THE Fencing Masters Program: my fast Learning Experience

antonieHow (How To Do Just About Everything Unimaginable)

On March 27th, 2010 seven Maestri gathered  to examine a single Instructor at Arms candidate, and six provosts/instructors/students were ready to take lessons from her. The examiners were Maestro Sahm, Maestro Murry, Maestra Sahm, Maestro Williams, Maestro West, Maestro Hasenkamp, and Maestro Curtis (Maestro Myers unfortunately fell ill in the last minute, thus he was unable to attend).	The first part of the examination was an oral test in classical Italian foil theory. The Maestri run out of questions before finding one that would not be correctly answered :-). The written test administered exactly a month earlier went very similarly. The practical exam was where the real challenge was to be found, however. The second part of the exam consisted of group lesson administration.
The group lesson participants were Provosts at Arms Tavan, Bacher, Cogley, and Barajas, together with Instructors at Arms Thomson, plus Martin Tali.	The examination  begun at 9:00 a.m., and said Instructor at Arms candidate took seriously her responsibility for entertaining everyone throughout the almost three hours of the allotted examination time.
Provost Jeremy Tavan has very personal experience with this...	…pictured during the 3rd part of the exam = giving an individual lesson.
When I grow up, I want to be like Jeremy—that is at least in one regard. After I took the same lesson (in fact a somewhat shorter one) from Jeremy, which was the fourth part of the exam, I was “ready to die” :-). Why would this be, when I am known to be typically the "last (wo)man standing" and asking for more work even at multi-day intensive fencing  seminars? The "problem" was that while teaching me, Jeremy went for the desired FMP speed and intensity, thus he "forgot" to intersperse the standing around/talking time, which is such an integral part of workshops organized within the U.S. western martial arts community :-).	The fifth part were “random actions,” meaning that each Maestro could ask for any action, or actions combination, from the whole FMP foil curriculum. However, not much surprise was left to me after Maestro Sahm had been entertaining himself  by giving me sequences like: "straight thrust, double counter of 3rd, change of engagement to 4th, flanconade in 4th, and 2nd intention indirect," and that in time and at once, the week before the exam. In any case, Provosts Bacher and Cogley were nudging each other and commenting quietly that the given tasks were way above the usual tasks for Instructor at Arms candidates.
And the result? Some might wonder, as this exam transpired less than 3 months after I entered the FMP, and about 4 months after the first ever time I picked up a foil. Similarly, my written exam took place in less than 2 months into my FMP studies. Well, my practical exam score was just somewhat above the average, and my written test score way above the average (I missed less than 5% of the possible points). Additionally, I consider my willingness to take the exam--although my score was not going to be perfect--a victory over my perfectionism (as I have not gotten a grade other than an A in the 10 years of my university studies).	After the award of my FMP Instructor at Arms certificate, congratulations followed. And how was this all possible? I, as a student, have "met my match” in the Sahms as teachers. They are happy to teach any student as hard as he/she is willing/able to learn. I practiced with them 4 times a week throughout my stay, and no-one "good, and at the same time willing enough" within the perimeter of 150 miles was “safe from helping” :-) during the other days. Thus, together with most importantly Maestro and Maestra Sahm, with their teaching excellence, the congratulations belonged to everyone involved.
Since I am the “let us *do* something” student, it is only appropriate that I failed to take a picture of me just posing with everyone after the exam. Instead, I have a picture of Antonie Dvorakova in her first FMP class in the capacity of a FMP certified Instructor at Arms.  And how appropriate that in the middle appear the two most important “culprits.” Although many people were involved, it is mostly the “fault” of Maestro Curtis that I ever seriously considered the FMP to begin with. Maestra Sahm, then, has the “lion share” of the “fault” for the fact that I took my examination at this time, and thus—in the words of Maestro Curtis—“broke the world record in time-to-examination ratio.”	But since there is never a shortage of challenges in the FMP, Maestra Sahm first assigned their greenest Instructor at Arms to teach their newest student. This was Scott Aldinger, who, after his 2 visits to the FMP was still at that time asserting he was “*not* joining the program.” (Not only Scott but also his girlfriend Arielle joined the FMP when  I came back there, however). In any case, now came handy the fact that when “the Northern Maestri” were working with me, they emphasized making sure I was ready not only for my exam, but also for “real life.”
Next, in contrast with "the newest guy," Maestro Sahm had me teach Brian DeRaad (with whom he normally "deals" himself). Brian is a serious competitive fencer, and I do not even want to guess how tall he is. Suffices to say he is, by far, the tallest man around. Additionally, Brian embodies especially well the first three pre-requisites of an efficient lunge, which are speed, violence, and length. Using the allegory concerning another fencer, if he hits like a ton of bricks, Brian hits like a very angry ton of bricks, which was supposed to be a few meters away before you blinked. In other words, as Brian's opponent, one could not afford blinking (although not that it would help her much anyway).	How convenient, then, is being Brian’s instructor instead! As such, one can afford to leisurely blink first (although one does not get much longer in order not to hold the lesson :-), and move only next, thus only then triggering Brian. In any case, now came handy what Maestro Sahm told me--that had they wished that I become "only" an Instructor as Arms, there was no need for him to volunteer to give me private lessons, like he had indeed been doing throughout my whole stay 2-3 times a week. Both Maestri Sahm also said they would not even need to teach me as hard as they did, had it not been their policy to treat each student as a master candidate. Concerning Brian, then, Maestro Sahm even did a couple of “show and tell” with him for me on previous occasions.
When the foil lessons were over, thus epee and sabre lessons commenced, the Maestri were ascertaining whom they had to teach (as opposed to take) the lessons. Since there appeared to be a shortage of teachers, Brian (Provost Bacher) volunteered: “What about Antonie, her Provost at Arms exam is next, thus she should begin teaching the other weapons as well!” “Hold your horses!” replied I, however, while happily turning Brian DuRaad back to Maestro Sahm, and becoming a student of the future Maestro to be examined in Naples :-), D. Cogley.	Speaking of which, remember how people use the trick where they say, or do, something to predict a future step, which I at that time refuse to even imagine? I was going to keep the following secret, but now that it is out what Maestro Gaugler inscribed (with a nifty smile) into my copy of "The Book" (his Science of Fencing), together with what he wrote to me at the eve of my Instructor at Arms examination, I give up. In fact, my protests against the switching of the above picture, meaning being put on the epee teaching side, did not hold for that long either...
Finally, above are three photos from our exam celebration dinner, which took place, as per the FMP tradition, in the Il Fornaio restaurant in San Jose. Brian (Provost Bacher) brought his whole family. If you ever get to meet his girl, ask her for the story of how her daddy taught her to ride a bike, as this story greatly facilitates the understanding of many aspects of Brian's teaching style. And, as per usual, David (Provost Cogley) was "killing" everyone by telling his jokes. In the left picture directly above, note even my brother Marian, who otherwise lives in the Czech Republic (although he took all the above-displayed photos of my examination). Scott Aldinger, who was then still “not joining” the FMP, was present as well. When we were parting, and I was to drive back to Chicago the next day, Maestro Williams inquired when I would be back for my Provost at Arms examination. I acted as if I did not know what he was talking about (in fact, I was completely sincere in this regard at this time), but...