Home

The most recent posts and news updates

Aspects of the International Competitive Circuit That the US Can Learn From

Posted by Jonathan Yergler on September 25, 2014
Posted in: Home. 2 Comments
The venue for the 2013 UK "School Games"

The venue for the 2013 UK “School Games”

From my years of traveling to international competitions of varying levels, I’ve seen a lot of things that I wouldn’t mind seeing at national events.

One of my favorite things at international competitions is the punctuality and organization. It is a known fact that at national competitions- whether they be North American Cups, Super Youth Circuit events, or local competitions- they never run on time. I always feel significantly more organized, when I know what strip to be on, and exactly what time I need to be focused and ready. It’s not as stressful as having to listen to referees calling out different names, and constantly shuffling through direct elimination sheets for the order.

Another wonderful thing about international competitions, is that you always see the same referees. While I may not love every single one of them, I at least have an understanding of what calls they tend to make. When I step onto the strip, I don’t have to focus as much on what will or will not be called. It seems as if I’m constantly seeing new faces at every North American Cup. This puts a lot more stress put on the bout. Instead of putting all of my energy on my actual opponent, I have to decipher what actions are favored, and which aren’t accepted; it’s undoubtedly very distracting. While it’s great that we have so many different people committing so much of their time as referees to help make our competitions run smoothly, the more consistent the competitions are with who the referees are, the better.

Knowing who my opponents are going to be the day before is also another positive aspect. Being able to come up with a game plan for each competitor that I will have to face in pools, is a huge advantage. I am one of those fencers who has a notebook filled with notes on fencers, and I like to read it before a competition. It is also beneficial that many international fencers can be found on YouTube. This makes it much easier to come up with a solid plan of action, resulting in confidence.

When competing in national events, we always see the same kind of venue. Practically every North American Cup is hosted in a convention hall. We have quads with railings, the same bright lights, and the exact same concrete floors. If you were to describe any one of those venues to me, I would never be able to tell you what city it was hosted in. However, when it comes to international competitions, they’re always in a different setting. Some of these may be worse than others, but it is always a nice change of scenery.

This doesn’t apply to every single international event, but a sufficient amount of them put a lot of effort into the presentation of the top finishers. Nearly all of the senior events that I have participated in, the top 4 is always announced, prior to competing, as well as the officials. Of course, the top 4 is also awarded medals in a similar manner. This makes the achievement feel even more impressive. There have been many North American Cups, during which I have fenced on the finals strip and my peers had no idea. That’s unheard of at international events.

Some of these things are probably impossible to incorporate into national events; nevertheless, it still would be refreshing to see us taking steps to improve our domestic competitions by using the international model as a base.

You can help support Monica by Liking her athlete page on Facebook and following her on Twitter and Instagram. 

Jonathan Yergler’s Crowd Funding Campaign Through Dreamfuel

Posted by Jonathan Yergler on September 13, 2014
Posted in: Home. Leave a comment

Hi everyone!

To help cover the cost of competing in all the World Cup competitions this year in my quest to make the 2016 Olympic team, I’ve started a series of crowd funding campaigns with DreamFuell. Check out the campaign and consider helping me out. Any amount is helpful! Thank you for your support!http://bit.ly/1qyVDue

You can also help me by clicking here to like myFacebook Page , Jonathan Yergler – The Fencing Athlete, and here to follow my Twitter handle @yerglerj. Or you can follow me on Instagram @yerglerj.

Thank you again!

Convert?fit=clip&w=250

Persevering Through Disappointments and Losses

Posted by Jonathan Yergler on September 4, 2014
Posted in: Home, The Mental Game. Tagged: , , , , . 6 Comments
Women's Epeeist, Shin Lam of Korea, after her controversial defeat in the 2012 Olympics. Photo from TheGaurdian.com

Women’s Epeeist, Shin Lam of Korea, after her controversial defeat in the 2012 Olympics. Photo from TheGaurdian.com

 

