University Fencers Had Most Successful Tour

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28930, 25 June 1959, Page 11

University Fencers Had Most Successful Tour

rpHE highly successful tour of Australia by the New Zerland University fencing team has produced more results than the mere winning of the inter-univer-sity tests. It was found that, as in New Zealand, the Australian universities had several fencers of national standard, but in general there was a big gap between the standard of the top Australians and the universities’ team. This was most evident in the match against a New South Wales State side (particularly in the men) when two former Australian champions, one prospective champion, and an Empire Games medallist, were included in the team. The contrast in styles, between the New Zealanders and the Australians, which had been evident throughout the tour, was highlighted in this match, a men’s foil event.

Style

The New Zealand style, based primarily on speed and forcefulness, compared badly with the light, controlled movements of the Australians. Whereas most of the New Zealand points came from attacks which arrived before a parry could be formed or movements out of time, most of the Australian points were scored by deceiving the parries formed, during either the attack or the defence. While the New Zealander has become used to a riposte with one, or at very most two movements in it, the Australians were willing to make three movement ripostes, or as happened in one case, as many as six feints before a point is scored —all on the one riposte.

Coaching

The question of fencing technique and coaching was discussed at length with the leading Australian fencers, and also with the professional coaches who have been responsible for so much of Australia's success in international fencing. The reason for this lies entirely in the coaching methods used. In i

New Zealand, most coaching takes the form of class work, usually as line-drill, with perhaps a few moments of individual instruction from a fencer whose only qualification as a teacher, in many cases, is that he has been fencing longer than the pupil. In Australia, particularly with the more adept fencers, class instruction is virtually non-existent—all coaching is individual and either by a qualified professional coach or by an amateur who has been tested by a professional coach and found to be capable of coaching at a high standard. Until such a system is possible in New Zealand, the general standard is liable to stay at much its present level, where an Empire Games medal is not unobtainable, but an Olympic or world placing is almost impossible.