Fencing: The Love of a Lifetime
For Miklós Kocsis, fencing is a lifelong passion. Perhaps he even fends in his dreams, which is why he simply cannot tear himself away from the blade. Yet the 40-year-old president of Veszprém Dózsaváros Student Sport SE will celebrate his 88th birthday at the end of the year. He has been coaching for more than six decades, and although his energy is not what it used to be, he still finds common ground with the young people who come to him, ensuring they handle their weapons well in competitions. Although he has been thinking about retirement for a long time, the fencers are truly in good hands with him.
“Many people say I’m in good shape for my age, but I can’t really boast about it, and I don’t want to complain when people ask how I’m doing. I try to keep myself in shape, but physically, unfortunately—or perhaps understandably—I’m not at the level I was at in the past ten years, and to tell the truth, from that perspective, I was in a better condition in that regard even last year. Sometimes it’s my back, other times my shoulder, and sometimes my knee that acts up, but mostly it’s not these “aches and pains” that hurt, but the fact that I’ve gotten old. That said, I’m not complaining, even if my batteries are sometimes running low,”
—notes Miklós Kocsis with a sly smile at the corner of his mouth; he was once both the president of his beloved club, head of the department, and coach, and also a leader in his social work, given that he never wanted to be a full-time coach.
As I understand it, at the age of 14, through three of his classmates, he ended up at the local Szikra SE fencing hall, where the legendary Ágoston Bors was training the next generation. Although he earned first-class qualifications in foil and épée as a student at Lovassy High School (…he was a member of Haladás, and later Bakony Vegyész TC, foil and épée teams), he gave up competitive fencing fairly early, in 1970. As an athlete with good technique and physical conditioning, he could have gone further, but as an employee of Mezőgép, he traveled the country far and wide, while working at Bakony Művek factory, where he was relied upon for multiple shifts. He considered Uncle Guszti his true mentor, looking up to him as a second father, and because he kept his word, at the age of 25 he began preparing for a career as a coach. First as an assistant coach, then as a head coach three years later, and after graduating from the University of Physical Education, he earned his certification as a specialist coach. As a mechanical technician, he became a part-time coach at BVTC Sports School. Meanwhile, he worked at the County Bakery Company, and then VÁÉV Construction Company signed a training contract with him and he became vice-chairman of the Veszprém Builders SE— and in his social work, he oversaw the company’s mass sports activities. He retired from the legal successor of the Municipal Management Company. Veszprém Dózsavárosi DSK was established in 1985, and later the “school-independent,” VDDSE, a separate legal entity, was registered in 1986. Six years later, he was elected president of the sports club, and in 1994 he became the head of the county sports federation. Bors Ágoston Fencing Hall, built from the former gymnasium and boiler room of the eponymous school, was inaugurated exactly thirty years ago, in 1996.
A few years later, VDDSE was ranked among the top ten best training workshops in the country (…at times, the number of active members even exceeded a hundred), and its athletes, who were active on multiple fronts, competed everywhere with open helmets. Many of them came close to the line of fire, and they were worthy opponents even for more skilled adversaries. Their results and well-executed plays consistently reflected the hard work they had put in. Thanks to Miklós Kocsis, they developed excellent physical fitness, and because they always worked diligently, they gave their all in most competitions.
“Unfortunately, we don’t have the same calculuses today as we did in the period following the turn of the millennium. Most recently, the coronavirus pandemic hit us hard, when we couldn’t work for nearly a year and a half; namely, we were not granted admission to the educational institution we had been using up until then and continue to use today. And yet, at that time, a fantastic class of students was just beginning to spread their wings. Following the pandemic, we had to start almost everything from scratch; I say this in the plural, even though I still do most things on my own these days—or rather, I can count on my blade-wielders' parents for that. Then I mustn’t fail to mention that after completing their elementary and middle school studies, our members focus especially on their further education, which is why quite a few of them stop competing. And last but not least, we must also recognize that other sports that are in the spotlight draw significant resources, making it difficult for us to get a foothold alongside them,”
— adds the gold medalist from Veszprém, to which we would add that, despite all this, VDDSE still has talented competitors who, in recent years have ranked among the best at national student competitions and age-group championships.
Miklós Kocsis explained to us: the first day is a trial period for the students, because normally kids can’t pick up a weapon until after six months. They need to reach a certain level of fitness to master the basics. Those who are interested in learning the basics of dagger, rapier, and sword fighting first learn footwork, then they can work with weapons, and after that, they can move on to partner drills.
"The path to mastering the rules and techniques is a long one, and not everyone has the necessary patience for it. In our sport, discipline, humility, and composure are also necessary, not to mention physical attributes and technical skills. Today’s kids are also skilled and hardworking; they plan to show off their lion’s claws in the sequel as well. The only difference is is that there used to be more of us at practice. We can’t compete with the bigger clubs on any level, but that doesn’t bother me; I try to keep our practices going with the same dedication as in our prime. During warm-ups, I always assign the exercises carefully, and then the young players practice in pairs, which I also join in on, observing them from the sidelines. At these times, I correct any movement or technical errors that have come to light, and I draw their attention to specific points they should focus on in the future if they want to improve. I also hold regular one-on-one training sessions where students can “practice” with their weapons, and my protective gear ensures that I don’t feel a thing from their stabs or cuts. If I get tired during our training sessions, there are times when I sit down and catch my breath, since I feel that I can’t handle as much physical activity as I could in previous years. I’ve wanted to pass the baton to someone else for a long time, but due to a lack of funds, or rather, given our limited financial resources, we cannot afford to hire a full-time coach; for a few thousand forints, no one would likely take on the task of working with young people. Beyond the fact that a younger professional generally finds it difficult to balance their full-time job and family commitments with potential sports-related responsibilities,”
– emphasizes Miklós Kocsis, whose wife wouldn’t mind if her husband gave up his athletic career.
“Although I have so much to thank my partner for, I always end up saying, ‘…my love, I knew fencing before I knew you.’”
– To this day, I love going to practice, and I’m glad there are still young people interested in fencing, which, if they do well, will also offer them weekend activities in the form of parades. I enjoy being with them, and I see that despite the large age gap, they don’t mind that I’m teaching them. It feels good to lead them in practice, since I won’t be younger or in better shape myself. If my health allows it, I’d like to spend another year or two with them, then take a break and just watch the events from the sidelines. But I can’t stop now, because if I hang up my gear, they’ll certainly be left to fend for themselves.”
As our report has revealed, VDDSE is doing meaningful work under modest circumstances. In the city of queens, Miklós Kocsis, who is reviving the tradition and is blessed with a keen pedagogical sense, no longer focuses primarily on training champions, but rather on helping students develop and stay healthy through the sport. Of course, this does not change the fact that, for the expert, fencing is a lifelong passion. It is as if it were their very essence, which is why they simply cannot break away from it.
Author: Ferenc Király