Fencing retains the importance of image, form, and appearance, and it implies fortitude of demeanor whether truly felt or not as a large part of the acts involved towards one's final goal of opponent domination. In the world of competitive fencing this is a healthy, necessary, and completely correct form of development referred to as sportsmanship. Fencers must play the game. Fencers must play the referees. Fencers must play the croud and one's opponent.
The importance of each category measures differently depending on which weapon the fencer is conducting himself in as well as his emotional makeup and demeanor. In all three weapons spectators usually play a small role in any bout, but they can give the fencer motivation in one of two ways. They can be encouraging and help to produce energy reserves by the fencer rising to the occasion and expectations of the spectators. They can also be discouraging and cause the fencing to be motivated towards winning in order to prove the mob wrong concerning the fencer's ability. Both of these two crowd facets can help or hinder the fencer. It is imperative for the fencer to utilize the emotional inherent reaction derived from the spectators' partiality. This instance can also be manifested by the fencer's coach or the opponent's coach as well. Coaches are just spectators unless the fencer's coach is imploring the fencer during a time out or a break during a direct elimination bout. It is vital to realize that an emotional response will happen, but whether it is beneficial or harmful is necessitated by the fencer himself and not explicitly by the spectators or the fencers' coaches. While some express ass inclination that all fencers must remain calm in order to excel in a bout, it is rather a measure of retention. Calm is misplaced. Calm is for the beach. Relaxed is for the strip. Rather than becoming angry and attempting to disembowel your opponent, remain relaxed yet honed; with a focused mind, retain the emotion of the previous actions, charge them towards a future event, like priming a torch, then release the pent up chagrin in the spark of a smart, opportune moment towards a correct attack impaling one's opponent. This is why most fencers yell. Not to show off, but rather to express the effort of a correctly executed and motivated attack. Yells will happen when they happens and is a good and healthy action. The activity of the spectators will always have a certain effect, but will usually greatly diminish as the fencer's experience increases, whether the spectator's reactions are positive or negative.
In like manner, experience will help fencers in dealing with a referee. Not all calls are correct, or perfect, but it is of little matter. All calls will stand. Period! There is almost never anything the fencer can do to change a call and little can be done to encourage a different call in similar circumstances later on in the current bout or subsequent bouts. When a fencer does talk with the referee, ask questions and never state what happened in the action. These questions are to inform the referee of a misunderstanding on the fencer's part that the referee may then articulate the reasons for the call made.
The fencer must not let this anger him as it will only hurt him and render the referee to dislike him. The fencer must now adjust, not only to the opponent, but also to the referee's interpretations. Do not keep attempting to execute the same action to prove you are right. This is stupid. The referee will only execute the same call and award your opponent the point. The fencer must play on the call and attempt to draw the opponent into the same type of action in which the fencer was scored upon. Another facet of change that must be attempted is to fence smart and small. The smaller the actions, the less able the opponent will have to take advantage of the shortcomings the fencer exhibits, and while this is much more true of epee and saber than foil, parrying after the touch and executing secondary defensive actions striving for one light touches will always benefit you and will eliminate any extraneous calls in which the referee now has no choice but to give the point to the fencer in question irregardless of the perceived call and right-of-way.
The obviously most important part of playing the game lies with one's opponent directly. There are those who say that how one's opponent perceives the fencer is more than eighty percent of winning a bout. While I believe this to be overstated, it is also a given point, and it is imperative to take note of the given truth. The first impression is vital, and also how one perceives one's-self. Quiet confidence is evident; false assurances the more so. It is secure to not promote oneself and it helps to know what you are and what you can do. Do not excess over what you would like to be on the strip but exercise what you can do and utilize those things to perfection. Do not expect to beat everyone and do not blame anyone for a loss, but congratulate one's opponent on his success; nevertheless, implement a mentality of grandeur and explicit assurance of one's own ability. Never give up. Never make excuses. Be humble in defeat and don't gloat in victory. Give no quarter.
Fencing involves many layers of thought and execution. Implementing them is not easy, nor is it without discipline. One must play the game within the game and deliver; implementing the crowd, referee, and opponent towards one's own needs and desires of winning the decisive victory.