The Fencers Impression of Fencing Coach Bjarne Höglund
Adam Gazalet 2016
Glasgow Scotland
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An eye opening year
I started training at Braveheart fencing club about a year ago
(January 2016). In this very year, I’ve seen more progress in my technique
and understanding of fencing than in the past 4 years (9 years of fencing
before coming to Glasgow). This can be explained not only by the fact that the club is
open every day of the week, but also by the quality of the coaching I
received from Epeemaster Bjarne Hoglund. The lessons while being very
challenging, are tailored to the fencer to improve his strongpoints while
minimizing his weaknesses. As a 1.64m male (on the shorter end of the
spectrum), this was very beneficial to me as more
often than not, fencing coaches try and teach each of their fencers to fight
like them. That doesn’t really work when there’s a big physical difference
such as height in this case. This was definitely not the scenario we are
looking at with Bjarne. Since I started training at Braveheart I’ve learnt of
ways to deal with the disadvantages of being short and have changed the way I
fence to cope with it. If you happen to do anything wrong during the lesson (trust me, you will) Bjarne will not hesitate to point it out and
provide you with a very precise explanation of what you didn’t quite get and
how to fix it. This ease to pass on knowledge is something I never truly got
to experience from previous coaches that I’ve had. His ability to analyse a fencer was made very clear to me after I received some piste side coaching during one of
my matches at my first Scottish competition, advice which drastically changed
the outcome of the bout. This was actually what got me
to start training at his club. I’m sure that if I had received the same
quality of coaching for the past 9 years I would be on a much higher level
than what I am today. Another thing that was new to me when
joining this club was the concept of group blade work, where two students are
given an exercise and must perform it, one of them taking on the role of the
coach and the other of the student. Not only is this very effective way to
manage time when running a very crowded class, but it also allows the pupil
who is “coaching” to understand the importance of his presentation of target
and how to set up the conditions to trigger the reaction he wants. As I’ve said previously it’s only been a year and I’ve seen a huge spike in my performance. A clear indicator of that are my recent results. My ranking in the UK has gone from 336th to 54th only within a year. In addition to that I’ve managed to reach third place in the Scottish open whereas a year before I did not pass the top 16 and last but not least, I was able to win the Merseyside open when I only managed the top 8 the previous year. I’m very eager to see what I will achieve in the remaining three years I have in Glasgow. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Four years later and I'm still learning new things after every lesson. The truth is that the amount of detail that needs to be understood while fencing is ridiculous. Bjarne is one of few fencing coaches to pay attention to these details. When a few millimeters or just a few hundreds of a second can make a difference in a fight, these tiny details become quite important. Having someone with the ability to point these out and show you how they affect the fight is truly valuable. I continued training intensely for my entire stay in Glasgow, but I was unfortunately not able to compete as much as I did in my first year due to priorities to my university work. As a result my ranking in the UK did go down. However while being coached by Bjarne I was able to win my very first senior open competition (Merseyside Open 2017), which was truly one of my proudest moments. Now that I have moved out of UK I no longer fence regularly at Braveheart Fencing Club. After having trained there for 4 years I find that no matter which club I go too, I am able to give a tough fight, if not beat, the top fencers at the clubs I visit. To me that proves the quality of coaching I have received from Bjarne is truly of a world class standard. I will miss the lessons and the advice I was getting from him. My only regret from going to Braveheart was not taking more 1 on 1 lessons.
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Giuliano Punzo 2015
Glasgow Scotland
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Every little helps
I have enjoyed Master Hoeglunds lessons since 2012 although
with little continuity due to a number of events. I can say Bjarne has a well
defined coaching register, that reflects in an extremely effective fencing
style. The movements I have added to my repertoire improved a number of
actions and unlocked new ones. As a very experienced coach, Bjarne has his
preferences in terms of fencing style but, as only the good coaches do, he
can teach particular actions for which the students have their own preference
or strengths. I have surely received several benefits from Master Hoeglunds
lessons and it is my regret having missed some continuity to gain full
advantage from his teaching. |
Helga Marie Løvenskiold Kveseth
2013
Bergen Norway
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The why of fencing.
I had been fencing for a couple of years in the student
fencing club in Bergen when Bjarne first came there. Being in a student club
with limited resources didn’t give me or anyone else
any good options for coaches and I had only had a couple of lessons during my
time there. When Bjarne started, this number increased drastically, along
with my skills. |
Elena Rainero 2012
Glasgow, Scotland
|
Bjarne the end of my coach quest.