The very nature of Fencing means that we have all experienced losses, frustration, and disappointments. Looking back, throughout my career there are a few such moments that still register strongly, and to this day I can feel the resulting sting of self-doubt and immense disappointment. Whether we are just starting out or multiple time World Champions, we all encounter such events. They can stem from a bad lesson or day at practice, or in two time World Champion and multiple time number one in World ranking Nikolai Novosjolov’s case, two back to back under-performances this season (eliminated in the pool round at European Championships and a first round loss at World Championships). While it is not possible to avoid such losses (trust me, I’ve spend over a decade trying), it is important to learn how to take such experiences as what they are; important motivational and learning lessons. If I could point to any one thing in my past which has greatly contributed to my successes, it would be my ability to take setbacks and losses as reasons to endure even harder. Rather than quit, which was often my first thought, I chose to rise above the setback and use the emotion as a means to dig my heels in and work twice as hard.

 Like every other pursuit we have in life, how we handle setbacks and disappointments is vitally important in determining whether we will be successful or not. It is easy to win and continue forward, but the true tests and hurdles we encounter in any pursuit of a dream or goal is learning to move forward after devastating setbacks or season ending losses.

The first experience that cast doubts on my ability to succeed, was when a top coach once said to me that I really needed to consider whether I should continue to fence or not. I was 14 years old and taking one of my first Foil lessons, my primary weapon at the time. I was failing so miserably that the coach felt it appropriate to say those words. I acknowledge that I was not very good. I had fenced only in Vermont, recreationally for about two years, and having shown a passion for the sport decided to participate in a fencing camp in Montreal. Looking back, I realize that the words struck me as true, and that I did not show a particularly strong technical understanding of the sport. Being so far behind my peers at that age group, I realized the I did in fact need to decide whether Fencing was something I should devote my time to or not. Ultimately, I could have easily quit, and moved on to another pursuit. Instead, I chose to work even harder to not only prove to the coach but also to others, (including myself), that I did have what it takes. I chose to devote countless hours of my life working hard to get better, even when my only opponent was often a martial arts dummy in my garage. A year and a half later, I would make my first top 4 finish at U.S. National Championships, albeit in Épée, and by the year’s end qualify for the U.S Cadet World Team. 

The second experience that initially cast doubts on my ability to succeed, was my NCAA college fencing career, which was riddled with under-performances. As a top Junior and competitive Senior in national rankings, I went into college with high expectations and the goal of becoming NCAA national champion. Following Sophomore and Junior year close losses in regional qualifiers to my two teammates, I was unable to participate in the Championships. After each season, the losses to qualify, even while maintaining top 8 in collegiate and national team rankings, caused me to seriously doubt myself. It was the high pressure situation in both seasons when I was unable to perform at the level I knew I was capable of. This frustration in back to back seasons caused me to doubt whether I had what it takes to overcome the stress under such critical moments. This having been a problem in previous seasons, I was incredibly disappointed in myself, and with fencing in general. Ultimately, I chose to dedicate myself even more as soon as my college season had ended abruptly. In each of these frustrating losses, I decided to push myself a little bit harder instead of succumbing to the defeat and giving up. The final chance at the NCAA title was in my senior year, but I suffered the bad luck of an ankle injury the week before NCAA championships. Fortunately, I was still able to finish 12th place and earn all American honors. The same season, I graduated college and immediately qualified for the U.S Senior World Team. If I had let my defeats and setbacks get to me and cause me to work any less hard or lose interest in the sport, I would have never overcome these challenges and thus miss out on some of the most incredible experiences of my life. Ultimately, it is important to see losses and setbacks as tests and learning experiences we must overcome in order to achieve our ultimate goals and dreams, and not let them deter us from our bigger objectives. 

There are numerous examples of Fencers winning or becoming medalists in World Championships after over a decade of failed attempts. I see the dedication, persistence, and ability to overcome adversity and losses as the critical element in determining the success of top athletes over time. Examples of some of the greatest athletes across a broad range of sports, from Michael Jordan who overcame his early struggles to later become generally viewed as the greatest player of all time, to Tom Brady who throughout college was seen as a mediocre quarterback at best to becoming multiple time Super Bowl champion and earning a place among the all-time greats, and many others, provide vivid illustrations of the importance in overcoming a lack of immediate results and success. The importance of persevering through disappointments and losses, is a factor which has played a vital role in any great athlete’s career. It is something that we can learn the value of early on in Fencing, as its application transcends sports, relationships, business, and all different dimensions of life. 

