2004-12-10 - 2:08 p.m.

All right, it seems that the craziness around here has taken a 5 minute brake, so I will take advantage of it and do some updating.

A friend of mine recently asked me what am I doing to improve my fencing. "Are you fencing?" That was the first question. "Of course! Is the Pope Catholic? I am, therefore, I fence."

Next question was "So what are you doing?" Well, what I am doing is following The Plan, that's what I am doing.

Yes, boys and girls, I have a Master Plan whereas I will be taking over the world. Ur, no, wait, that is the *other* plan. Never mind, Pinky, we were talking about The Fencing Plan, not the Plan to Take Over the World, which will be a matter for another posting.

So what is my Fencing Plan? You know, as the anal-retentive person I am, I always like to have a plan. Particularly in those things that do not come easy for me.

You see, there are things in which I can excel with relative ease, if I put my mind to it. Give me a legal interpretation of an intrincate case, and you will have an answer that will be clear, concise and to the point. Give me an A&S project, and I will probably come up with some very nifty research and some cool artifact as a result. Give me a musical piece to sing, and I will figure it out and give a kick ass performance.

Athletic feats of any kind, that does not come naturally. Never did. You see, I was the skinny, geeky kid with the thick glass-bottom glasses. To make matters worse, I did not know it then, but I suffer from exercise-induced astma. And worst of all, I am used to excel in anything I put mi mind into, and I don't accept being second or last in anything. So you can imagine the level of frustration.

Fighting, though, that is another matter. When I was in second grade, my father taught me how to puch someone with my fists. "Never slap a guy," he told me. "You are only going to piss him off and then he will come after you. If you are going to hit someone, do it so you can knock him off his ass and he can't rise again to hurt you. And I am going to teach you how."

And so he did, (which came really very handy once I hit Junior High, but that's a story for another day).

At any rate, I may not have been the athletic type, but I am also the kind that enjoys a good challenge. Fencing, to me, has been that challenge for all these years. Plus, it involves fighting, which is something I definitely enjoy. And because I have been working on myself, the skinny little girl with the glass-bottom glasses now packs a punch.

And I intend to keep it that way.

So here is the Fencing Plan that I have been following (and heck, I am teaching a class on this too):

1. Taking care of my health: Yes, if you are suffering from something like asthma, or whatever it is that you are suffering, it will impact your fencing. Taking care of it is important. It will flare here and there and it will be a pain in the butt, but managing the condition will make a difference in your performance.

2. Working out: Having the muscle and strength to deliver your blows and execute your movements certainly gives you an edge. I workout 4-6 times a week, and I can see the difference in my stamina and flexibility. I can move in ways I could not before and, even though I may not win every bout, I can certainly say that I can achieve my goal of being a serious threat to my opponent more often than not.

3. Nutrition: Yes, I have changed my nutrition to a healthy plan that includes carbohydrates and protein, and no processed food. This gives you the energy that you need to do what you want to do. I just had the results of my physical, and my doctor was astounded that my numbers are much better than what I had one 10 years ago. So the plan works. For that matter, I have noticed that my performance in the field diminishes dramatically if I have not had a good breakfast and if I had not drank enough water, not to mention if I did not use my inhaler.

4. Practice: Oh, yeah. Show up for practice. Nothing beats that. Also, I practice my footwork at the gym in front of the mirror, which has certainly improved my footwork. These days, I am also incorporating the upper body movement as well, which has allowed me to *see* that there are certain moves that I need to correct.

5. Teach: Teaching the newbies helps me keep my basics fresh, and forces me to correct mistakes as I have to teach the moves correctly.

6. Work on mi mind game: This is the most difficult part of the game, particularly for us women, where we have been trained to think that if we win, it was probably a "fluke" and it we lose, it is a definite sign that we are losers that do not belong in the field. *That* is what needs to go away. I am working on a system of visualization and meditation in order to get over that sort of thinking.

So this what I am currently working on:

If I win a bout, it is because I did a good job and it is not a fluke, even if I don't really know how I landed that blow.

My body knows what it's supposed to do even if I don't, and the more I let it work unhindered by my thought process, the better.

If I lose a bout, I am not a loser, I just lost a bout. The other person just did something better than me at that particular point in time. Period. Next!

If I lose *several* bouts, I am just having an off day and I will have better days later. Must check if I am sabotaging myself by my own thought process and work on it. Next time, I will do better.

I have been doing this for 6 years and, dammit, I have certainly learned something and it is paying off.

Everyone can be beat and, by the same token, I can be beat by anyone with a pointy object in his/her hand. Because of that, I shall respect my opponent but not fear him or her.

And last but not least, if I don't believe in myself, who will? I believe I can do better, and I will.

There was a book that I read many years ago called "Sinue the Egiptian" by Mika Waltari, a Finnish author. It was written in journal fashion, and the first chapter began with something like this (I am translating from Spanish):

"I, Sinuhe, son of Senmut and his wife Kipa, have written this book. Not to sing the praises of the gods of the country of Kemi, because I am tired of the gods. Not to praise the pharaos, because I am tired of their actions. I write for myself . . ."

I like Sinuhe. A man after my own heart.

I have got nothing to prove to anyone. I fence because it is something that I have to really work on in order to excel. It is a real challenge because it does not come naturally to me.

It is a lot of work, but the rewards, namely becoming a better fencer, are worth it.

I don't know if I will ever become a tournament winner (I have won tournaments in the past, but only small ones and none lately, so there), but I will definitely become the best fighter I can be.

And most of all, I fence for myself.

Yeah.

Sinue is my kind of guy.

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