I
started fencing in Italy when I was nine, and never stopped. I had a few coaches
there and I was able to join the junior Italian team first (winning the team
silver medal at the world championship) and then I remain in the Italian team
until I decided to move to Scotland. I’ve
worked with quite a few different coaches before, and generally it took a
while in order to adjust to a different coaching method and to start having
good lessons. With
Bjarne it wasn’t like that at all. After the first few minutes, I had the
impression I’ve been working with him since years. He made me
start from actions that I generally do, in order to work on them, correct my
mistakes and suggest a variety of new solutions (which, in all these years of
fencing, I’ve never thought of before). It was a great lesson, and since then
I decided I wanted to have more of them (implying a little with of travelling
around Scotland). And I enjoyed every single one! As I’m sure I’ll like all
the ones we’re going to have in the future. |
Scott McMenemy 2011
Aberdeen, Scotland
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Passing on the torch of success
My meeting with Bjarne was quite by
chance after nearly missing an email from him announcing his presence in
Aberdeen (Scotland) and his keen interest in spending time fencing whilst he
was contracted to the oil industry in the city. I had for some time been
battling on as a Level 2 British Academy of Fencing Epee coach at the
University of Aberdeen, with modest success. Not only was I coaching but was
and still am a competitive fencer. However when meeting Bjarne in the Easter
of 2011 I was ranked 369th on the UK senior ranking list and very
rarely achieving any result of note at competitions. My time both as a fencer
and a fledgling coach were often frustrating, something was missing and sadly
this was “holding me and my fencers back”. Bjarne explained that he was an
Epee master with the BAF (Diploma) and immediately on meeting him and
chatting with him, I could see we would be spending many hours working
together. I took my first lesson with Bjarne soon after meeting and I am sure
my rusty skills appeared as somewhat of a challenge however there was a
strong working relationship from the first crossing of blades. I immediately
knew from Bjarne’s calm concise and clear explanations of the concepts of
fencing that I had much to learn from my new master. Before long the lessons developed
beyond understanding the essential and basic skills of fencing, growing to
build the technical, tactical, mental and physical aspects of fencing. After
less than a year of training I was ranked 54th in the UK, and
taking consistently good results at British Open competitions most notably a
15th place from a field of 133 men at the Birmingham International
Open by far my best result since my early days on the Great Britain cadet
team. Not only has Bjarne made me a far
better competitive fencer but I am now a Level 3 BAF Epee coach, and my
fencers are flourishing. In the year I have been working with Bjarne my
fencers taking lessons with me have achieved fantastic results. Scottish Student Womens’ Epee Champion Two senior fencers ranked in the top
100 of their weapons (WF and WE) Two fencers fencing for Scotland at
the Student 5 Nations Team Championship Several successful under 17 fencers
(both taking bronze in the Scottish Youth Championships 2012) Not to mention a host of excellent
placings at British Opens. As well as my fencers achieving great
things, I too have had great competitive results but my work developing my
skills as a coach with Bjarne, has lead to me being selected as Scottish
Regional Epee coach for the British Fencing, National Fencing Academy,
training the future Scottish elite fencers. A fencing master and a dear friend.
Bjarne has taught me more than just fencing. His friendship, and advice have
taught me a great deal about a great many things and for this I am most
grateful. Bjarne is as has been said before, brutally honest but genuinely
kind, my dear friend and respected mentor. |
Laura Jamieson 2011
Aberdeen, Scotland
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I found fencing in a hopeless place
I have been fencing now for roughly five years but I can
honestly say that I have only considered myself a fencer for just over a
year. Last year everything changed for me because
for the first time I had a real coach. That is not to say that I had not been
coached in the previous three or four years; various people had tried to
teach me and I had taken many lessons in all three
weapons but it seemed that the only advice I got was to be more aggressive
and attack more often. Aggression did not come naturally to me and I was not confident enough to initiate attacks so I
began to wonder if perhaps I had chosen the wrong sport. I became very
frustrated as I was not winning any fights and used to deliberate before
every session I attended whether I would actually turn up or not. Eventually I made a deal with myself. I decided that I would
really give fencing a go for a year. I would turn up to every University and
City Club training session and at the end of the year if there was still no
improvement I could give up without feeling that I had not tried my best. It
was during this last attempt that I met Bjarne. Now they say that first
impressions are important but I came to realise that it is more important not
to judge a book by its cover because my first impression of Bjarne was not a
good one. One year or so on from that meeting I find it hard to believe just
how much I hated him when I left fencing that night. At the City Club I was asked to join in with a class lesson
being run by one of the members who was preparing for his coaching exam. There
were an uneven number of students taking part in the lesson meaning that I
did not have a partner and Bjarne, who was helping the coach, used me for the demonstrations. I was very embarrassed and
extremely uncomfortable being in the spotlight and I hated being told what I
was doing wrong in front of everyone. I could feel the fury building up
inside me for being put in this situation and I felt
like I was being wound up and picked on. If I had been pushed any further I
think I would have hit Bjarne or burst into tears. Later on that night Bjarne asked me
how long I had been fencing for. When I responded that it had been almost
four years he said that I should be much better than I was. This did not help
my impression of him at the time as I was really offended, but his brutal
honesty is now something that I value and appreciate. I cannot remember exactly what prompted me
to take my first individual epee lesson with Bjarne but it was a little while
before I could gather enough courage to approach him because he terrified me.