-You can help support Adam by Liking his Facebook page.

Drill: The Glove Game

Posted by Jonathan Yergler on July 14, 2014
Posted in: Home. 4 Comments

Whatever weapon you fence, if you are looking for a great drill to improve your distance, try the glove game.  In this drill no weapon is needed.  You need a partner and each of you needs a glove to hold. The fencers start on the en garde lines and take turns trying to hit their opponents with their gloves. The attacker may only use a maximum of two advances and a lunge while the defender may use whatever footwork they want. While two advances and a lunge is the maximum, the fencers do not need to use all of their steps during each attack. After each hit, the fencers reset to the en garde lines and whoever started first goes second this time.

In this drill because of the relatively small amount of space that the fencers can cover while attacking, the defender must stay close and be prepared to change directions quickly when an attack ends. The benefits of this drill will be that the defender will learn to stop on a dime and take over immediately and the attacker will develop a sense of when their quick, surprising attacks will be able to hit their opponent. This will help them figure out their distance for when to start an attack; an essential skill in any of the three weapons. This drill is particularly fun because once you get comfortable with the basics of it, you and your opponent will basically be bouting.

The most common mistake made by the defender is giving up too much distance on defense. Unlike in an actual bout, the point of this drill is to keep the distance tight so you can take over as soon as possible when your opponent misses. If you frequently pull the attack short by running away and giving up your chance to make a riposte you are missing the point of the drill.

As for the attacker, I will often see the attacker only using their full amount of steps for attacking, even if it puts them in a bad position. Unlike in a real bout situation an attack in the glove game has a definitive end. This is so that both you and your opponent can figure out the distance more accurately. I have seen situations where beginners play this game and the defender figures out the distance before the attacker does and waits right on the edge of distance for the attacker to make a full double advance lunge that has no chance of hitting and then just get immediately popped afterwards for their mistake! This game requires thought as much as good balance and footwork so don’t be scared to play around a little!

Try it out at your next practice but since everyone has different timing, this game should be played against more than one opponent for optimal results.

 

You can help support Andrew by following him on social media. You can check out his profiles and watch his videos on Facebook, Filmannex, YouTube, Twitter (@CyrusofChaos), and Google+

Gear Review: The Case for Headbands in Fencing

Posted by Jonathan Yergler on April 20, 2014
Posted in: Gear Reviews, Home. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

Most people seem to believe that the fashion of wearing an absorbent, unisex sports headband came and went in the late 80s.

But brace yourselves, they’re coming back. The reason: they are so freaking practical! Especially for fencing. There are so many awesome benefits and they look pretty cool too:

  • Keep crap out of your face- They do a great job of keeping your hair and sweat out of your eyes while you fence, thereby removing potentially crippling distractions
  • Improved face to mask relationship- If you use a thicker, more absorbent brand, it helps hold your mask in position on your head. With the wire mesh bouncing around in front of your eyes less, you can focus more on the bout without your eyes having to work to keep adjusting to the shifting mask layout. The headband helps hold the mask comfortably in the right position while still giving you room to breathe inside the mask since your skin will be touching the grimy mask insides much less frequently.
  • Keep you looking beautiful- Wearing an absorbent headband can help improve your complexion. By keeping your face from rubbing against the inside of the mask and absorbing most of your sweat before it can soak up into your pores, you can reduce fencer breakouts.
  • Gives you an excuse- Adjusting your headband is a perfectly reasonable and easy way to buy yourself a few extra second from the ref between touches to break the other fencer’s momentum or rethink your strategy.
  • You’ll always have an extra towel – If you forget to bring an extra towel to practice or a competition, you’ll probably have a headband you can at least wipe your face with.

Headbands come in all types, designs and colors. You can absolutely find one that works for you. Thanks to their popularity for tennis, you can usually find a pretty good headband any place that sells athletic gear.

Here are a few different types that I’ve tried using in the past:

 

Nike Reversible Headband

Nike Premier Reversible Headband NNN06-011OS

http://www.midwestsports.com/nike-reversible-headbands/p/NNN06-011OS/#.U1BuTvldV24

This is the type of headband I’m using right now. It’s pretty absorbent, fits on my head well and has enough substance that it holds my mask in place nicely. After I’ve sweated in it for a while, I can flip it inside out and it feels like I’m wearing a fresher headband. When you flip it inside out, it shows a different color too. Because they are only $9 each, it’s easy to justify stocking up on a few of these. I’m a fan.

