Rating: 
Summary: Definitely a must-buy!
Review: Fencing is all about achieving an end. And that's exactly where the readership of *The Inner Game* will neatly divide into separate factions at odds with each other, with the author, and with the entire book. For the one group, fencing means setting off a green or red light as quickly and decisively as possible. The end justifies the means: you punch, jump (with both feet of the ground), flick, or (sometimes) actually parry-riposte to achieve this end. Win the bout. The tournament. The Nationals. And find your name somewhere on the "train schedules" published in *American Fencing*. Nothing wrong with that: If fencing to you is a magnificent competitive sport that involves hitting an opponent no matter how (as long as it is within the FIE rules), I'd agree with you. It is... among other things. But this book may not be for you. Because if you take the Art of Fencing in its intellectual complexity... a parable of human life, maturation, truth, and social interaction, you enter into what Evangelista calls The Inner Game of Fencing. This Inner Game is about integrity and logical cohesion of mind and body, of strategy and movement... in short, a complex interaction of will, mind, and motion that will only open itself up to the individual who searches, probes, ponders, and questions the quick fixes and shortcuts convenience and short-term purpose dictate in modern competitive fencing. Evangelista has chosen a somewhat off-beat format for his book. It is less a prescriptive tractate that tries to please and coddle as it instructs. It is more a collection of individual insights... sometimes gruff, sometimes unflattering... but always honest, just as they were gathered and hard-fought for over decades of a man's and fencer's life. In a way, *The Inner Game* comprises the quintessence of what a serious student of fencing might glean from individual conversations with an experienced master over a decade of lessons. If you're looking for a book telling you how to set off a buzzer a split second earlier than your oppenent... go practice. If you have come to see fencing and swordplay as a process involving the lifelong pursuit of certain human truths, you might be tempted to put it next to Nadi's *On Fencing* and Musashi's *Book of 5 Rings*. That's where I put my copy.
Rating:
Summary: Passionate and thoughtful
Review: Fencing masters have an obligation to their students. It is present during the lesson, the bout or the printed page. Nick Evangelista's devotion to fencing is lifelong and he imparts that passion in "The Inner Game of Fencing." For the new fencer, Nick stimulates thought about actions and behavior on the fencing strip. For example, "How does a composed attack evolve?" or "What are the benefits of fencing conventions (rules)." For the experienced fencer, Nick offers a diverse range of topics to reflect on. It becomes easy for many of us to say, "because that's the way I have always done it." The book caused me to look inward. Am I doing this action in the best way that I can do it? What do I stand to gain or lose by changing? Nick Evangelista meets his obligation well. Agreement with all of his points of view is not required. Reflecting on your fencing game and how you want it to develop is.
Rating: 
Summary: A man and his anachronism
Review: Firstly, the formatting error: there were too many pages for the content. The book was written as a series of short articles, each being allocated at least one page regardless of length. More often than not, there was less than a half-page of writing for each page of paper. The book's size could have been reduced by about 1/3 by putting multiple topics on each page. So much wasted space was a detriment to the reading experience. The writing is, as in The Art and Science of Fencing, disjunct, poorly supported, and lacking almost any relationships or transitions between topics. And, with only one short topic to each page, it reads like a quote-a-day calendar for fencers. EVERY fencer should read this book. Those who agree with the author on points of technique, sportsmanship, and historical perspective will naturally read it of their own volition, and praise Mr. Evangelista for finally producing in print what they have been thinking all along. Those who have disdainfully read his previous books and articles, and would prefer not to sit through more of his holier-than-thou sermonizing should read it because this book contains the most compelling arguments for a return to classical fencing i've seen. And even if you, like me, are certain that this is a backwards idea, you DO need to hear the other side of it. The ideas set forth in this book i disagree with vehemently, but, again, that's why i needed to read it. The one sincere error in Mr. Evangelista's thought, rather than simply an opinion i disagree with, is revealed by considering as a group his opinions on anything that has changed in fencing in the last fifty (sixty? ) years - pistol grips, greater ductility in blades, electronic scoring assistance, higher standards for safety clothing, the "flick", increased athleticisim in competition, and what can be called the "modern competitive" style of fencing - he is opposed to them all. While they do all have their merits and drawbacks, of which he acknowledges none of the former, and exaggerates all the latter, is it really plausible that every new idea since Evangelista's first lesson has been a bad one? This shows a prejudice, rather than considered thought, behind his exhortations. To end: if you dislike Nick Evangelista's school of thought, you should read this book, so you have his whole story, and never have to think about it again. As for everyone else, you've already read it. And a word to (about?) Nick Evangelista - if you are becoming fed up with the competitive fencing community (we certainly are with you), you're barking up the wrong tree. There's a place you can go where everyone already agrees with you. It's The Society For Creative Anachronism. It's where you belong.
