Question: What is the role of sport psychology, if any, in fencing tactics?


When I was presented with this topic with the freedom to change it if I so wished, I gave it quite a bit of thought before deciding to stick with it.  

I have often dedicated ample time, as a lone researcher, to the topic of tactics. But since this is a not a subject many people write about, especially in Italy, the association of my name to tactics in any context, even today, has become an almost natural fit.

The existing literature concentrates mostly on the athlete and how he can overcome his hurdles to attain his maximum performance. Maybe we should try to concentrate now on the Maestro's performance which often determines that of the athlete.

Let's start with a question in search of a definition: What is tactics?                                             

FIRST OF ALL...


I must confess that I thought for a long time about what I could find—not much, really—in the available literature about this topic. None of the definitions I read pleased me because they were not really defining how I wished they would. For this reason, I made a clean slate inside my brain and started from scratch to arrive at my own conclusions. These conclusions are still a work-in-progress as it is always the case, but for me at least they are much more solid and consistent. I have written about this in the past but I would like to give you now a brief summary.

Let me start with a diagram which models an individual athlete as a single processing unit. 

 INDIVIDUAL ATHLETE


The sensory input is processed by the athlete's brain and produces a motory output with the related feedback to the athlete's brain.

When we consider two opponents, A and B facing each other, the model/pattern of the elaboration process of a motory act within a tactical context can be represented by the following diagram.

TACTICS IS INTERACTION

A and B receive two types of sensory inputs:
      a. sensory input from the opponent (red lines), i.e., A sees B doing something; A processes the sensory input received from B; A decides which action to take if there is enough time, [ditto for B] and
      b. sensory input from the feedback of one's own actions (blue lines), i.e., the effect A sees of his own action and related modulation A does in response [ditto for B].

If the opponent's action is so quick that one do not have the time to process and decide how to respond, then the circuit is open (red lines disappear).  

The motory act can be influenced by
     - feedback received from the opponent (closed circuit, indicated by the red lines)
     - no feedback (open circuit, the red lines disappear) when one cannot receive feedback from the opponent with sufficient time to process the information and plan/decide on an action in response.   

Feedback originates either
     - from the act/movement itself or
     - from the environment, which may include an opponent.

Feedback is usually distinguished in
     - sports classified as closed skill, where the environment is more or less constant and the feedback is almost exclusively produced by the act/movement itself, or
     - sports classified as open skill, where the environment changes and it becomes crucial for the athlete to adapt to its changes.

FEEDBACK FROM THE ENVIRONMENT

A further distinction which I feel must be introduced, relates to how the environment changes in the so called open sports. In other words, 
     - is the environment's change independent from the original action/move or
     - is the environment's change a consequence of the original action/move?

A gymnast operates in an environment which is stable. A sailor on the other hand operates in an ever changing environment and must modulate his actions by taking in consideration changes in the sea and wind conditions which are totally independent from the sailor's actions.  

In a tactical sport like fencing, the most important part of the environment is represented by the opponent. In fencing the changes in B's actions for example, will most definitely depend on actions he will have observed in A, therefore B's actions can be influenced by A. [note: A's environment is mostly B and B's environment is mostly A.]

Back to the diagram above: each opponent (A and B) receives very important feedback from the other [red lines in the diagram]. The need for A and B to control the environment (the opponent) produces an initial equilibrium of forces, a kind of homeostasis, where to each action corresponds a reaction which tends to maintain the equilibrium, the control. I move forward, you move back; I accelerate, you do the same.  


The speed of the response contributes to determine the [safe] distance between the two, i.e., the minimum distance that allows A and B to maintain control: if A attempts a straight hit, B has enough time to see it coming and therefore can avoid to be touched by A by moving further back; if B retreats the minimum distance necessary, B has the time to come back in and hit A.

I am subordinated to the environmental changes (my opponent's actions) but I am also in a position to influence and determine my opponent's actions with my own actions. At the same time, my opponent will decide what he wants do on the basis of information he will have received from me. My opponent may derive this information from my own involuntary reactions, therefore true, but also from actions or reactions purposely false I'll feed him, like feints.

INFORMATION FROM THE OPPONENT

Tactics is deceit, but in an open sport this deception is not cheating because it takes place within an agreed set of rules known and shared by all participants. In other words it is possible, actually it is part of the game to influence, determine, and program the opponent's decisions: this is tactics.  

STRATEGY AND TACTICS

To be more precise, tactics is part of strategy. Strategy means to plan your actions. When the scope/purpose of strategy is to influence/determine your opponent's actions, strategy becomes tactics. I do what I do to make my adversary cooperate with me, to allow me to attain my goals by luring him to believe that he will attain his goals. In a feint attack I feign being open to lure my opponent to take advantage of my apparent weakness. Instead I am ready to parry and riposte. My opponent will thrust forward believing that he will touch me but he does not realize that he is doing so because I am luring him into the trap I set for him.

