Coast Section chair, front page of Fencing.net:
Gary Zeiss, Chair of the Pacific Coast Section, send in this opinion letter regarding the USFA’s “Stay and Play” program. In this letter, Mr. Zeiss puts forward his positions against the new USFA tournament housing program.
July 25, 2009
Los Angeles, California
Craig:
Thank you for allowing [...]

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Stay’n Play: a current reality?

It seems it’s official: US Fencing has announced it on the website. ( Text of the actual policy here.) The verbage is obscure, no surprises there, so I tried to figure out what a soft roll out is, but mostly the result made me hungry. Possibly a “soft launch” was what they meant, but per [...]

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Politics or bust.

I love it, the USFA keeps surprising me. Here’s a little insight as to why I was the “Information Minister” for the opposition during the USFA elections. The opposition lost and the entrenched self-referring slate won.
Now, it’s over a year after and there is still no on-line registration, Nationals still looked like crap and there’s [...]

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I’ve been Pollan’ated

Well, this was an interesting read one of my students gave me: “In Defence of Food” by Michael Pollan. Food and I are good friends. This book really helped to reduce neurosis on the plate. Basic point is:

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Ben Bratton vs. Luigi Mazzone, Portland NAC 2009

Truly great example of bout management from the Portland North American Cup.

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Lecture: Game Theory

Interesting stuff from one of the most successful independent programs in the country. If you click on “More From: nusz” in YouTube, you will see all the segments.
Great for watching during a breather at a camp or while waiting for your bouts.
Oh, and it’s funny too, ..well, in a [...]

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Our Mass-Media dreams coming true?

I dont know about other fencer’s friends and colleagues, but when I showed videos of the Olympics and world championships around my office, everyone was amazed by it. So even if a sleepy NIH office loved web casts of fencing, imagine what network TV can do. With slow motion replay and simple, intelligent commentary hopefully…
So [...]

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Fencing as a corporate team building event.

So, you’re thinking of a company event that would be out of the ordinary? Why not invite your colleagues for an afternoon of modern swordplay! 
Fencing teaches you how to cope under pressure, it develops anticipation, timing and concentration – qualities crucial for any company or business. And yet, it’s great fun, good exercise and the [...]

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Best Team Epee I’ve ever seen.

This (fast-forward to 1:29) is simply the best team match I’ve ever seen. China Vs Poland, Beijing 2008.

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NEWS: Lesson prices and “drop-in” class.

Dear all,
My Private Lesson fees are synching up with the DCFC price list. They are now as follows:

Beginner’s Four-Pack: $160 ($130 tuition + $30 DCFC floor fee/equipment rental)
1 Lesson per week: $130/Month.
2 Lessons per week: $242/Month.
3 Lessons per week: $366/Month
Single lesson: $36. I will  not schedule single lessons unless you are a rated fencer that [...]

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Cross-training for Fencing!

Hi all! I found a great set of cross-training vids from Tim Moorehouse, the Olympic Silver Medalist in Team Sabre. Check them out, they are very fencing specific. I’d like to thank Tim and his crew for posting all this stuff on-line. It’s useful for a coaching repertoire and is definitely promoting fencing as a [...]

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Fencing is great for kids!

Check out these little ones using nice technique during a demo bout.
We start working with children as early as eight years of age. If you are looking for a sport to introduce your child to, fencing is a wonderful journey that will develop coordination, critical thinking, stamina, creativity, psychological strength and friendships [...]

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A little promo thing: Epee Fencing at Harp and Fiddle

A friend of mine runs a poker league, so we thought: why not do a little fencing at the intermission? A little beer, a little betting (people placed their league chips on the fencers, all legal, don’t worry) and everyone seemed to love it! The “venue” was Bethesda’s Harp and Fiddle, [...]

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Women of Fencing: Margherita Granbassi

If a woman like this is in our sport, we have a future!

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Great interview! “Fencing is a sexy sport.”

Hi All, please check this interview out if you are thinking about this sport, these two guys are really down to earth and great fencers!
Tim Morehouse interviews Jason Rogers (www.timmorehouse.com)

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USFA Elections

Dear all,
I’ve been busy with the day job so my free internets time is dedicated to the USFA elections, if you are interested, take a moment and read through this email I sent to the DCFC mailing list:

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Lines of engagement/parry numbers.

Just take note this concept for now:

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