 

Nike Swoosh Bandanna Headband

Nike Tennis Swoosh Bandana- Light Armory Blue

http://store.nike.com/us/en_us/pd/swoosh-tennis-bandana/pid-831918/pgid-435976

This type of headband is really comfortable. The cloth is soft and it looks pretty cool too. The little kid in me loves how it kinda makes you look like a ninja with how it ties in the back. My only problem with it is that it isn’t very absorbent. Since I sweat A LOT when I fence, I don’t get to wear this headband long before it soaked through. I wish I didn’t sweat quite so much so I could rock this bad boy. At about $15 isn’t a great value but it’s not unreasonable either.

 

AllStar Fencing Headbands

SB - Image 1

http://www.allstarfencing.us/online-shop.asp?s=3&cat=AA&sub=IA&ran=100&id=SB

These are the only “fencing specific” headbands I’ve come across so far. Frankly, I don’t like them. They are relatively absorbent but they are strangely wide and thin which makes then look weird. Because they are so thin, it doesn’t hold my mask in place the way I like very well either. I found this one for a little over $9 online.

 

Generic headband

http://www.amazon.com/Suddora-Headbands-Also-Neon-Colors/dp/B00A2ULJC6

I love how cheap a random generic headband is! They are always relatively absorbent and come in all kinds of colors. You can get them for $2 on Amazon. They are always decently absorbent, and they tend to be reasonably thick. The one problem is that they stretch out really quick. After a few wears and washes, you will probably have a headband that if way too lose on your head. That’s ok thought when you can replace them for 2 bucks.

 

Generic Bandanas

Bandanas, Red/Blue Western, Pack of 12

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Bandanas-Red-Blue-Western-Pack-of-12/33455809

Some people like them but I’m really not a fan. They are never quite big enough to wrap around my big head and I think they look dumb but who am I to judge… They absorb sweat better than you would expect and they come in all kinds of colors and designs. You can also find these absurdly cheap online.

Train Smarter and Harder

Posted by Jonathan Yergler on April 1, 2014
Posted in: Home, Training Tips. Tagged: , , , , , . 2 Comments

What role can a parent play during a fencing tournament to make their kid a champion?

– Clinton Rodell, Cadet Men’s Epee Junior Olympic Champion 2012 Photo: David Ruskin

 

Everyone knows that the harder you train, the better you become right? Well, in fencing it’s not always that simple.

In sports like running and swimming, you keep getting better by pushing your limits in practice. No matter what level you are at, this principle remains constant. The amount you improve is a function of the amount of work you put in. In fencing, after the first few years, the two aren’t necessarily as correlated.

The effort and grueling physical demands you put on yourself don’t mean as much if you don’t train right. What makes it even trickier is that frequently it’s not 100% clear as to what “right” really is for your fencing at a given time. You can do 5000 lunges every day, you can do hours of grueling footwork, but if you are not focusing on these improvements within the context of a larger, overall plan, you end up spinning your wheels, devoting hours of work but reaping less and less real improvement per hour spent training.

I heard a coach say one time that, “It’s easy to make and athlete. It’s hard to make a fencer.”

Take the lunging example for instance. After 5000 lunges, you will undoubtedly get stronger lunging muscles (after allowing yourself to recover of course). But you won’t have spent any of that time focusing on when to pull out that lunge and while the power and speed of that lunge is important, it’s not nearly as important as knowing exactly when to unleash it. You may have even been training yourself to resort to that lunge when you are tired.

Ask yourself why you are doing what you are doing in practice. Ask yourself how practicing whatever it is the way that you are directly builds into your overall fencing game.

Instead of pushing as hard as possible to do the same movements faster and with more repetitions, try to practice those movements smoother, or even differently. Try to get a feel for how you might actually implement those movements in a bout. Focus on smoothness or being able to respond in a specific tempo. Ask yourself if you really are ever going to be mindlessly running up and down the strip at full speed when you fence or if you would be better served focusing on ways to change speeds smoothly and manage the distance more efficiently.