I was really nervous before my first lesson but it was real turning point for
me. Bjarne had been watching me
fence at the club and so he had already recognised that I was a defensive
fencer. He took my personality and my strengths and built my skills
repertoire around it. He never once tried to make me
change my fencing style meaning that I did not have to be aggressive or
attack. Everything that Bjarne said to me during
that lesson made so much sense to me and he explained the reason for every
action that he had me do. I genuinely felt like I suddenly understood how
fencing worked and it was such an eye opener for me. Even better than the
fact that I enjoyed the lesson was that I instantly saw results, I started to
get more hits and win fights. Bjarne has improved my fencing and my confidence and even my
diet. I am now a coach myself and fencing is my life. I can never thank
Bjarne enough for all his help and support. The only bad thing is that I do
not see him enough. |
Rory Patrick High 2011
Aberdeen, Scotland
|
Aberdeen made me a fencer
I first met Bjarne when I moved to
Aberdeen for university. I had been fencing for 7 years before I moved to
Aberdeen. I fenced one night a week, taking occasional lessons. I was average
at best. At my first training session with
University of Aberdeen Fencing Club, as I was an experienced fencer, I was
told I could have a 45 minute lesson with Bjarne. In that 45 minutes, I felt
as if my eyes had been opened. I had been forewarned that he would be harsh.
He was indeed harsh, he told me when what I was doing was terrible, but he
also complimented me on what I did well (which wasn't much). His geometrical
analysis of fencing was a breath of fresh air. It was just the kick I needed
to get my act together and work towards improving. I owe this all to my training from
Bjarne. He pushes me to be the best that I can and he has a flawless
knowledge of the sport. |
Susanne Stephan 2009
Hallstahammar, Sweden
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Fencer from Potsdam on the search for a coach in Sweden
I first met Bjarne at his old fencing club in Köping, where I
became a member a couple of years ago. I fence since I was a child, went to
the sports college in Potsdam and participated almost every weekend at a
fencing competition. When I moved from Germany to Sweden I found it difficult
to find a good fencing club, where people were fencing regularly and on the
level I was used to. But it seemed to be even more difficult to find a good
coach, a coach who helps you to get better, to improve your strong points in
fencing and with whom you can analyze your weaknesses. |
Fredrik Arvidsson 2004
|
Engineer became fencer.
