Epee 2.0: The Birth Of The New Fencing Paradigm
by Johan Harmenberg
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Book Summary Information
Author: Johan HarmenbergEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-10-10
ISBN: 0978902211
Number of pages: 172
Publisher: SKA SwordPlay Books
Book Reviews of Epee 2.0: The Birth Of The New Fencing Paradigm
Book Review: Fantastic Book!
Summary: 5 Stars
Johan Harmenberg has done for fencing what Pablo Picasso did for figurative painting: he has made the conventional abstract. He has turned fencing upside down. As an example, Harmenberg says that fencers should not ask themselves "how can I hit my opponent," but rather, "how can I avoid being hit." This book is THE seminal work on epee tactics and strategy. My only regret is that it was not written 30 years ago. I was a top ranked US fencer who lived in Paris in the early 80's and trained at the Racing Club of France then later at the New York Athletic Club. I was/am a "classical" fencer to use Harmenberg's terminology. I relied on technique to beat an opponent. "Epee 2.0" simplifies the complexity of a fencing bout. I admire Harmenberg's genius.
Harmenberg dominated world class fencing. He won Heidenheim a few times, the World Championships and the Olympics. Best yet, for someone like myself who worked, struggled and dreamt of achieving Harmenberg's fencing success, is that he tells us how he did it. He describes his strategies in explicit detail. He deconstructs every aspect of the epee match and identifies weaknesses that classical training imparts. For example, fencers are taught to advance by lifting their front toe and landing on their heal. Harmenberg points out that this makes a fencer vulnerable to a counter-attack because his back foot must be planted to lift the front foot. Harmenberg's strategy is to bounce forward and backwards to eliminate his own vulnerability and to exploit his opponent's weakness.
In addition to Harmenberg's scientific analysis of fencing, the book includes the personal stories of how he beat Alexander Pusch and Philippe Riboud. These men are legends in the sport. Reading about his winning strategies against these giants of the sword, was a thrill. Equally thrilling and enlightening is when Harmenberg describes what it is like to fence in an Olympic final. Few have that experience. Candidly he reveals his nervousness. Insightfully, he describes "Olympic touches," which is his strategy for dealing with the nervousness associated with important bouts.
Equally engaging and illuminating was the chapter by Bjorne Vaggo who describes his tactics for winning the silver medal at the Los Angeles Olympic Games. At those Games, Vaggo beat Olivier Lenglet and Elmar Bormann, two of the world's most dominate epee fencers of their time. In "Epee 2.0" Vaggo tells us how he did it. The chapters by Geoff Pingree and Ruggero Ceci added balance and perspective. The publisher's forward was profound.
This book is heaven sent for advanced fencers. Any US epee fencer spending money to compete in NAC and World Cup events MUST read this book. God Bless Johan Harmenberg for writing it and God Bless SKA Sword Play Books for publishing it. My only wish is that SKA Sword Play Books could convince Pavel Kolobkov and other world class epee fencers to write books on strategy and tactics. It is interesting that fencing is often compared to chess, which has thousands of books written on strategy. Yet, fencing, with "Epee 2.0" has only one. This book sets a very high bar for all others to reach. Perhaps other world class fencers will see this book as a challenge and compete with their words. Were this to happen, all in the world of fencing would benefit. (FULL DISCLOSURE: I have never met Harmenberg, nor the publisher. I just loved this book.)
Summary of Epee 2.0: The Birth Of The New Fencing Paradigm
Johan Harmenberg had left his native Sweden because he had "given up" on serious competitive fencing. But when he came to MIT, he met an innovative coach - the late Eric Sollee. Scribbling on a napkin in a Cambridge bar, Eric, Johan, and the other MIT fencers sketched the "Three Conjectures" of a new fencing paradigm" - a way to force a more skillful opponent to play your game. On his return to Sweden, Johan developed it into an art and a science, then put it into effect with a vengeance. Despite being snubbed by the Swedish authorities because of his unorthodox style, he won the World Championship in 1977 and the Olympic Gold Medal in 1980. In this groundbreaking book, Johan reveals his methods, showing how to can neutralize the superior technique of even the best classical fencers. Plus Olympic Silver Medalist Bjorne Vaggoe adds his personal application of the new paradigm and Geoff Pingree tells how it was applied with stunning success at MIT.Biographies Books
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