IX. Directing : Validity of Hits - "Time" (1)
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IX. Directing : Validity of Hits - "Time" (1)
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November 27, 1936
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19
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IX. DIRECTING
Validity of Hits - "Time" (1)
Let us proceed with the bout. Your judges are to call hits; you, as director, must decide their 'validity'. Of course, if only one fencer is hit, the problem is simple. Usually his opponent gets the touch. But if both fencers are hit, you have the entire authority to decide the result by applying the rules.
The first and most important rule is this: If A hits B clearly before B hits A, then A’s hit counts and B’s does not. As long as there is a technically sufficient time difference, only the first hit counts. This rule applies to all weapons, regardless of the action.
Let me stress that you are NOT required to ask the opinion of the judges as to "time". If the action is a complicated one, you may reconstruct it as you go along, in the manner indicated in my previous article, so as to establish with the judges whether the hit arrived on the first, second, or any other movement of an action. But you must do this quickly and you must draw your own conclusion. DON’T ASK THE JUDGES ABOUT "TIME". No matter what their opinion may be, the decision must be yours. Therefore, don’t try to pass the buck. And don’t hem and haw, or look pensive, or make the audience and the fencers feel that you are about to render a difficult and momentous decision. It is bad enough for a judge to be indecisive; it is pitiful for a director—the boss of the show—to appear not to know what it is all about.
The second rule is this: If there is not a technically sufficient time difference, the touches are simultaneous. Then your decision must observe the conventions of the different weapons. In epee, you must call a double touch, which is scored as a touch for and against each fencer. In foil and sabre the rules are different and require a lengthier explanation, which we shall present later.
The next question to be taken up, therefore, is "What is a sufficient time difference between hits?" The answer varies. In epee the time is much shorter than in foil and sabre. Let us discuss the situation in epee first.
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Conduct of the epee bout.
When the electrical epee machine is used, the problem is simple. The machine records hits and is so arranged that if there is a sufficient time difference between two hits, only one light goes on; if the touches are simultaneous, both lights go on. It is an automatic jury.
But when the machine is not used, there are problems of judging and directing. First a word about judging: The hits are called much as the foil touches are. The only difference is that the target has no limitations. Any touch with the point of the weapon is good. The judges are assisted by the pronged pointes d'arrêt which enable the point to catch on slanting surfaces, such as the arm. In this country it is also customary, when machines are not used, to provide "ink," a red phenolphthalein compound with an alkaline base which turns colorless upon the application of a light acid like vinegar. This "ink" is placed between the prongs of the pointe d'arrêt, so that a mark normally remains where the point touches the target.
The rules specify that this "ink" is used solely to assist the judges and is not conclusive evidence one way or the other. The general tendency is for both judges and fencers to be too far dependent on the little red marks. Their presence is not always evidence of a touch. Many times I have seen a fencer, in the excitement of a bout, forget to "ink-up," so that perfectly good hits did not leave a mark. Of course, careful application of "ink" will reduce the margin of error. But you should encourage your judges to rely chiefly on their eyes, and to be decisive if they are positive they have seen a touch—always, however, allowing the judge to examine the fencer briefly for corroborating evidence or the lack thereof.
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"Time" in Epee.
I mentioned that sufficient "time" in epee is very short. The international machine registers it at 1/25th of a second; our own American machine is nearer to 1/10th of a second. This furnishes an objective gauge of sufficient time in epee.
Without the machine, you have to "sense" the time yourself. How to achieve accuracy in this task is difficult to explain. You have to take into account the play of the blades, the speed of the fencers, the direction of the point, the relative location of the two hits. Most of all, you have to watch like a hawk and concentrate.
Two methods may be recommended for practice. One is to get hold of a machine and set up a full jury who cannot see the controls. You can thus test the eyesight of your judges. Then it is up to you to decide "time" and check against the machine. Even if you are a top-notch director, you will seldom be 100% right, because you have to depend on human judges to call the hits. Even if they are always right, your "time" decisions may be off as frequently as 10% of the close cases and still be good.
The other method is to direct a practice match, with the fencers calling their hits. Then you decide "time" when both land, and you check your decision against the impression of the fencers. Even this is not quite accurate, but it is good practice.
Remember, a fraction of a second is time difference enough. This may be theoretically open to question as to its soundness, but nevertheless THIS IS THE RULE. If you can see no difference, or have no definite impression, or have lost the play, you are required to declare a "double touch." There are many more double touches than you would at first think, even with the machines. So don’t hesitate to call it when you think that is the correct result.
M. A.de C.
