A Conversation in Steal

 I’m from Chicago.

It’s a city that is not without the influence of organized crime. Maybe you’ve heard.

When a legitimate business gets profitable, the mafia gets interested. They move in on that business, squeeze it for “protection” money or even take it over completely.  The mafia isn't keen on doing any real, honest work, themselves, but they won’t hesitate to steal from those who do some.

Starting in 1980, when I received my Fencing Master Diploma from Maitre Jean-Jacques Gillet’s American Fencing Academy, and certification from the now-defunct US Academy of Arms,  and continuing for all the years I was a member of the NFCAA – now the USFCA – I lobbied for them to recognize, preserve and promote classical fencing (which was then known simply as correct fencing!) as well as other weapons such as the rapier, the smallsword and the longsword.

For several decades the USFCA (and it’s Tweedle-dum twin the USFA) derided, denigrated, dismissed, disparaged, trivialized  and insulted classical fencing,  and sneered at the very notion that fencing as a martial art could even exist. In their “coaches college” only the three “modern” weapons used in competition were considered, solely and exclusively, with Olympic gold medals the be-all and end-all of their efforts. The USFCA is aptly named: The United States Fencing COACHES’ Association. They are coaches training people to win at a competitive sport.  They are not fencing masters, at least not by the definition I was taught:  one who had the skill, knowledge and spirit to teach any person the correct use of any sword for any purpose. A  fencing master may sometimes function in the role of coach. But being a coach does not make you a fencing master.

Over that same period of time, the “sport” of fencing devolved into a meaningless and graceless game of electronic tag, bearing utterly no resemblance to a “frank and courteous encounter” (a duel, that is), and played by rude, screaming narcissists, for whom real fencers have long since grown weary of apologizing. Thankfully, the numbers involved in this game are starting to dwindle. With luck, it will cease to exist at all.

Meanwhile, Classical Fencing and “Historical European Martial Arts,” (HEMA) have found something of a niche, and that niche is growing.  Clearly these people are looking for something that the “Olympic fencing” game of poke-and-hope does not provide --- and they are willing to invest a fair amount of money in this pursuit. They are willing to pay for equipment, and they are willing to pay for instruction.

Naturally, overnight “masters” spring up like mushrooms --- or actually, more like “10^th Degree Supreme Ultimate Grand Masters,” first in karate, then kung fu, then ninjitsu, then hapkido, then aikido, in accordance with what was featured in the latest, most popular action movie. (All the same guys, mind you. Only the sign in the dojo window changed.)

And, naturally, now that there’s money to be had, the USFCA is suddenly interested.

Now, out of the blue,  with no history of any prior involvement in, or support of classical fencing or HEMA, the USFCA, like the mafia (only without the accents and the snappy clothes), wants to take them over and siphon off whatever profits there are to be had from the people who have rightfully earned them, to distribute amongst their own pompous, plagiaristic and self-aggrandizing chosen few.  They thus anoint themselves as the arbiter of who is or isn’t “certified” to teach, form a committee for that purpose and bestow lofty titles on themselves – all with no demonstration of any expertise in the subject whatsoever.  Make no mistake, their next step is obvious: they will deride, denigrate, dismiss, disparage, trivialize  and insult all those who do not possess USFCA certification, and they will try to convince the public (that is, the market) that those not blessed with the USFCA nod are incompetent charlatans who will put little Tom and Suzie in peril of life and limb.

But it isn’t just about money.

It’s also about ego, power and, above all, CONTROL. The USFCA, like an abusive spouse, craves control over every thought, word and deed.  Without that control, they might be seen for what they are, as would the once beautiful and noble “sport” of fencing which they enthusiastically helped to ruin.

Classical Fencing and Olympic fencing, you see, are not two variations on the same theme, like two different flavors of ice cream. They are not different “styles” of fencing.  (The former is fencing, the latter is not. What it is, I’ll leave it to you to figure out).

Classical Fencing and the “sport” called fencing are, in fact, diametrically opposed and mutually contradictory both technically and philosophically.

How could the organization that has led the charge against Classical Fencing for so long, now represent classical fencing?  It’s preposterous. Far be it from me to suggest that the USFCA would know ethical conduct if they stepped in it, but is there not just a teensie-weensie bit of conflict of interest here?  Is the fox really qualified to certify the security guards for the henhouse?

Those of us who are professional fencing masters, who make our living teaching the true art, science and spirit of the sword, would be well advised to wear wreaths of garlic around our necks to keep the USFCA at bay until we can find out where they sleep during the day and stake them firmly down in the coffin of absolute irrelevance they so deserve.

We need USFCA "certification" like a swimmer needs an anvil. What we could use is a loose association of independent professional fencing masters who can agree on what a fencing master is and what you have to do, know and be, to be recognized as one by the rest of us.  That’s assuming that there actually are enough professional fencing masters out there to fill one of the larger booths at Denny’s.  Personally, I can count the ones I know of on one hand, and still have enough fingers left to deal off the bottom of the deck. But you have to start someplace.

It would certainly be better than allowing the mafia to muscle in and take over.

aac