Rating:
Summary: Fencing with attitude
Review: From only reading these posted reviews, you'd think fencers were a polarized lot. Unfortunately, they're not--those who actually think about what they do with foil, epee, or sabre in hand are few and far between. There's actually very little polarization in practice because there's little real interaction between "classical" and sport fencers. But there is underground discontent among the latter, and Master Evangelista is its teacher. Nick Evangelista in this, his sequel to The Art and Science of Fencing, distills what it means to fence, and at its core his message resembles the ancient Socratic one: all of us, if we're disturbed by the right questions, can learn what fencing is about, but first we have to realize what it isn't. Advocates of sport fencing can criticize him all they want, but they cannot deny the elitism and demand for instant gratification that pervades the sport fencing scene ("You can be better than I am in six months," I recently heard the coach of a sport fencing club tell his beginners.) As with Socratic philosophy, for Master Evangelista fencing informs a way of life; its lessons are not restricted to making a little light go on in a fencing bout. In its current preoccupation with Olympic-style flash, sport fencing, too, represents a way of life--that of the instant gratification and attention-craving narcissism of a consumer society oblivious to history, meaning, and purpose, in a way like those in ancient Athens who smugly thought they knew what justice was and dismissed anyone who had the gall to question them. In talking with younger sport fencers, I have found them to bollixed by the sport fencing scene--the bent arm attack, the flick, and so on. To a man and woman, they are admirers of Master Evangelista's books. The problem they contend with is a failure to engage the issues he raises within the larger fencing "community," which amounts to a dismissal of his message by a few sport fencing advocates and the hierarchy of organized fencing competition, and amounts to a general ignorance of what fencing is on the part of an entire generation of American and European fencers. My solution to this failure to communicate--and fencing is above all else a form of communication, from continuity with a line of masters to sentiment de fer--my small effort to try to restore the meaning of the art and science and fencing--is to take the lessons of The Inner Game of Fencing onto the strip, and deploy a few simple classical techniques with a nice, stiff 30-inch foil blade. I have found those lessons pay off--the proof is in the pudding, as it were: Sport fencers have to respond by at least trying to really fence, or they get hit. Period. By putting his counsel to practice, I have found that Master Evangelista is right on, both intellectually and in actual results. If you're going to fence, read him and....think! If you do, you will also put him to use on the strip, where cavalier dismissals just won't cut it. Read The Inner Game of Fencing as if you were getting ready to get up and bout, and you won't lose.
Rating:
Summary: Fencing with attitude
Review: From only reading these posted reviews, you'd think fencers were a polarized lot. Unfortunately, they're not--those who actually think about what they do with foil, epee, or sabre in hand are few and far between. There's actually very little polarization in practice because there's little real interaction between "classical" and sport fencers. But there is underground discontent among the latter, and Master Evangelista is its teacher. Nick Evangelista in this, his sequel to The Art and Science of Fencing, distills what it means to fence, and at its core his message resembles the ancient Socratic one: all of us, if we're disturbed by the right questions, can learn what fencing is about, but first we have to realize what it isn't. Advocates of sport fencing can criticize him all they want, but they cannot deny the elitism and demand for instant gratification that pervades the sport fencing scene ("You can be better than I am in six months," I recently heard the coach of a sport fencing club tell his beginners.) As with Socratic philosophy, for Master Evangelista fencing informs a way of life; its lessons are not restricted to making a little light go on in a fencing bout. In its current preoccupation with Olympic-style flash, sport fencing, too, represents a way of life--that of the instant gratification and attention-craving narcissism of a consumer society oblivious to history, meaning, and purpose, in a way like those in ancient Athens who smugly thought they knew what justice was and dismissed anyone who had the gall to question them. In talking with younger sport fencers, I have found them to bollixed by the sport fencing scene--the bent arm attack, the flick, and so on. To a man and woman, they are admirers of Master Evangelista's books. The problem they contend with is a failure to engage the issues he raises within the larger fencing "community," which amounts to a dismissal of his message by a few sport fencing advocates and the hierarchy of organized fencing competition, and amounts to a general ignorance of what fencing is on the part of an entire generation of American and European fencers. My solution to this failure to communicate--and fencing is above all else a form of communication, from continuity with a line of masters to sentiment de fer--my small effort to try to restore the meaning of the art and science and fencing--is to take the lessons of The Inner Game of Fencing onto the strip, and deploy a few simple classical techniques with a nice, stiff 30-inch foil blade. I have found those lessons pay off--the proof is in the pudding, as it were: Sport fencers have to respond by at least trying to really fence, or they get hit. Period. By putting his counsel to practice, I have found that Master Evangelista is right on, both intellectually and in actual results. If you're going to fence, read him and....think! If you do, you will also put him to use on the strip, where cavalier dismissals just won't cut it. Read The Inner Game of Fencing as if you were getting ready to get up and bout, and you won't lose.
