This is a copy of a fencing questionnaire that I answered during an interview over email last May. I hope it's both informative and entertaining.
1. Full Name
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Josh Horowitz
2. Date and Time of Interview
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May 8, At about 12:52 AM
3. City where you live
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Granada Hills, CA
4. Your job, or where you go to school.
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First Year Sophomore at the University of California at Los Angeles (Go Bruins!)
5. How long have you been involved with or participated in
fencing?
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I began fencing in Fall quarter of 1995 when I first attended UCLA. I've
been fencing ever since... Eight months approximately.
6. Why do you do\enjoy fencing?
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In my opinion, fencing is a great sport for several reasons. First, It's
a great workout. When you attend a fencing practice, you are guaranteed to
work up a sweat no matter how good you are. There are rigorous exercises
and drills which help develop arm and leg muscles, quickness, and stamina.
Second, it's a very social sport. I'm sure most fencers will tell you about
all the good and bad times with their team over the years. I've developed
great friendships and worthy opponents over these past months with the team.
Third is the fun factor. I mean, what other sport offers the exhilaration
of being able to grab a sword, face off with an opponent in (mortal?) combat,
parry his attack and skewer him safely? Not Lawn bowling, I assure you. It's
great to bring out your frustrations of a hard day of studying through a
good workout and impaling session! :)
7. How and why did you get interested in
fencing?
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One of the things I definitely wanted to do at University was take up a
*different* sport. It was between fencing and lacrosse, and I saw a fencing
booth during orientation which intrigued me. I suppose a fascination with
old Errol Flynn movies and Lightsaber combat in Star Wars also was a help
to get me interested.
8. How long did it take you to get good enough at fencing to do it
well?
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Well, I wouldn't exactly say I'm good enough to do it *well*... adequate
perhaps; I'm working on the "well" bit as we speak. I'm still training in
order to be able to get through fundamentals without any trouble, and it's
not easy. I began with Sabre for the last two quarters and decided to switch
to foil temporarily to work on technique. Learning can be frustrating at
times, but in the end it's worth it. It will probably take me at least another
year before I get challenging.
9. What were some of the difficulties, frustrations, or problems
you
experienced when getting started in
fencing?
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A lot of fencing deals with technique and repetition, and you pretty much
need to get the technique down to be successful. It's been tough trying to
perfect my footwork, en-garde position, and lunges, and at times very
frustrating. Just the opening position is awkward... You have to put your
feet in an 'L', bend your knees like you're sitting on a stool, relax your
shoulders, tuck your butt in, raise left hand in a somewhat strange floppy
position, and extend your arm *all while keeping balance!*
Sometimes losing bouts can be frustrating as well. It's not hard to lose your cool, curse, and stomp off pissed. But you have to keep your head during all matches. It's like an honor thing... you always salute and shake hands after every bout and practice. You look bad in front of your peers if you have a bad attitude, and that's not cool. I'm going to be a fencing instructor at a summer camp this summer, and I've got to teach the kids this... very important.
10. How has your involvement with fencing influenced other parts of your
life?
(i.e. school, job, budget, relationships,
etc.)
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Well, I've definitely met a whole bunch of people, all very cool. It's great
to get an impressed look from people when I tell them I'm on a fencing team.
I'm part of the UCLA Fencing Club's technology center, and helped set up
a fencing web page, email account, and server.
(HTTP://WWW.Campusweb.com/clubs/fencing) (Email:Fencing@ucla.edu) A friend
of mine who I influenced in switching from rowing to fencing will be my roommate
for next year along with another fencer. (I'm probably going to get flak
from them all next year though: They both fence Epee while I fence Sabre...
a lot of bad press, really!)
Fencing really hasn't effected my budget *too* much... Club dues are only 40$ a quarter (compare to 600$ a year for the rowing team) and I bought all of my equipment at a discount.. not too bad.
Fencing's a good thing to put on your graduate school application too!
11. What is your favorite location to
fence?
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I guess the rope bridge over a crevasse with hungry crocs would be
exaggerating...
I like to fence during practice in the John Wooden Gold Room... It's an exercise room with mirrors, and the mirrors help you see what needs improvement.
I've fenced in tournaments in Cal Tech, Long Beach State, and UCSB, while I sometimes train at Salles D'Arms in Culver City (Home of Al Couterier, the Yoda of Fencing)
12. Are there any terms, words, or phrases unique to this
activity?
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Hmmm... Lemmee see...
Well fencing is mostly a French sport, so you'll find almost all terms to be French ones. For example:
Some you probably know: Touche, En Garde, "Ha haaaa!" <--- Usually I say this
Important terms: Three types of swords: FOIL (The "Practice" weapon, target is the stomach/chest area), EPEE (The "Dueling" weapon, target is everything), and SABRE (My favorite weapon, you can cut and slash at anything above the waist)
Allez: Instructor says this, means "Go!"
Halt: Hmmm...
Parry: A sword block
Reposte: Usually follows a parry. It's a attack in response
Passe: Missed.
Ballustra: A sort of leaping attack
flesche: A running attack
and there are many others...
13. What advice would you give to a newcomer to help them get
started?
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DON'T FLINCH! This is one of the first things you learn. It won't hurt you
if you're wearing all of the equipment.
MAKE GOOD PARRIES! This is something I'm currently working on.
BE AGGRESSIVE! Works well in Sabre.
DON'T GIVE UP! Keep it up, never let yourself down. Even if you're down 4-0 you can still win 5-4!
14. Are there any special concerns with equipment cost, maintenance,
storage,
or transport?
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Fencing isn't golf, but you do need equipment, and it can cost. With the
UCLA club you can rent equipment as part of club dues. Me, I bought my
equipment...
Approximate cost: Sword: 50$ Mask: 70$ Glove: 25$ Jacket: 60$ Shoes: 35$ Knickers: (I used baseball pants) 35$ Bag: 35$. I got most of the stuff as part of a package however and paid substantially less.
I used to transport my equipment in an old army duffel bag but recently bought a nylon bag which makes life easier.
15. Are there any risks, disappointments, or problems related to
fencing?
---------------------------------
People *have* been seriously injured in fencing, but only because they weren't
wearing their equipment properly or because of freak accidents. I read somewhere
that lawn bowling is supposed to be more of a risk than fencing. With all
of the equipment it's perfectly safe.
Problems: It takes time and effort to be a good fencer.
You might miss.
They might hit you.
Disappointments: When you lose a match.
Showing up at practice on a day you thought we weren't going to
fence but we actually do and neglecting to bring any equipment.
Not getting a lesson with Al.
16. What fitness component does fencing
meet?
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Running is always a part of warm ups, as well as stretching your muscles
in preparation.
17. What is required for fencing, aerobic or anaerobic
endurance*?
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Fencing is definitely a test of one's anaerobic endurance! Bouts usually
last about 3-7 minutes and consist of lots of footwork, as well as arm and
wrist control. You are usually breathing pretty hard during and after a match.
18. What major muscle groups are used primarily in fencing? Please be
as
specific as possible.
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Hmmm... (Lemme bring out my dusty volume of Encarta 95)
According to my knowledge, you probably exercise your Biceps, Quadriceps, Pectorolis Major, Abdominal Muscles, and your Vastus Muscles (Lateralis and Medialis) during a good day of fencing.
Well, That's it folks. I hope you found this questionnaire informative and useful (witty too).
Now go! Bring me a shrubbery!
Cut down the mightiest tree in the forest with a herring!
But most importantly: