Woody Cavenaugh

Forward
One of the things I have always loved about blogs is the ability to say something equally to everyone who chooses to read it, yet still be able to talk directly to one person. Its not that the others aren't allowed or welcome to read my musings, it really has more to do with a message being for everyone but inspired by that one special person, thus today's blog. Of my entire readership the fencing portion equals the other coaches, plus one parent who happened to see my blog on TV. That was a shock. After that first few minutes of blind panic a'la-
"OMG what if I wrote something inappropriate? Oh wait. No, that's why I made the decision to write under my own name in the first place. Wheew! I nearly soiled my mouse pad there for a second!"

Now I am just happy to have one more reader.

So as it works out I can write a message for the world to see that speaks great and cosmic truths that transcend all sports, activities, and hobbies and yet speak directly to one special fencer. (You kNow who you are because I told you friday in Club to expect this. Only i wouLd never say your name for fear of Embarassing you.) :)

Chapter One
The Circle of Life

Fencing, (a term I use to describe "all thing great and small") is a circle. You fence with a strait line, on a strait line, in a strait line, but you the fencer moves in circles developementally. One half of the circle is "Skill", the other half of the circle is "Confidence" and they overlap such that balance between skill and confidence are only reached at two points around the circle. (see figure A. assuming I remember to make a figure A) This makes so much since to me that I am sure I must have read it in a sports psychology book somewhere, I just don't know where that book is right at this moment. Just realize that I am pretty sure I am not breaking any new ground in sport today.

Everyone who does anything, or as I like to say, "in fencing" everyone is constantly moving around the circle. You come in you have only enough confidence, to at least make the leap into choosing to fence in the first place. You have only what general skills you brought with you. This is an equilibrium point. You learn skills, the more you know the more you realize you don't know and your confidence drops. You are on the skill side. Then one day you notice that you are doing well, winning bouts and bringing home medals. You have the skills, and you are gaining confidence. This is the other equilibrium point. Now you are very confident, and you start to become a little reckless, cocky even. You are trying new things and they are working or they aren't. Its a fun high point where you walk in and think to your self, "I've beaten them, and them, and them..." you've made a little pecking order in your own mind and you know you are at the top of it. Then one day some noob wipes the floor with you and then struts around after like king of the world. You are crushed and you doubt your own abilities. Welcome home young jedi, the circle is complete. In college we referred to this as "Time to drink". Prior to college, you get mopy listen to angry or sad music and wear dark colors. After college we refer to this as getting a new look, and buying a motorcycle. (I want a motorcycle.) Later in life it is called a midlife crisis, you buy a sports car, and hang out with younger people.

But I digress.

1. You come in knowing nothing, and you know you know nothing. You get perspective.
2. You learn skills and build confidence. You get good.
3. You are successful and no one can touch you. You get cocky.
4. You are crushed in humiliating defeat by some scrub who should have never scored on you to start with. You get destroyed.
(lather, rinse, repeat)

However, you don't exist in a vacuum. You're on the "merry-go-runaround" and so is everyone around you. And seldom is everyone in the same place. Its really probably better that way. If you don't ever hit #4, the guy on the other end of the strip never gets to hit #3. Thus, you never get to make it back to #1 and #2.

To make things even more interesting the circle doesn't necessarily have to be a perfect circle. Based on personality most people's circles are some sort of egg shape. Where the smallest point on the circle could be any number above or somewhere in between. I have this incredibly talented and skilled fencer. She walks into a tournament, quiet, shy and unassuming, she steps onto the strip and dismembers her competition like a hungry lioness, but you never see teeth or claws. She's sort of like a cute little bunny rabbit. A carnivorous one named Coney, with an insatiable appitite and no mercy. She moves very slowly around an egg shape where she spents a great deal of her time in 1, and 2. Less time in 3. 4 came and went in a single week and suddenly she is back at 1 again.

On the other hand I have a guy who spends so much time paying his dues getting beaten by one beginner after another that when he finally does have his day in the sun he doesn't know how to act and for a short uncomfortable period of time I am at once thrilled that all of his hard work is finally paying off, yet can't wait to see him get knocked back a peg or two. If my fencer above is a carnivorous bunny, than my fencer here is a ferret named Kiki.

What happened Friday was My rabbit hit 4 just as the ferret was basking in 3. Were I as a coach in college still, I would've stopped by the alphabet store on the way home that night. Any good coach fears seeing his athletes in stage three and absolutely hates seeing the fencer hit the inevitable stage four.

Chapter 2
Precipitating The Crisis

We already know that athletes don't operate in a vacuum. In my previous example rabbit hit four while ferret was in three. This wasn't coincidence. Like the planets and the stars, each has an affect on the other. My ferret's cocky poinging shook the confidence of my rabbit which fed the ego of the ferret. What do you know? Another circle!

So knowing that one can affect the other you can use it to your advantage just like NASA uses the Sun's and planets' gravity to get their various probes to their destinations.

So we know that our rabbit can be defeated by our ferret's poinging. We saw it Friday night in glorious technovision. What the rabbit doesn't really realize yet, which I am here telling her right now is that she can distract the ferret with a shiny thing in the same way. Our ferret is easily distracted both on and off the strip and small shiny things can create huge distractions in his mind. If you were to suddenly switch to dynamic footwork, he will suddenly switch to dynamic footwork, which he can't do. He will be so distracted by trying to hop like a bunny that he will forget he is fencing, now attack! Touch rabbit. You will probably be able to immediately score on him again just because he will still be so shocked and distracted by the previous touch.

Everyone has a weakness. My rabbit can have her confidence shattered by her opponent's overconfidence really easy. (Do I have to really name names?)
My ferret can be completely derailed by any distraction. Paintball ninja can't be pushed. (Paintball ninja is enjoying a very long and glorious period in stage 3 because no one here will push him.)

Everyone can be defeated in two ways, physically and mentally. Some coaches concentrate on the mental game, its quick, easy and it works up to a point. They don't make many friends either. At the Downtown Fencing Club we concentrate on the physical one. It might take longer, but in the end you go much farther, and no one ever thinks you're a butt head. That does not mean that you should ignore the mental game, just be aware that that way lays the dark side.

And I stick the dismount with a Jedi reference.

To sum up:
1. You can defeat anyone as long as you have both the skill and the confidence. If you lack either one, you will fail.
2. Competition happens not only on the strip, but also in the minds of the competitors. Why do you think I spend so much time teaching the new kids to put their masks on with one hand?

Now go be amazing.