Fencing

Discussion in 'Other Styles' started by Jaydub, Sep 12, 2021.

  1. Jaydub

    Jaydub Valued Member

    Thank you. It was a lot of fun.
     
  2. axelb

    axelb Master of Office Chair Fu

    Fantastic! Sounds like a great day out.

    If I'm going to lose, then at least it best be against the person who goes on to win gold :D
     
    Jaydub likes this.
  3. Botta Dritta

    Botta Dritta Valued Member

    Awesome!!
     
    Jaydub likes this.
  4. Jaydub

    Jaydub Valued Member

    I'm starting to notice little bruises all over my torso. :D
     
    Nachi and axelb like this.
  5. Botta Dritta

    Botta Dritta Valued Member

    Actually that's one of the the problem with women epeeists who go to hospitals or clinics with their partners. Staff see the bruises on the upper arm and take women aside and ask if they want to report their husband or partner to the police for physical abuse. Poor husbands sit in reception and wonder why the nurses and doctors all of a sudden look at them as of they became reptiles.

    Have fun with the bruises!
     
    Jaydub likes this.
  6. PointyShinyBurn

    PointyShinyBurn Valued Member

    I used to train a bit with a woman who was a national-level in full-contact rules and she said other women had more than once come up to her in a service-station café on the way back from a fight and, pointing out her coach, been like "Leave him! It's not worth it!".
     
    Jaydub and Botta Dritta like this.
  7. Botta Dritta

    Botta Dritta Valued Member

    I think it's a more common story than we think. Women are quite rightly more observant of these details and willing to act on it. In the case of fencing the bruises left on the upper arm from epee look almost exactly like the bruises an abusive partner who grabs and leaves finger bruises. Thankfully the injuries from fencing are more related to competition wear and tear than any of the accidents that used to occur in the past through sub standard equipment.
     
    axelb and Jaydub like this.
  8. Jaydub

    Jaydub Valued Member

    That's crazy to hear. I wouldn't have expected that to be a problem, but it makes perfect sense when you think about it.

    I'm used to bruises from sparring in Karate. Just like those ones, I will wear my fencing "tattoos" with pride.
     
  9. jmf552

    jmf552 Member

    Back in the 70's, I lived near a school that taught a fencing derivative called "Athletic Dueling." I think it was a sport that went out of existence. I know there are new sword fighting arts that use heavy protective gear, but this was different.

    These guys wore standard fencing gear. All their weapons were hooked up to electronics for scoring. The differences from fencing were:
    1. They could move around in a circle, they were not restricted to a piste strip.
    2. There were different weapons. You could have sword and buckler, sword and dagger, etc.
    It was really exciting to watch. I almost joined, but I couldn't afford it and I was just getting into Karate'.
     
    axelb likes this.
  10. Jaydub

    Jaydub Valued Member

    I'm sorry for my absence as of late. I've spent a lot of time at sea.

    I was fencing last night, and I tried Epee for the first time. I must say I absolutely loved it, and I'm a convert.

    Interestingly, I was taught by a German exchange student who tells me that fencing in Germany is almost exclusively Epee. She did not seem to know why, but I would love to find out.
     
  11. Botta Dritta

    Botta Dritta Valued Member

    So have you let go of your fascination with sabre? I personally never had much of an aptitude for that discipline.

    As for why Epee is so popular in Germany...well it not quite exclusively Epee, I could rattle off plenty of German Foilist and Sabreur Olympic medallists even today. But yes, every German I have met has happened to be an Epeeist too. I think it is to do very much with Emil Beck whose students confounded every classically trained fencer for near a decade. He was one of the big post 70's influences, alongside Johan Harmenberg that made Epee more dynamic.

    Emil Beck - Wikipedia

    and he was very much an Epee coach. Tauber - Tauberbischofsheim Fencing Club - Wikipedia , is still a byword for excellence in the fencing world to the point that its developed a very distinct training methodology.

    Edit: weird though...some of Tauber's most famed champions were foilllists!
     
    Last edited: Mar 15, 2022
  12. Jaydub

    Jaydub Valued Member

    Not entirely, but it's great not having to worry about priority and valid target areas. Fencing with an Epee just feels more "natural" so to speak.

    That's very interesting information, thank you. I will have to discuss this with the German student a little more.

    She also knew quite a bit about Academic Fencing, or Mensur, which I find utterly fascinating.
     
  13. Jaydub

    Jaydub Valued Member

    I mostly fenced Epee last night, and actually held my own quite well. I'm starting to win the odd bout with the regular Epeeists at the my club.

    I had another Sabre lesson towards the end of the night. It also seems very cool, but Epee feels much more natural for me.
     
    axelb likes this.

Share This Page