I’m sure many of you are familiar with the adage, “Work smarter, not harder.” Due to the insane number of mental and physical variables in fencing, this is especially true at the intermediate and advanced levels more than in other sports.

Of course, you need hard work if you are going to get yourself to the next level. It’s just important that you have a plan for how exactly you are going to practice to drive the specific improvements you want.

Work with your coach so that you have a clear set of objectives for each practice session and you will get much more out of it.

Let’s put it this way: If you want to improve, you have to train both smarter and harder.

If you liked the article, click here to like Jonathan’s Facebook Page , Jonathan Yergler (athlete), and here to follow his Twitter handle @yerglerj.

A Review of the Men’s Epee Field for the NCAA Championships 2014

Posted by Jonathan Yergler on March 20, 2014
Posted in: Home. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

2014 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS – Men’s Epee (capsule preview)

jonathan yergler a 250 med

By Jonathan Yergler (Princeton ’13)

There is no fencing competition in the world quite like the NCAA Championships.

It’s hard enough to even get invited to the dance. Frequently, a few of the top fencers are eliminated at Regionals either by the cutthroat competition from other schools or by the relative success of their teammates (each school is allowed to send only two fencers per weapon, per gender). I narrowly snagged a spot from a few of my good friends and teammates each year I was at Princeton and even had to qualify through our region’s at-large spot in my 2012 individual championship run.

The NCAAs places all of the pressure of a team event onto the shoulders of a select few competitors in each weapon, with the title aspirations for some schools hinging on every single bout. It cuts the margin for error down to contentious five-touch bouts and forces the fencers up against the steepest competition they face on the college circuit all year. Just to make sure that a fencer can’t just get on a roll and ride one good day to victory, the competition is split across two days.

All it takes is one loss, one bad bout, to dash any competitor’s chances of competing in the final rounds. Every year, great fencers break under that pressure, losing their composure and falling apart over the course of the grueling 23 bout round-robin.

It’s not always the best fencer who wins this competition. NCAA tests fencers in ways that no other tournament does tactically, mentally and emotionally. My former teammate, Gram Wicas wrote an excellent piece for TheFencingCoachon some of the keys to success in this tournament that is worth a read.

Today I’m here to provide a little background on the fencers in this year’s NCAA Men’s Epee event. Let me start by saying that these are not my predictions. Almost any one of these guys could win the competition under the right circumstances and it will be fun to see how this all plays out in the always hotly contested men’s epee event. But I’ll leave such predictions to bolder and more foolhardy fencing writers than me. 😉

You never know, this information might be helpful when you are ranking the competitors for your Fantasy Fencing roster on fantasyfencing.net. If you haven’t already, you should check it out. It’s looking like it’s going to be a ton of fun!

Best of luck to all the fencers competing in the Championships this weekend! You earned your chance to become an NCAA champion. Take advantage of that opportunity!

Here we go …

Click here to read the full article on collegefencing360.com.

Fantasy Fencing 2014

Posted by Jonathan Yergler on March 12, 2014
Posted in: Home. Tagged: , , , , , , , . 3 Comments

Hi everyone,

I’ve recently taken on a new project with the help of my good friend and former Princeton roommate, Ed Kelley and his programming brilliance. This year we are going to make Fantasy Fencing a reality for the collegiate championships. You will be able to build a team from the list of competitors, then watch and cheer for your fencers when they compete in the live event March 20th-23rd, 2014.

Using an automated draft process, you will assemble a full 12 person team of your favorite fencers from the participants list to compete against other users to win the fantasy team title.

Here’s how it’s going to work:

Step 1: Go to fantasyfencing.net and sign in with your Facebook account. (Anyone can join)

Step 2:  Next, rank-order your favorite fencers in each of the 6 disciplines (ME, WE, MF, WF, MS, WS) by clicking and dragging them from one column to the other. You can rank as many or as few as you would like. (If your turn to draft comes and none of the fencers you ranked are available or you haven’t ranked any other fencers, the system will pick from the remaining pool of fencers at random).

Step 3: Submit your ranking preferences before the submission deadline. Once the submissions are closed, we will randomly assign a draft order and run a separate automated draft process for each discipline.

