Inscrutible Countenance

[JeanryChandler]

We have had a few threads about where to look at your opponent, and I think indeed this is critical. It can help to partially hide your gaze by wearing a fencing mask or a helmet with narrow view slits, but I believe ultimately a good fencer has to have an excellent poker face and especially good eyes. You really have to be able to watch your opponent in his entirety, their face, eyes, shoulders, their feet, their overall stance, and their weapon if any simultaneously, and do so without telegraphing intent or anticipation by your own gaze. This is something I learned street fighting back when I was a kid, and I find it's one of the most difficult but crucial things to teach a new fencer.

If you can't master your gaze, you will do things like telegraph anticipation of a strike by looking at your opponents weapon or where you think it will strike, something an experienced fighter will use to defeat you almost every time.

I happened to be reading a book on Iaido and I noticed this a chapter dealing with this specific issue. According to this book, the concept of eye contact is called chakugan, and while apparently there are dfifferent theories in different schools, the books reccomended gaze is something called enzan no metsuke or "distant mountain sight". I'll quote from the book what this is supposed to mean:

" by viewing the opponent with the same slightly out-of-focus eyesight we use when viewing a panorama of distant scenery, with the eyes directed at about the level of the adversary's solar plexus, your vision encompasses the entire person. In this way, we can watch our adversaries eyes, hands, elbos, hips, and feet all at the same time. This method also prevents us from being duped by an eye-fake or a distracting hand movement, because the positions of the hips, elbows and feet will betray any deception attempted by the rest of the body."

this is actually kind of reminiscent of the gaze you have to use in boot camp when being chewed out by Drill Instructors <img src="/forum/images/icons/smile.gif" alt="" />

Anyway, apologies in advance if anyone has already brought this up, but I was wondering if the Fechtbuchs mention anything specifically about this and if so what they called it.

Jeanry

(The book I'm reading is called Flashing Steel by Masayuki Shimabakuro)

[Dylan palmer]

i agree with the conncept for it holds many of the pricapals of historical fencing within it, such as concelment of intent and being able to foretell an oppnats move by watching his posture and position.

although using this in a liffe or death situation becomes alot more diffacult i feel i trained swordsman would be able to keep thier "cool" in a intencse battle situation and use it to a great advantage.

[Jay Vail]

Manciolino says watch the sword hand.

[Doug Marnick]

Jeanry,
I'd like to direct everyone to one of the similar threads you mentioned.
I had asked about this topic on 04/04/04 <img src="/forum/images/icons/laugh.gif" alt="" />
It's titled "watching your opponent".
There were some great contributions including your own insightful posts.
Be well.

[Bnonn Tennant]

As a point of wry interest:

I have an exaggerated blink, which is caused by overly sensitive eyes due to an operation as a child. Most people don't really notice it, particularly as I've worked to reduce it after a lot of hassling during my school years; however, I have been told by one of my students that it is extremely intimidating when facing me in a fight. I have always been a proponent of the concept of having an inscrutable countenance when facing your opponent, but ironically, I tend to end up whistling to myself and blinking slowly at the person standing against me.

Apparently this is extremely unnerving to some people.

[Derek Gulas]

Hi Jeanry

When I spar or drill I try to look at my opponent's chest, as I was taught in Judo. It keeps their whole body in my peripheral vision, and besides that I find that I can react to movements in my peripheral vision faster for some reason anyway. I think its my way of staying in line with Ringeck's advice (I believe) to not worry about what your opponent is doing and simply attack them.

About watching the sword hand: is that really a good idea? I mean, if you're concentrating on their weapon, couldn't they easily distract you with it, and I dunno, grapple or stab you with a dagger, etc?

[JeanryChandler]

I personally advocate something like that mountain gaze, I don't reccomend watching the hands.

JR

[John_Clements]

One other factor in this is that a fighter by his facial appearance cannot “give away” or reveal anything to his opponents that might give them advantage. He needs to appear intent and focused. Observing the countenance expressed in countless fighters depicted in the historical litterature reveals consistently stern visages neither passive nor grimacing, yet certainly not cheerfully smiling and never looking directly at the oncoming weapon or where they themselves will act.

[robrobertson]

During the course of my years in the infantry, I found that the old "1,000 yard stare" to be extremly helpful. The reason that the fighting men develop this skill is because it's the only way to watch everywhere at the same time while walking through the bush. As you develope this, and you can't do it innitially without a concious effort, and it becomes second nature, you gain a very real advantage over the regular guys who just blunder along lookin' everywhere with tunnel vision.

While ther ARE other advantages (and let's face it, in combat you want every advantage that you can get) if you don't keep yourself apprised of the current situation, then you'll be sure to find yourself dissapointed with the end results. In buisness jargon, "If you can measure it, you can manage it."

Peasants use tunnel vision. Warriors keep informed of everything!

Rob

[Ray_McCullough]

I read a story a bout samurai not to long ago. In one story , a steward who prepared tea for is lord went on a trip for more tea. His position reaquired him to wear a sword even though he had no training in martial arts. on his trip a ronin (wandering masterless samurai) challenged him to a fight he had to fight. Scared to death he asked for a time to prepare. He then found the first fencing master he could find and asked him to show him how to fight. The master asked him to prepare him tea. The steward became relaxed and focused on preparing the tea. After seeing the tea being prepared with such skill the master told him to return to the ronin , apoligize for the delay. Then, with the same relaxed focuse , remove your coat and fold it neatly, draw your sword and assume a fighting position with your sword above your head (the roof) and close your eyes. When you hear him yell in his strike, strike down also, possibly causing a mutual slaying. The steward did as he was told, but the ronin was unnerved by the stewards demeanor. He quikly apoligized and ran away.

[Shane Smith]

I tend to look detatched while fencing until I am landing a strike. I look at the middle body in a vague way so that my peripheral vision is working unhindered and my nerves remain steady.

[Matt Bryant]

Oddly enough, I never had a mind to were my eyes were as long as I was perceiving everything. The opponent, his weapon, feet, shoulders, hips, etc. and the environement (we train outside and use of sunlight and trees is nothing new).
But now that I do think about it, it seems that my eyes do generaly tend to be at my opponent's chest.

Interessting subject.