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Coaches’ and Athletes’ Focus
Laszlo Jakab Fencing
Laszlo Jakab Durham University Senior Fencing Coach Laszlo Jakab is the Head Coach of Durham University Fencing Club. Since he came to work in the North East in 1996, he has overseen the development of one of the finest regional fencing centres in the country; Durham University fencers and fencers from the community contributing to its outstanding reputation. In his past career, he has been director of national fencing establishments in China, Hungary and Austria, he has coached the Iraqi and Thai national teams and he has even coached a Hungarian Olympic champion. In a fascinating interview with Laszlo, which took place in the new world-class fencing suite at Maiden Castle, or “heaven” in the interviewee’s words, he told me about his time coaching students in the North East; his experiences of spreading his passion for the sport around the world to the young; the Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, and even the retired; and his philosophy in teaching the technical and psychological requirements of fencing. “Now we are a proper fencing club because we have got a home,” Laszlo said after enthusiastically showing me the six new fencing pistes and the electronic scoring equipment. “It is fantastic to see other teams come in for their BUCS events here. They look around and say ‘Wow’!” He is obviously delighted with the new facility that has been provided, so I asked him about his passion for the sport. “In Hungary, where I am from, fencing is a lot more popular than in England. We have a long established record of success in the Olympics. “Also, in my case, I grew up in the North East of Hungary in a small, but very famous village called Eger. In 1552 there was a big fight between the Hungarian and the Turkish invaders (the Siege of Eger). There were about 40,000 Ottoman fighters against approximately 2,000 defenders of Eger Castle. The Hungarians won and the
2011/2012 - A Sporting Review
news of this defeat spread across Europe. There is a statue in the village centre of a strong man holding up a sword and as a boy I used to play sword fights with my friends in the ruins of the castle.” Laszlo later told me, “It is the most difficult job to coach young children. They have an image of it being all swash and buckle. They come in fighting like 'The Pirates of Caribbean'. We have to make lots of games that are similar to fencing for them to appreciate that the sport is not quite what they imagined. It is not an aggressive sport: the piste is not a battlefield and your opponent is not your enemy. We try to make them love fencing and stay and make the sacrifice to fence at a high level. Coaching children is a beautiful job and I like it very much.” The technical aspects of the sport (handwork, bladework, footwork, coordination and tactics) are the groundwork for beginner fencers, but his role as a coach of elite fencers at Durham University and in the North East, he stated, is also to give them the professional attitude and commitment required for fencing. “You have to influence their lifestyle. They have to have a professional attitude. For example, if a student is invited to a party before an event, he needs to make sure he gets an early night and he certainly should not go out drinking before training. It is difficult coaching fencers at Durham University because they have so many other things they like to do: work, music, partying… However, I do get many students who are very talented and commit to fencing.” Since being in the North East he has coached Durham University past students, Claire Bennet, Beth Davidson and Angela Bilardi, and current student, Kira Roberts, to achieve places in the Great Britain fencing squad. “They have been some of my best students. With regards to my young fencer, Kira Roberts, she is very committed and although she was disappointed not to make the Olympic
team for Great Britain this year, she will do very well I am sure, if she carries on training this hard.” On the topic of his own fencing career, Laszlo was modest about his achievements: “In my late twenties the fencing in Hungary was very strong. I was in the top twenty (no mean feat in a country where fencing is as popular as cricket is to the English) but I was not good enough. “In 1956, while I was still competing, I also began to coach. I soon realised that if a fencer whom I coach achieves a good result, it makes me happier than my own successful performances. “I started coaching at a club with lots of good coaches. I watched and learned from them.” Laszlo admires fencing as an art form and he sees himself as an artist. Indeed he compared a fencing coach’s role to the quotation from the great artist and sculptor, Michelangelo: “The statue is in the rock and you have got to remove it". "Everyone can fence, you just have to find the way to uncover it. People are different. You can find one method for one person, but this might not work for someone else. You have to find your own style; the fencing style cannot be forced. Obviously there are principles, but you always have to find a compromise. My job is to help people achieve happiness with the sport, whether they are Olympic winners or not.”