Rating:
Summary: Not for the Sport at heart
Review: Having read "The Art and Science of Fencing" by Nick Evangelista, I was eagerly awaiting the arrival of his newest book "The Inner Game of Fencing" and I was not dissappointed. Classical fencing, or the "art" of fencing is a balance between technique, form, strategy, and spirit, and that is exactly what Maestro Evangelista addresses in this book. It is obvious he writes from an appreciation of an art which is being over run by a game concerned only with touches. If your interest in fencing lies merely in the goal of racking up touches, regardless of how you achieve that objective, then this book is not going to do much for you. But, if you believe fencing is a true ''Martial Art,'' requiring discipline, where every move, every position, every thought has a specific purpose, then I highly recommend this reading.
Rating:
Summary: A great disappointment. Extremely biased and stupid.
Review: I am an assistant coach and I pride myself in playing a 99% mental 1% physical game. I got interested in the book when I read the title, but it turned out to be a big disappointment. The author is stuck in a fencing thinking that is 100 years old (which I guess is ok), and badmouths anything new (which I totally disagree with!). Let me demonstrate his bias with a quote from his "The spirit of fencing: a test": "Do you think the flick is the greatest fencing innovation since the lunge, or would you rather have your sword arm sawed off before you would do one?" A flick might not be the greatest fencing innovation since the lunge, but it definetely adds a new dimension to the art. A simple light flick to the wrist will have powerful effect on the psyche of the opponent, and the possibility of a flick adds to the complexity of this game of human chess. In another question he asks if we are independent thinkers or whether we accept things as a fact. It seems to me that he accepts the 100 year old style as a fact, and cannot objectively think through the pros and cons of recent changes.
Rating: 
Summary: Good points buried
Review: I believe Mr. Evangelista has some very good points in The Inner Game, electric scoring has diminished some aspects of the sport, many fencers often do think only of winning instead of how to fence properly, etc. However, these points are buried in the author's narcissistic commentary. Mr. Evangelista does not explore others' way of thinking. It seems he believes his ideas are the only ones worth printing. Surely, in a sport as complex as fencing, there is more than one way to achieve success. As a reader and fencer, I'd like to explore more than one option.
Rating:
Summary: Consider the source indeed
Review: I can not believe the arrogance of the book and some of the reviewers (more like his friends and himself who writes these). Accusing someone of being ignorant because he did not like the book??? This is the type of attitude that the author of the book and many of his followers follow, pure arrogance. This is also his attitude when people question on what he writes, he has a tendency to cut them down if someone disagrees with him. This coming from a a second rate teacher who claims to have made champions in his 30 span career can not even name one single champion who can validate this claim. He must have lot of free time in his hands. This book consists of very opinionated and arrogant philosophy of Nick and should be considered a dime novel then a treatise on fencing. Indeed, consider some of the source of the reviews, written by Nick's friends and himself.
Rating:
Summary: Stuck in the '70s
Review: I can tell you, right now, whether you will like this book or not. If you are a diehard classical fencer (i.e., every innovation to come to the game since 1971 is an abomination), then you will love this book. If, on the other hand, you are willing to incorporate *anything* that's been invented since then--fencing as an athletic endeavor, the flick, electric scoring, the pistol grip--then this book will not do much for you. If you're an impressionable newbie, then try not to get taken in.
In all seriousness, no matter whan you think of classical fencing, you're sure to be put off by Evangelista's abraisive, confrontational writing style. Anyone who disagrees with him is a 'poker' or a 'brute.' Any technique of which he disapproves is 'wrong,' no further explanation required. Fencing as a modern, athletic sport 'has no soul.' And so on.
By adopting such an arrogant tone in his books, of which this one is the most egregious, Evangelista represents if anything a setback to the classical fencing movement: whenever sport fencers need to bolster their arguments, they can just say, 'Look, the best that you classical types can come up with is Nick Evangelista.'
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