Technical analysis of fencing actions can be done even on the single fencer. Tactical analysis must be conducted on both fencers. The pair (of fencers) represents a system which must be studied as such.
A tactical action starts from a condition of equilibrium and synchronism: when I reach this condition I know what happens to my opponent, when I move and when he moves, and he knows the same about me. It is an ideal situation in which each part of the system--each fencer--controls the other one. 

The first phase of the tactical action, its first objective, is to search for this equilibrium and synchronism. You will notice that this is the preliminary phase in all efficient and effective communication processes.

SEARCH FOR EQUILIBRIUM AND SYNCHRONISM

The next phase of the tactical action is the breaking of this equilibrium, i.e., going over the control by your opponent while still maintaining your own. This becomes possible because each of the two elements of the system (the two fencers facing each other) has the possibility to assume the initiative. The reaction by the other to reestablish the now broken equilibrium will take place a fraction of time afterwards (tempo) and will depend on measure, speed, attention, and reaction time.

BREAKING OF SYNCHRONISM

You can appreciate how this topic could be developed in many different directions from the cognitive point of view, but this is not the place to do it.  

I would like to add few considerations to remain on topic and show the connections between fencing tactics and sport psychology.

To make it easy, I divide the total preparation/training of the fencer in four parts: physical preparation/conditioning, fencing technique, strategy/tactics, and psychological conditioning/motivation, in order of increasing importance. As is the case for all classifications, the boundaries of each part are artificial and often overlap. If one concentrates and works primarily in one of these areas only, we often realize that after a rapid initial progress, the growth/learning process slows down as indicated in the following diagram.  

PERFORMANCE v/s TRAINING

After a while the athlete's performance is no longer proportional to the effort made. Actually, the opposite could happen because one could become discouraged when realizing that all the extra efforts are for naught. The solution of the problem when reaching this stage is to work on the higher dimensions. When training on physical conditioning no longer yields an improvement in the performance, one should move to fencing technique. When this is no longer enough, one should try to work on tactics. Lastly, one should work on the mental part, sport psychology, keeping in mind that in reality we should always work on all four components at the same time. It is just a matter of emphasis, of knowledge, and awareness.  

Knowledge of the tactical aspects and awareness of the influence/effects our actions have on the motory planning of our opponent are the essence of fencing. This is its most noble aspect and it does not depend on the peculiarities of each weapon.  

Fencing is present in every competitive context, in sports, on the job, during contract negotiations, in simple discussions or debates. In my personal opinion this is a very important point.  

The technique of the sport of fencing today is quite removed from the original technique which had its roots in the duel. Fencing today is little more than a game, safe as few others, which induces behaviors you should carefully avoid in a hypothetical duel. Just think of the search for a double touch in épée, or the search for the incorrect stop hit in foil and saber. If we no longer identify fencing with blade play but mainly with a mental confrontation between adversaries who act with second intention (tactics!), then we find fencing in every competitive context, even outside the sport environment, and we give back to it the nobility and primacy it deserves.

Planning our moves in relation to our adversary, may lead us to think in terms of a chess match. In fencing the match takes place at high rate of speed. The pressure is very high, the inputs are few and often (because of tactics) purposely deceiving. Mistakes are therefore frequent and inevitable. Uncertainty is king but it must not paralyze the decision making process. The emotional stress can be extremely high; therefore, good self-control is essential.

ANTICIPATION AND PLANNING

Sport psychology, understood in this case as psychology of the maximum performance, can be of great help. Where/when the physical, technical, and tactical preparation may not be enough to progress, psychological techniques may make the difference: they DO make the difference.

Sport psychology and the coach

At this point we should talk about the Maestro, the fencing coach who establishes a very strong bond with the student thanks also to the importance of the individual lesson. This bond influences inevitably the student's mind, not just his body and his technical-tactical competence. But who is handling the Maestro?

The education and formation of a fencing coach today does not include a specialized psychological background and education. If a coach can, he tries to get it on his own and not always in the best way or enough of it. Fencing clubs can almost never afford a psychologist on staff (there is always a theoretical possibility). Even the thought or idea that it might be helpful or necessary to have a sport psychologist has not taken roots in our culture. Yet, the influence of the coach on young students is very important. 

The Maestro is aware or should be aware of all this and he knows or should know that whether he wants it or not he will have to manage on his own: he'll be wrong, he'll correct his mistakes, he'll be wrong again. If he is lucky, he will quickly figure out that this growing process concerns him also: Maestro and athlete, a great responsibility but also a great opportunity.  

On the other hand we cannot pretend that a Maestro be a professional specialist also in psychological preparation. We can require however that 
   - he is aware of his responsibilities towards his students;
   - he knows how to improve their self-confidence by praising them for their successes, even the small ones, rather than blaming them for their failures;
   - he knows how to recognize and attenuate their (and his own) limiting factors which become evident often through language (including non verbal communication);
   - he knows how to create and foster an environment which favors socialization and cooperation;
   - he knows how to establish clear, albeit not always easy, but achievable objectives, according to the abilities of each student;
   - he knows of and knows how to apply few simple techniques (breathing, relaxing, equilibrium) to improve self-control and self-esteem in his students.

