POST COMPETITION ANALYSIS 3- CHALLENGE YVES BRASSEUR, Ghent

Hi All,

This was my final competition for my tour overseas in 2015. My result was just as bad as the last world cup and this analysis may seem a bit shallow but I think there a couple of simple things I can change that will help me to improve. Despite my results I want to continue to compete internationally and I am largely positive because of the people I have met here.

THE RESULTS:

Cut after the poule rounds, with no victories and 6 defeats.

First match: 5-0 defeated by Pochekutova- Kazakhstan

Second Match: 5-2 defeated by Stagni-Italy

Third Match: 5-2 defeated by Besbes- Tunisia

Fourth Match: 5-4 defeated by Vila- Spain

Fifth Match: 5-2 defeated by Suarez- Venezuela

Sixth Match: 5-0 defeated by Page-Canada

PRE-COMP PREPARATION

I was definitely more relaxed than usual. I had no trouble falling asleep and didn’t really feel nervous in the lead up to the competition. Sports psychology talks a lot about the range of ‘pure focus’ or ‘peak performance’ lying somewhere between not being nervous and being too nervous. I was at the bottom end of the scale and was not focused because I was just simply TOO relaxed.

DURING THE COMPETITION

I couldn’t understand exactly what I could do to get hits off my opponents. I am used to coaching myself in  competition but I think my mental state was far too relaxed and unfocused to be able to pick up on what I could do.

Secondly, I didn’t feel like I could trust my hand to finish an attack properly or to parry properly. A a result I was not going for hits I should have been and was not fencing well.

Thirdly, like the last competition I was not upset by my result. This is very bad. It measn I was not fired up at all and in a good competitive mind set. This needs to be fixed.

CONCLUSIONS

• I NEED A COACH. Not at competitions but so I can get lessons as part of my training at home. I have had ver few lessons when I have been in Melbourne and I can hit a dummy all I want but without a coach training me to use the right timing and to speed up my hand technique I will never improve my bladework. Without this I cannot trust my bladework in a competition.
• Learn how to fire myself up again. This is the complete opposite of what I used to be like and I never thought I would have to figure out how to fire myself up because I have always had to spend time trying to calm myself down. Time to find the middle ground.
• I need to change how I train. I need to spend more time bouting to practice particular actions and timing, and not just training for the sake of it. Quality as well as quantity.

There is a lot of work for me to do now, but I need to endeavour to do it with a different mind set. I need to take lessons and be more mindful about why and what I am doing something for rather than just going through the motions.

I am heading to Abu Dhabi now to sit the FIE Refereeing Exam for Sabre. I will post about that and the Observational test for Epee before heading back home.

Thanks for reading guys!