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UCFC Book Reviews Fencing: Competitive Training and Practice, The Foil, The Epee, The Sabre by Bac H. Tau Review by N. Bell ISBN 0968037305 My final opinion on this book is still pending. On one hand, it is probably the most comprehensive manual on modern fencing since the sport became a sport. It contains everything a competitive fencer could possibly want to know: diet, conditioning, cross-training, anatomy, advanced techniques, tactics and strategy, mental game, equipment repair, etc. If you take this sport seriously, this book could be the best investment you ever make for your game. At the same time, there are several serious shortcomings which I would love to see remedied in a second edition (Maître Bac, if you're reading this, please consider these suggestions!). First of all, there is the issue of the writing. Whether this is just the result of bad style or a poor grasp of written English, I don't know, but it makes the text awkward to get around. There is no doubt Maître Bac knows what he's talking about, but he desperately needs to work on how he's saying it. Close editing by a university English major who also fences could have miraculous results. Next is the issue of wasted pages. We all know how important it is to be told things several times while learning, but the level of repetition in certain areas is absolutely unnecessary. In the pages describing the parries, for example, we are formulaically told for every parry that the head, body, rear arm, and legs stay exactly as they were in the on guard position, and the description of what that means is given to us every single time. This description eats up a good quarter of each page. If needless repetition like this, as well as the countless congratulatory letters, commendations, and forewords, were cut out, the book's size could probably be reduced by a quarter to a third (the book is about 700 pages long, at 8.5" by 11"; it's big and imposing, like a dictionary or Bible!). Despite all the shortcomings, competitive fencers, coaches, and those especially enthusiastic recreational fencers should seriously consider picking up a copy. Everyone else should wait for the Readers' Digest version. This is actually four books bound together, the units being "Competitive Training and Practice," "The Foil," "The Epée," and "The Sabre." I have seen "The Foil" printed independently, but I don't know if the others have been printed yet. Most fencing equipment suppliers in western Canada carry the big one ($88 Cdn plus tax), or you can order direct from the author at: Bac H. Tau 109 - 960 west 6 Avenue Vancouver, BC V6M 1R9 CANADA Ph/Fax: (604) 732 - 4875 Back to Book Reviews Home  |  About Us   |  About Fencing   |  Links  |  Photo Gallery Image Bank  |  Reviews   |  Fencing Fun  |  Contact Us