Analyzing Kokubo Mao vs. Oh Sanguk | Absolute Fencing World Cup

Hello, everybody. I wanted to analyze a bout between Kokubo Mao and OhSanGook. Both of these guys are really fun fencers to watch. I really like watching Kokubo, personally, because his attacks are so fast. OhSanGook's obviously fun to watch, too, just because of how good he is. But, I don't know, I like Kokubo Mao's style a little bit more. Yeah, I've attended an FIE seminar. I've refereed some matches since the last time I uploaded a video. So, in theory, I should have a better understanding of how calls are made in Saber. But, I want to look at this both from a strategy perspective and also, yeah, maybe this will help somebody out if they aren't super familiar with right-of-way rules in Saber. Alright, let's get into it. Okay, so the first point the ref gives to OhSanGook, I'm not going to lie to you, this point was really fast for me. I have a hard time understanding why. Let's try to figure out why. To me, this just looks like Saimo. I can't really distinguish who's ahead. And I know this is really funny, I just said, yes, I know how to distinguish the points better now, and that looked the same to me. Alright, hopefully the next few points go better. Okay, so that seems, it's just attack for OhSanGook. Kokubo was looking for preparation, but his attack on prep starts after Oh's attack, right? Not in this one, but in the next point. So Oh starts his attack, Kokubo Mao is looking for preparation, but he's doing so as OhSanGook is attacking, not after. So this is very clear, this is OhSanGook's point. Thank god, otherwise this is going to be a comedy of, oh, I just went to an FIE Saber seminar, now I think every touch is Saimo. Thank god that didn't happen. I have watched this bout before, although it's been a long time, I remember it being kind of a fun bout. So let's see. Okay, attack for OhSanGook. Okay, just attack-counterattack for OhSanGook, very clear. Okay, so Kokubo waited a little bit too long in the center, okay, just attack-counterattack, no parry. So from a strategy perspective, right, which, you know, the center is going to be, the middle is going to be where the strategy is happening. OhSanGook was waiting for Kokubo to take this step back, like here, he was waiting, and Kokubo sort of crumbled under the pressure, right? He's like, am I going to get drawn short, or is my opponent going to attack me, and he chose incorrectly. So, so far, OhSanGook is winning this middle fight, the battle in the box, so to speak. Okay, so this is just attack-counterattack. Oh, OhSanGook is arguing for attack-no, let's see. No, it's just one attack, so attack-counterattack. The referee stands by his decision, and yeah, OhSanGook accepts that, that makes sense. So, the reason why it probably looked weird to Oh, and it should be clear to people looking on the side, but it's not so easy when you're actually fencing, is like, Kokubo's in the air for a long time here, right, like he goes, eh, and his hand is held back here, but this is still his preparation. Also, he's just flying in the air. So then when he hits, it could seem like it's two motions, but really, it's the same motion. It's just one motion, and the referee is explaining that. Oh, so that was a little fake-out. So, the referee is giving this to Oh. Let's go, I think this point was actually kind of complicated. So fake-fake, and then, so OhSanGook fakes, and then Kokubo fakes, and then OhSanGook goes. So, I don't know if I would actually say this is just like attack-counterattack the way that the ref did. The way that I see this, is this is attack-no, then Kokubo attack-nos, and then OhSanGook attacks. So, attack-no, attack-no, attack. Just attack. Look at this attack, this attack is so pretty by Kokubo. He takes over, he's patient in the middle, and beautiful execution, just so fast and precise. Look at that. And then the lunge at the end, like almost doing the splits. Bam! I'm not a fanboy, you're a fanboy. Also, you should be a fanboy. Attack-no. Look at this bounce. Go Kokubo, go! And by the way, this is why OhSanGook is the GOAT. Like, now, I've stopped at midpoint, forgive me, but notice how he just dodged this attack. Like, I mean, dear lord. So, attack-no in the middle, and then Kokubo has this dangerous attack. Like, who's surviving this attack? Well, the answer is OhSanGook. Just off the back line, and now he slowly, you know, he beats the line out of the way, and just attack. Wow. That was a really nice point. The patience that Oh has to just wait out the attack all the way to the very end, it's incredible. One of my biggest weaknesses in fencing, I mean, granted, compared to these guys, I'm weak at, like, literally everything, but one of the things that I suck at the most is on defense, I don't use the entire strip. When people are attacking me, I don't use the entire length of the strip, I tend to do things too quickly, like I do a lot of do-or-die action, so to speak. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't, right? But OhSanGook, in this case, shows how patient he is. Like, just because things are bad now doesn't mean that they can't improve. Kokubo attacks too early, and now OhSanGook has a chance to attack. You don't always have to do something. Okay, I like that point from Kokubo, just attack, counterattack. I don't actually think that there should be much deliberation here, so... He fakes him out, and then he goes. It's not attack, no, because... Well, okay, maybe it is attack, no. If OhSanGook had attacked at the moment where Kokubo brings his hand back, like back here, then yeah, you could argue attack, no, attack. But the problem is, is he takes additional steps back, so if anything, this is reprise. I would just call this attack, counterattack. Maybe if we want to be very technical, we would call this reprise, attack, or attack, stop, and then attack, stop, and then go. Actually, I forgot what the technical term is. People will have to forgive me. Somehow reprise is supposed to be inaccurate. Attack, no, attack, parry, riposte, toosh. Very clean parry by Kokubo. And the same thing again, he gets caught in the same trap. So the nice thing about picking parry here, as opposed to trying to pull distance against your opponent, is it's easier to fake or draw the opponent's attack out, because if you parry your opponent, you can be closer to them. Obviously, if you're trying to pull distance, you need to be farther away, and then the decision, the point in time where you have to make that decision is earlier than the point in time where you need to make the decision to parry your opponent's attack, because you're closer to your opponent when you're parrying them. So that's why this is working well against O, I think. Earlier in the bout, O was really punishing Kokubo in the middle with his attack, right? Because Kokubo was being slightly indecisive. So to punish that, Kokubo is taking some parries in the middle. So this is just parry four and then riposte. Same deal here. Parry four and riposte. Now fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. So probably you should fall for the same trick twice. You never think they're going to throw rock again, right? So that's what? Attack, no attack? I don't even know what that was. Sorry, I have to restart here. Oh, so no, this is malparry. So Kokubo tried to go for the parry again, but he failed. Why did he fail? Oh, because Osengok held his arm back, and the advantage of doing that is he can change directions at the end. So attack, Composé. It's hard to see at the start, but I'm pretty sure that's what happened. He goes for one line and then he goes to a different line. Makes sense. If your opponent is parrying you, you probably should go indirect. Attack, no. Kokubo goes for Hermes, goes for Hall. That was nice. That's really nice. Holds distance there. And then attack, counterattack. So there was blade contact. The ref is saying that the blade contact is mutual. And I agree. Like, look at what... See, it's parry two. Like, Kokubo is trying... or parry one, I should say. He goes for parry one. And yeah, Osengok is going for prise de fer, but this is parry two. So if anything, we would call this counterattack parry riposte. That hand signal that the referee made... Let's see if we can go back where he makes his hand signal. This one here, you can see his fingers pressed together. The term there is touledu. Probably butchering that. But it means mutual blade contact. So the tiebreaker here isn't what's happening with the blades, but who's taking over with the feet, right? So Kokubo is very clearly the more aggressive fencer in this action. Since there's mutual blade contact, the point goes to the aggressive fencer, and that is Kokubo. And I fully agree with this point. I actually probably... Well, sorry, I don't fully agree with it, because I'm probably more radical than this referee. I think that this is counterattack parry riposte. Because Kokubo very clearly was going for parry two there. Yeah, it doesn't seem like Oda Sengoku agreed, but it's okay to be wrong. Okay, attack, parry, riposte, toosh. That's three points exactly the same way by Kokubo. Wait, hold on. Yeah, Kokubo just starts his attack first. Wait, actually, now that I saw the replay, maybe I disagree. Maybe I disagree. These points, I feel like I'm always going to struggle with these very marginal calls. Ah, so probably the