My first contact with Mr. Bjarne
Hoeglund was about 10 years ago, a short meeting that will last the rest of
our life´s! He worked then as examinator for ABB automation system in
Västerås and held a course which I was engaged in as a student. At this time in my life I was rather
inactive! Working as a consultant with lots of time on my chair and that led
to very poor physics. Bjarne invited me to the fencing world and a much
healthier lifestyle. As a very experienced fencing coach he opened the door
to the fascinating world of fencing for me. A door that will remain open as
long I will be able to stand up and grip an epee! Since this meeting occurred my fencing
skills has been improved as well my fitness, thanks to Bjarne and Kirsten. As a result of my interest in fencing
I was enrolled with my local fencing club Kalmar Fäktklubb. Both as chairman
of the board and as an active fencer for the club. Bjarne and his family are today one of
my closest friends. We share the passion for fencing and of course the
passion for collecting and handling old arms. Nowadays when we meet, we never
miss the opportunity to have some real good fencing times. Thank´s Bjarne and Kirsten! Best regards! And see you in the Salle
d´ Armes! |
Kirsten Höglund 1999
|
Hamburg top fencer caught careerlong coach
My first contact with Bjarne was the
summer of 1999, he had invited 6 fencers from Northern Germany to a fencing
camp in Sweden. At this time I had been fencing successfully for 14 years,
including a number of tournament medals. So noone was surpriced when I
thought, I knew most worth knowing about fencing, at this point in time. Well I was soon to learn better and that
was not so easy to accept. Through the explanations I got, and there was
really a good explanation to every single one of my faults, I soon realized I
could learn a lot here. So, after an intensive week of training,
lots of muscle agony and many butterflies in my tummy, I decided that I
wanted this man. We became a couple and got married 2005. The following time was characterized of
many flights, fencing, fencing and more fencing. I have to mention, I had a
medical diagnose, that told I had to stop fencing due to permanent pain in my
knees. These knee injuries were the result of many years offensive fencing. I
was always on my way forward, with my knees in damaging positions. Through
intensive footwork with Bjarne, he managed to get my knees in healthy
positions. After months of daily work, my knees stopped hurting. Nowadays I
have no pain in my knees and have not had since 2000. Thank you! We worked together almost daily, which
gave my fencing career a real push forward. Bjarne turned me into a thinking
fencer, something noone of my former coaches had ever tried. I learned to
analyze my opponents and develop different tactics to different types of
fencers. This gave a silver medal at the tournament Alte Salzstrasse in
Ratzeburg 2001. The previous years I was never better than last 16. In the
following years I bested all the fencers in the swedish national team. Nowadays I am both an offensive and
defensive fencer. When the situation demands I can change tactics during the
fight. I can “almost” give myself lessons. I know exactly why something does
not work and can improve on my own. I am not a fencing marionette, who needs
the coach at the pisteside in order to win. 2005 I got my first child, 2007 came the
second and 2010 the third child, so my own fencing
have drawn the shorter straw for the last years. I have only been fencing
once a week for some years. However this will change soon and I will start
swinging the epee more seriously again. What could I say about Bjarne? He is a coach who looks on each fencer,
analyses them and puts together an individual education plan. His knowledge
of fencing is vast, which is deepened by the continous coaching courses he
attends. He brings thinking fencers to the piste, who can stand on their own.
Bjarne has an explanation to every detail, whether you want to hear it or
not. He always have an open ear to his fencers, may it be fencing related or
privat matters. He is brutally honest and genuinely kind. Update: 2012 she stopped fencing. She
decided she did not need a fencing coach or husband any longer and planned
how to get the most out of a divorce. The plan "How to get the coach out
of her life while keeping the money of the engineer" was executed early
2014. Since then she has effectively prevented me from spending time with my
kids. |
Jåke Andersson 1991
Örebro, Sweden
|
The journey from novice to Master
I have known Bjarne since 1991, when I
started fencing at Wadköpings fencing club (WFF). It was a small club with
equally small resources. Foil was the first weapon I got in contact with,
simply because that was the only weapon the club fenced. The club did not
have a proper coach and the same person was the committee, even though he had
no time for fencing. After a few months Bjarne and I
started to discuss how we could improve faster. We were given the club, since
the “old coach” wanted to retire. When we took over, the club had large debts
and was about to be kicked out from the venue we trained in. The big
challenges was to get more money and to develop ourselves as coaches faster
than our new fencers learned to fence. To get money for the club we started
to sell lottery tickets for a state lottery. During 5 years, week after week,
after our ordinary jobs, we went out and sold lottery tickets for the club.
Soon we could pay off the debts and turn the economy back into plus. We
bought electrical pistes and fencing equipment for all weapons and the club
grew fast. Bjarne contacted the club in Västerås
to arrange a training exchange, we visited them weekly for over a year. On
our quest for good coaches and knowledge about fencing we travelled the
kingdome and participated in many training camps. When the Swedish fencing
federation started to arrange coach education at the national team training
camps, we could not stay away! On Bjarnes initiative we did the fencing
teachers exam at the Swedish fencing federation and became real coaches. The
club had grown a lot and the need for more coaches was big. We looked among
the members of the club and found some more that was willing to share the
coach responsibility with us. We now started to educate our own club coaches.
At this point Bjarne said he wanted to become a fencing master. Bjarne has a great commitment, when he
want something, he makes it happen. He is now an Epeemaster and continues to
learn and develop his coaching. I have taken many lessons from him over the
years and I like his pedagogical way of coaching. You learn fast. He analyses
fencers / opponents and adjusts the lessons based on the fencers
style and needs, which not that many coaches do. Bjarne is and remains one of my best
friends. He was a dear guest at my wedding and I was invited to his wedding
as well. I now live on Gotland and Bjarne lives in Germany, but we still stay
in contact despite the distance. / Jåke |