We don't know whether this will happen in our environment (clubs and federations) or whether we will continue a do-it-yourself approach. What can we then suggest or ask an audience of people interested in psychology and fencing?  

First of all we must pay more attention to the key role of the Maestro. Psychologists today are mainly interested in elite athletes or in the dynamics governing the learning process during the various stages of a top athlete's development. It is indeed positive that for quite some time psychologists are interested in optimal methodologies to reach the maximum performance, which is today the specific objective of sport psychology.  

On the other hand we have very little involvement by psychologists in the coach-student interaction and when there is, it is always in one area and in one direction: the teaching styles which reflect the different coaches' personalities. The fencing Maestri, the good ones, have always been "coaches," just in their own personal way.

I said in one direction. Yes, because we often seem to forget that the Maestro learns from his student also, that he is gratified (when everything works) and he is (always) stimulated either in a positive or in a negative way by his students. It would be terrific to learn and to know how to teach students to have a positive/optimal rapport with the Maestro. In clubs where for obvious economical reasons there are more and more students and fewer Maestri, a bright and smart student can get maximum attention and learn much better from his Maestro when the student understands also the psychological needs of his coach.

I do realize how difficult it is to promote research in a poor sport as ours is: poor in resources but extremely rich in ideas, hence stimulating. But let us give it a try: fencing is growing and inside its world I believe there are already all the necessary resources.


The many roles of the fencing coach

The Maestro or coach—call him any way you want—operates in different contexts. In the fencing salles, the most frequent case, his task is mainly to be an educator. He has a close rapport with his athletes and their families.

COACH GIVES INDIVIDUAL LESSONS

COACH HOLDS GROUP CLASSES

COACH EXPLAINS AND ADVISES

(Maestro Marco Malvezzi with Deborah Nannini, Pro Patria Fencing Club)

COACH IS CLOSE BY TO ENCOURAGE

(Maestro Giancarlo Toràn with Beatrice Felli)  


Often a Maestro's role overlaps and occasionally contrasts that of the parents in very delicate situations when only his conscience and the love for the kids may lead him to either move forward (which could be prompted by his own presumption), or withdraw (a result of sensitivity, intelligence, or cowardice?).  

When the proficiency level of his student-athletes goes up, the Maestro's needs increase also and we the coaches must find a difficult balance between the needs of our top elite athletes and those of all the other "normal" students. A coach is under a lot of pressure and must improve his own stress management and his self-control. It would be interesting to study these types of problems facing the coaches.

Equally thorny and delicate (not always, fortunately) is the rapport between coaches and owners (of a club) or officers (of a federation): some times it is a matter of contract negotiations, other times of opposition, or in the best of cases of collaboration, but we always face situations where we must communicate properly and effectively. A psychologist could be of great help here also.

When a Maestro follows his students in a competition and coaches them at the end of the strip it is not at all rare to observe a behavior provoked by uncontrolled emotions, which would like to help but is totally deleterious.  

Who can help the Maestro understand what to do and how to handle these circumstances and most importantly what NOT to do?  

A coach needs to have at his disposal quick techniques, easy to use, suitable for the most frequent situations on and off the strip (athlete's fear, mental block, wrong attitude, hyper or hypo activity, excessive or too little motivation, etc.) to be able to help his student pronto, then and there.  


The National Coach

Lastly, let us consider the role of the Maestro when he is or becomes the national coach of a weapon program. Here his objectives and his role are not the same as those of a coach, even a very successful one, teaching in a club. Not everyone is capable to change effectively a behavior which has been developed and crystallized inside a salle where the goals and the means available are quite different.  

We have talked in the past, hypothetically, about a specialized course to offer those who are interested in pursuing this career path but we never went beyond the acknowledgement that in fact it had to be a different type of education. A national coach must develop and master many and not common skills to be able to perform in a complex system of a national federation:
   - budget,
   - facilities and equipment,
   - staff,
   - national and international calendars and schedules;
   - ability to communicate with athletes, officers, staff;
   - technical and political management of the interactions;
   - interventions before, during, and after a competition and/or training sessions;
   - building up a team spirit and handling both success and failure.

And we could go on and on.

I conclude this presentation by making a wish: that the young world of psychology applied to sport and the ancient world of fencing would want and know how to come together for mutual benefit and satisfaction, more than what they have done so far.


Fencing also, as is the case for all disciplines, evolves and must be able to meet the challenges of the new times. The repositories and the guardians of fencing knowledge and culture, the Maestri, must be open to the new with the necessary humility and legitimate pride for having contributed to maintain alive and well our very noble art (…and science?) with their unique passion.

Giancarlo Toràn

                                  "Modelli per una psicologia applicata alla disciplina schermistica. Esperienze e prospettive d'intervento"
                                                               Psychology and Fencing Symposium, Monza, May 10th, 2008


                                                                                                                                                                                                      Translation by gram