A general thread about the hobby, and also the study of historical sword fighting. If you're a ranked fencer, feel free to post your rank egotistically. Also feel free to debate which school of fencing is superior (Italian, definitely) but be polite about it. Mention wether you do foil, epee, or saber, and if more than one, which one you prefer and why.
On the subject of historical swordfighting, I'd appreciate posts of random trivia so I don't have to track down elusive reference documents and can avoid renassaince illustrations of gruesome deaths and naked people.
If you know nothing about it, but fencing interests you, I'll answer any questions I can.
I have yet to acquire an official rank, though I stole time on C/B ranked fencer. If only I could remember how I did that. I study the Italian school of fencing, Aldo Nadi's technique specifically. My instructor learned from an instructor, etc., who learned from Aldo Nadi himself. I know foil, nothing else.
*sits and waits for other fencers*
epee and rapier -- ranking is too expensive for my tastes.
Abraham spalding wrote: epee and rapier -- ranking is too expensive for my tastes. Too expensive? So far as I know, you acquire a rank by defeating someone with a rank in a tournament. I've never actually been to a tournament, so it's possible that they cost money and I don't know about it.
Epee. Trained in a park. No ranking. Now I am out of shape. At one time though I was damn fast and could, and did, take on much more technically skilled fencers and held my own.
USFA C Ranking mumblety-mumble years ago, epee and foil. Tried sabre, didn't like it (the 'steel whip' tactics are annoying).
Was around for the founding of ARMA in the early 1990s. I do 'live steel' with full weight blunts now about once a month (and am discovering that my joints can't take it any more, sigh.)
Used to do SCA rapier, until half the Kingdoms banned it. While I never got the white scarf, I did teach several who eventually did.
I've learned Italianate and French for USFA, learned German for sabre.
My style with full weight blades is best described as "Italian with some 15th c. Spaniard" as a mongrelization. I still use the Italian parries I learned, though with a full weight blade, they're harder to execute (form is much more important with a 4 lb rapier than it is with a 12 oz foil or 14 oz. epee.)
Italian gives you nice parries, but very linear footwork. Focus hard on making your parries tight and small and minimal energy; they're the fastest way to speed up your play.
AdAstraGames wrote: USFA C Ranking mumblety-mumble years ago, epee and foil. Tried sabre, didn't like it (the 'steel whip' tactics are annoying).
Was around for the founding of ARMA in the early 1990s. I do 'live steel' with full weight blunts now about once a month (and am discovering that my joints can't take it any more, sigh.)
Used to do SCA rapier, until half the Kingdoms banned it. While I never got the white scarf, I did teach several who eventually did.
I've learned Italianate and French for USFA, learned German for sabre.
My style with full weight blades is best described as "Italian with some 15th c. Spaniard" as a mongrelization. I still use the Italian parries I learned, though with a full weight blade, they're harder to execute (form is much more important with a 4 lb rapier than it is with a 12 oz foil or 14 oz. epee.)
Italian gives you nice parries, but very linear footwork. Focus hard on making your parries tight and small and minimal energy; they're the fastest way to speed up your play.
I don't mind the footwork limitations. Except, when I'm fencing the guy who always attempts a flush/barbarian rage/charge, it's just too fun to do a little sidestep and watch him impale himself.
I did some Larping a few years ago. A few of us had fenced before. it was funny watching the newbies try to charge and then complain about how hard we hit, when all you do is a light thrust with a boffer sword and they hit it so hard it kicks the wind out of them. They learn to stop charging.
Yucale wrote: Abraham spalding wrote: epee and rapier -- ranking is too expensive for my tastes. Too expensive? So far as I know, you acquire a rank by defeating someone with a rank in a tournament. I've never actually been to a tournament, so it's possible that they cost money and I don't know about it. got to have a licensed coach and your card (for the usa fencing group... I forgot the letter combination) in addition to the gear (truthfully only about $125~$500 depending on how expensive your tastes are), training and tourney costs. In college with no job? Too expensive. Out of college with a wife and two kids? Currently still too expensive.
And rank really provokes very little, especially with foil and saber and their right of way rules. I have a better opinion of epee due to its lack of right away, target area, and point scoring requirements (none of this fly fishing that you see with foil).
Truthfully I've enjoyed and learned more from my weapons training with the SCA light combat groups (and a lot of what can be learned there is... less than good), martial arts training with weapons, weapon style training (various resurrected western styles and some eastern) plus knowledge gained hanging out with cops/military/etc people.
Abraham spalding wrote: plus knowledge gained hanging out with cops/military/etc people. Wow...
The only weapon knowledge I ever gained from hanging with cops and military people, was, well, let's just say I'm a fantastic shot with an AR-15...
;-)
-That One Digitalelf Fellow-
Abraham spalding wrote: Yucale wrote: Abraham spalding wrote: epee and rapier -- ranking is too expensive for my tastes. Too expensive? So far as I know, you acquire a rank by defeating someone with a rank in a tournament. I've never actually been to a tournament, so it's possible that they cost money and I don't know about it. got to have a licensed coach and your card (for the usa fencing group... I forgot the letter combination) in addition to the gear (truthfully only about $125~$500 depending on how expensive your tastes are), training and tourney costs. In college with no job? Too expensive. Out of college with a wife and two kids? Currently still too expensive.
And rank really provokes very little, especially with foil and saber and their right of way rules. I have a better opinion of epee due to its lack of right away, target area, and point scoring requirements (none of this fly fishing that you see with foil).
Truthfully I've enjoyed and learned more from my weapons training with the SCA light combat groups (and a lot of what can be learned there is... less than good), martial arts training with weapons, weapon style training (various resurrected western styles and some eastern) plus knowledge gained hanging out with cops/military/etc people. I've finished both classes offered for training where I'm at, so that's done. I have a foil (been borrowing equipment), and I'm pretty sure my coach is licensed. So: equipment, card, tourney cost. How much is that?
The Crimson Jester, Rogue Lord wrote: I did some Larping a few years ago. A few of us had fenced before. it was funny watching the newbies try to charge and then complain about how hard we hit, when all you do is a light thrust with a boffer sword and they hit it so hard it kicks the wind out of them. They learn to stop charging. My friend's family has nerf swords that they dual with. I'd beat them alll, except that lunges are forbidden for safety reasons. And my friend's dad gets two whopping big battle axes.
What's more annoying is how my sister insists on joining in and then whines whenever she gets hit...
Yucale wrote: The Crimson Jester, Rogue Lord wrote: I did some Larping a few years ago. A few of us had fenced before. it was funny watching the newbies try to charge and then complain about how hard we hit, when all you do is a light thrust with a boffer sword and they hit it so hard it kicks the wind out of them. They learn to stop charging. My friend's family has nerf swords that they dual with. I'd beat them alll, except that lunges are forbidden for safety reasons. And my friend's dad gets two whopping big battle axes.
What's more annoying is how my sister insists on joining in and then whines whenever she gets hit... Yeah the Nerf swords they forgot to put soft tips on them.
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