We can identify three major arenas in which the fencer operates - a long term (everything beyond the bout), the bout, and the action or technique level. Each level's characteristics call for a different approach, approaches that can be defined by three key terms - strategy, tactics, and actions. In this context the following definitions make sense and are consistent with how tactics and strategy are defined in other competitive contexts:
STRATEGY: The selection of objectives, the determination of priorities, and the allocation of resources to achieve overall goals for fencing activity beyond the bout.
TACTICS: The choice of approaches to the bout that frame how the fencer will select actions and influence the flow of the bout to result in the best possible outcome.
ACTIONS: The specific fencing technique or immediate series of techniques the fencer uses to fight a phrase. A technique learned in lessons becomes an action when applied under the conditions of combat in the bout.
Strategy guides the selection of tactics to best meet the strategic objectives. In turn tactics determine the range of actions the fencer will select to reach the tactical goals for the individual bout. The results of actions cause revisions in tactics in the bout, and the outcomes of bouts cause the fencer and the master to reexamine the strategy for the competition or the season.
These major categories can logically be subdivided:
Strategy:
... of the career - goals for multiple years
... of the season - objectives and plans to reach long term multi-season goals
... of the tournament - objectives and plans to reach seasonal goals
... of the pool - plan to achieve desired outcomes in the pool or direct elimination
Tactics:
... of the bout - selection of approaches that will guide choice of actions
... of the moment - guidance based on bout tactics that frame how the next phrase will be fought
Actions:
... of the phrase - the specific combination of fencing techniques used to fight the current phrase
The importance of recognizing the variety of the subdivisions is that choices made at each level are distinctive and influence the decisions and outcomes at the levels above and below. It is important to note that, in my view, the key differentiation between actions and tactics and strategy is that actions and tactics are executed on the strip in the heat of the bout by the fencer alone. Strategy on the other hand is formed off the piste with time to think and with the opportunity for guidance by the fencing master. While no fencer makes immediate eyes-open decisions as to how to execute an action in a phrase during a bout guided by strategic thought, the entire range of decisions above this determine how effective he or she is likely to be in winning that phrase (whether winning is defined as scoring a touch or as avoiding being hit).
About this Author
Walter Green is a Maitre d'Armes (Fencing Master) certified by the Academie d'Armes Internationale. He teaches modern competitive and classical fencing, historical swordplay, bayonet fencing, and Asian martial arts swords at Salle Green (http://www.sallegreen.com), the fencing school he operates in Glen Allen, Virginia. Maitre Green also trains fencing coaches through the Pan American Fencing Academy (http://panamfencing.com).
Copyright 2010 by Walter G. Green III. All rights reserved.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Walter_Green
