Being a referee in a fencing tournament is a demanding job.
It requires encyclopaedic knowledge of the rules, an understanding of how those rules are currently interpreted nationally and internationally, a thorough grounding in the techniques of the weapon, good and quick judgment, and endurance under stress.
And it should be demanding because good refereeing makes good fencing.
The referees trained and certified at the middle and senior levels by the USA Fencing's Fencing Officials Commission are excellent.
However, not all referees meet this standard, with results that can be costly for the fencer who cannot adjust his or her tactics to bad performance on the strip.
If we are honest, we can all remember times when we had to fence with a referee who was (a) incompetent, (b) selectively applied the rules to the benefit of teammates, (c) was intimidated by the other fencer or coach or parent, or (d) was clearly calling the action in favor of his or her friends, team mates, or students.
It is easy to blame the referee.
But that is not very productive and does not score touches for you.
So what should our strategy be when we get that strange little feeling that something is wrong? (1)Watch every bout in your pool that you are not fencing in.
Observe the other pool fencers, and watch the referee's behavior, specifically in the interpretation of the action and the application of the rules.
Is the referee calling right of way in favor of anything that moves, or the actual attack, is the first light the winner, etc.
?Does every fencer get the same treatment? You should not be surprised going into your bout.
(2)Remember that being a referee is a difficult task, that the referee is under considerable pressure, and that he or she has only one chance to get it right on every call.
They will be wrong sometimes, even the very best, although the very best are very, very good.
A single error is not a reason to get upset; shrug it off, and stay on plan.
Do not let a single error cost you your concentration.
(3)Look at your own fencing first in your analysis between halt and fence.
Why is the referee seeing something different than you think you are doing?You have an obligation to tell the referee a story that he or she can recognize: clear, well-formed parries, smooth attacks that start with a detectable extension, blades at the correct angle and correct place on the blade for a beat or parry, etc.
The most likely problem is that you are not telling your story.
(4)Is the referee consistent?If so, you need to fence the referee.
If the referee consistently calls a blade that you parry on your bell as the beat attack, either make sure the remise can't get through with a brute opposition ortac-au-tac parry or stop parrying.
When the referee proves that he or she is not seeing your action, it is time to immediately change what you are doing.
(5)Ask politely.
You can ask the referee to reconstruct the action and how he or she saw it.
Do not argue with what the referee says; process it and use it.
Do not expect this will change the call the referee just made, but it may influence how the next one gets called.
The referee may just repeat the call and the hand signals, or the nice referee may give you a hint.
If you get a hint ("he lunged as you started to step forward, and then you hand came out"), act on it.
The situation is a bit different if the referee is not applying the rules.
For example, if the referee allows an opponent to change weapons five times, to find one that works, with no cards awarded (five failed weapons equals one Yellow and four Red cards), the fencer must ask politely that the penalty rules be enforced.
That will stop all but the most blatant cheating by a dishonest or incompetent referee.
Make sure you know the rules better than the referee does, especially in regard to what you can appeal, and that you can cite the paragraph numbers in the current edition of the rule book.
(6)If the referee is inconsistent in calling the actions or if you see every two light hit going for the opponent, you have one course of action.
Change your tactics, manage distance and time, and make every hit a one light hit in your favor.
What you do not want to do is come back and tell your coach that you were robbed.
Remember, you are responsible for your fencing, and that includes factoring in the quality and character of the officiating as a central factor in selecting your tactics.
It requires encyclopaedic knowledge of the rules, an understanding of how those rules are currently interpreted nationally and internationally, a thorough grounding in the techniques of the weapon, good and quick judgment, and endurance under stress.
And it should be demanding because good refereeing makes good fencing.
The referees trained and certified at the middle and senior levels by the USA Fencing's Fencing Officials Commission are excellent.
However, not all referees meet this standard, with results that can be costly for the fencer who cannot adjust his or her tactics to bad performance on the strip.
If we are honest, we can all remember times when we had to fence with a referee who was (a) incompetent, (b) selectively applied the rules to the benefit of teammates, (c) was intimidated by the other fencer or coach or parent, or (d) was clearly calling the action in favor of his or her friends, team mates, or students.
It is easy to blame the referee.
But that is not very productive and does not score touches for you.
So what should our strategy be when we get that strange little feeling that something is wrong? (1)Watch every bout in your pool that you are not fencing in.
Observe the other pool fencers, and watch the referee's behavior, specifically in the interpretation of the action and the application of the rules.
Is the referee calling right of way in favor of anything that moves, or the actual attack, is the first light the winner, etc.
?Does every fencer get the same treatment? You should not be surprised going into your bout.
(2)Remember that being a referee is a difficult task, that the referee is under considerable pressure, and that he or she has only one chance to get it right on every call.
They will be wrong sometimes, even the very best, although the very best are very, very good.
A single error is not a reason to get upset; shrug it off, and stay on plan.
Do not let a single error cost you your concentration.
(3)Look at your own fencing first in your analysis between halt and fence.
Why is the referee seeing something different than you think you are doing?You have an obligation to tell the referee a story that he or she can recognize: clear, well-formed parries, smooth attacks that start with a detectable extension, blades at the correct angle and correct place on the blade for a beat or parry, etc.
The most likely problem is that you are not telling your story.
(4)Is the referee consistent?If so, you need to fence the referee.
If the referee consistently calls a blade that you parry on your bell as the beat attack, either make sure the remise can't get through with a brute opposition ortac-au-tac parry or stop parrying.
When the referee proves that he or she is not seeing your action, it is time to immediately change what you are doing.
(5)Ask politely.
You can ask the referee to reconstruct the action and how he or she saw it.
Do not argue with what the referee says; process it and use it.
Do not expect this will change the call the referee just made, but it may influence how the next one gets called.
The referee may just repeat the call and the hand signals, or the nice referee may give you a hint.
If you get a hint ("he lunged as you started to step forward, and then you hand came out"), act on it.
The situation is a bit different if the referee is not applying the rules.
For example, if the referee allows an opponent to change weapons five times, to find one that works, with no cards awarded (five failed weapons equals one Yellow and four Red cards), the fencer must ask politely that the penalty rules be enforced.
That will stop all but the most blatant cheating by a dishonest or incompetent referee.
Make sure you know the rules better than the referee does, especially in regard to what you can appeal, and that you can cite the paragraph numbers in the current edition of the rule book.
(6)If the referee is inconsistent in calling the actions or if you see every two light hit going for the opponent, you have one course of action.
Change your tactics, manage distance and time, and make every hit a one light hit in your favor.
What you do not want to do is come back and tell your coach that you were robbed.
Remember, you are responsible for your fencing, and that includes factoring in the quality and character of the officiating as a central factor in selecting your tactics.