argument here is that O is looking for prep because Kokubo has already started, and the argument for Kokubo is that there's just no fencing time. Yeah, O Sengoku is trying to hit him in prep, but he's doing so after Kokubo has already started his attack, right? Which means this is an attack-counterattack for Kokubo. Let's see if the decision is overruled, or sorry, changed, and it was upheld, so no. Okay, it's just attack happened here. Ah, so yeah. So Kokubo goes for a parry, and O Sengoku is obviously aware that that's the game plan right now, so he changes lines. So hold on, what's happening here? I don't understand. So O Sengoku's going indirect here, why is he being rewarded for the point? So Kokubo starts his, so one direction, then the other. Yeah, attack, no attack. So the way the ref sees it is it's just attack-counterattack, maybe because O is still in his prep is the argument. I don't, I think, I don't agree. I don't agree with this call. Maybe this is the first call that I just disagree with? I think this is very clear attack-no, and then, so that's attack-no, and then Kokubo starts his attack, and then they both hit together. So that should be Kokubo's. Attack-no, attack for me. Indirect attack should not be able to simul or beat a straight attack, even if the indirect attack is faster. Now, there are some people out there that disagree with me, so I've heard, but usually I try to say things in a more polite way, but frankly, they're just wrong. If you go indirect, you go one way, and then you go another, that action is worse than a direct attack. It has to be. Because it's less likely to fail, and actions that are more likely to fail should be rewarded. Okay. I don't agree with that call, but the ref seems to think that it's 4-0, so that's part of the game. Keep fencing. Attack-no. Puts out line to defend. Active defense, stays near his opponent, but patient. But beautifully executed attack by Kokubo doesn't make the same mistake where he attacks too early on the back line. Attack-parry, repost-toosh. Although that time it was a different parry, right? It was parry-1. Or wait, was it even parry-1? Hold on. No, no, no. This is just attack-no-attack. It was either parry-1, or it was hard to see. Mal-parry, yeah, just attack at this point. Attack... Mal-parry, I guess? Yeah, there was no blade contact. He was celebrating, so I was confused. Yeah, no, it's just attack. That's attack-no. Yeah, so unlike the previous case where Kokubo had his arm held back and then whipped it, you know, like belly-cut style to his opponent in the air, this one he attacked and then failed in the air and then hit him on the way down, right? So, let's see. This is attack-no here. Well, actually like slightly. Let me try to pause it more in time. So, attack-no. This is attack-no here. Attack has already been launched, already been executed, and it fails. And then he continues, but... Attack by OhSanGook. So, attack-no, attack-remove. Okay, so just attack from Kokubo. They're just saying preparation here. Is it preparation or just attack? Oh, yeah, yeah. So, this time the referee sees Oh's indirect attack coming, and he gives it to Kokubo. But I don't even know if I would ref this as like preparation. Maybe, yeah, yeah. You probably do ref this as preparation, yeah. Preparation, attack, toosh, point. As opposed to attack-no, attack-remove. That makes sense. But that does beg the question, why was the previous point where Oh changed lines awarded to him? Seems like that should have been Kokubo's point, too. Let's see. Yeah, messy. I think they're going to give this to Oh, if I had to guess. Probably rightfully so. Let's see. So, Oh's attack-no, but then attack-no from Kokubo, and then Oh hits, and then Kokubo hits. So, it should be Oh's handbook. So, they say, yeah, they give it to Oh. Attack-counterattack. Attack-counterattack, that's a failed skyhook. So, Kokubo attempted the skyhook, but did not manage. Committed the decision a little too late. Attack-parry, repost-toosh. Attack-parry, repost. It's just attack-parry, repost. No counter-parry. No, I don't agree. Attack-no, attack. So, yeah, this is what world-class fencing looks like. Every point is really fun. Granted, there were some points where I wasn't totally sure what the ref was saying. That's probably due to my own inexperience. But I think this bout was a lot of fun. I highly encourage everybody to watch Fencing for Everyone's videos. And hopefully this was helpful to somebody. Yeah, I'll try to be a little bit better about uploading videos to this channel. I make no promises, though. If I find the time, I will upload a video. And if I don't, then I won't. Hopefully people enjoyed this. Yeah, see ya. Bye.