Beyond Comfort

Yesterday, I asked my coach David to fence, and he willingly agreed. At first, I was getting most of the hits, but then everything seemed to change. David began to bob up and down on his feet, and began to move much more quickly. I was very surprised by this; after all, David had taught me that you mustn't bob up and down a lot (see The Graceful Swan). I don't mind admitting that it unsettled me. Fencing is not just played physically, it is also a thinking game. The problem was, that I couldn't see what he was trying to achieve. To unsettle me? Match my style? I was unsure, and because of this, I instantly became wary. Confidence on the piste is important, because even if you are panicking, if you remain confident on the exterior, you can keep up a good performance. However, I was incredibly wary of David, because I didn't know what he was doing. My confident exterior crumbled promptly, and David began to get point after point after point. Afterwards, he explained what he had done:
Everyone has a comfort zone, and it is in this zone that we fence at our very best. Yesterday, David succeeded in bringing me out of it, and so he scored plenty of hits. If we have a small comfort zone, then we will not fare as well. Perhaps beginners have a smaller comfort zone, which is why they are more easily unsettled. I would say that the comfort zone grows with experience. It's just a matter of expanding it. Now armed with this knowledge, I look forward to fencing David next time!