The person with the first pick will receive their top choice in that discipline as their first fencer. A second random draw will determine the draft order for the players’ second fencer. Each user will end up picking 2 fencers per discipline.

Each fencer will be available for draft selection n/12 times with n = the total number of fantasy players signed up. This way, every participant will be able to draft a full fantasy team of 12 fencers.

Step 4: After the draft process is complete (March 18th), you will receive an email notification that your team has been created. If you sign in at fantasyfencing.net, you can see your complete team and how your overall score ranks overall. You can view other players’ teams by clicking on them.

The results will be updated as the tournament progresses (at the very least after each day of the competition).

Step 5: Watch and cheer on your team! Scoring will work the same way as it does for the real life teams. 1 victory is worth 1 point. The team with the most points at the end of the competition wins!

We encourage you to discuss your personal rankings, your predictions, etc. on the new Facebook page for Fantasy Fencing and amongst yourselves. You can also tweet your thoughts to @FantasyFencing.

Step 6: Feedback! We want to hear what you thought. What did you like? What do you wish was different? What ideas do you have to improve Fantasy Fencing?

In our minds, this is only the beginning for Fantasy Fencing. We plan to take what we learn from this event to improve the fantasy game for next time. We plan to reevaluate the rules and add more capabilities to the site each year.

Like the Facebook page and follow the Twitter handle for future Fantasy Fencing updates and more!

In-Fighting: Earning the Gritty Touches

Posted by Jonathan Yergler on March 2, 2014
Posted in: Home. Tagged: , , , , , , . 9 Comments

I learned this drill while I was at Princeton and I believe that developing this part of my fencing may have been the single most significant way I improved in my time on the collegiate circuit.

Very rarely in fencing do your actions end up working perfectly, resulting in a perfect looking touch. Maybe the opponent responds in a way that is unexpected. Maybe the angle is just the slightest bit awkward. Maybe the opponent ends up a step ahead strategically and tricks you into leaving an opening. No matter what the exact cause is, fencers frequently get stuck in in-fighting situations where the distance is extremely close and neither fencer has their point aimed directly on the target. The situations are especially frequent in college fencing, where the competition is emotionally super-charged, many of the fencers are awkward/a-typical, and every scrappy touch means that much more since the bouts only go to 5.

In these “broken” situations, the fencer who is willing to fight hardest for that ugly touch will score the point 90% of the time. But the fencer also has to be ready for the situation and anticipate when they need to throw execution out the window to just focus on getting the tip onto the target as fast as possible. Since most fencers train and focus almost exclusively on building their technique and strategy with high technical standards, infighting is not usually the natural response for most fencers. The split second of hesitation/surprise that they experience when the distance quickly collapses to an in-fighting situation is enough to make the fencer lose the touch.

You would be surprised by how many touches come from these types of situations. Winning these exchanges easily can and frequently are the deciding factors in the bout.

The drill is incredibly simple but you will need a partner for it, preferably someone who you do not mind hitting kinda hard and possibly awkwardly. Do not try this with anything less than full protective gear on.

The fencers start with their front feet touching and their blades locked near each other’s bell guards. Try to vary the angle, line positioning of the blades from set to set.

Have a third party moderator give a starting signal. At which point, both fencers try to hit the each other with the pointy end before the other guy can.

Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

You can try pushing back on the opponent’s blade, sliding off of their blade in different directions, changing what target line you aim for, pulling back your arm, or even navigating the tip to the target by moving the blade behind your own head. Trying out all the different options can be a ton of fun. You will quickly start to find certain target areas and angles that are easier for you to hit from the different starting in-fighting positions.

Like with most fencing drills, you need to make sure that you are taking a long enough pause between sets.

You do not need to go through this drill for a particularly long time either. This is probably not a drill that you need to spend an entire practice on. In my experience, I have found it to be a particularly useful drill in small doses to help prepare you for infighting encounters. I couldn’t even begin to tell you the number of bouts I’ve won for no other reason than I was better prepared than my opponent for some gritty in-fighting.

Click here to like Jonathan’s Facebook Page , Jonathan Yergler (athlete), and here to follow his Twitter handle @yerglerj.