The Swordsman's Standard

As a nationally competitive fencer and coach who has dedicated over fifteen years to studying the sport, I’ve developed a knack for analyzing fighters and picking apart their strategies and styles.  In fencing, a sport modeled after the duelists of old, the best strategies are the simple ones – the perfect attack is one in which there is no wasted motion.  Rather than swinging your arm around and trying to look dramatic, you simply hit the opponent, accept your victory, and get on with it.  If a fencer is doing something fancy, they either have a huge lead thus they can afford it, or they’re about to lose.

 

I will favor characters who make good strategic choices, learn and adapt from past experiences, and make a real, believable effort to win rather than dramatically swing a sword around.  Basically, I am judging choreographed fights as if they were unscripted duels, and I will rank characters as if they, rather than directors and creative teams, are responsible for their decisions.  I am looking to see which characters, within the context of a battle, succeed at using their strengths while minimizing their weaknesses.  I don’t have a set rubric, but I’ve laid out some ground rules and explained some of the terminology that will be used as part of my process.