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NEED TOILET PAPER posted:Where can I buy a good set of fencing equipment? I'm learning sabre right now and while the place I go to lets me sue some spare equipment they have lying around, nothing really fits me properly so sometimes I'll get a helmet that wobbles around like crazy and other assorted fun stuff. Sorry about the slow reply. You posted this just at the end of the page and I just now noticed it. You will typically get what you pay for with fencing masks/lames/jackets/pants. Online retailers (fencing.net, blue gauntlet, and absolute are my favs) have relatively consistent pricing for the big brands (uhlmann, FWF, etc), and then the retailers typically have their own "generic" brand for a lot less. Off-brand equipment is safe, effective, and cheap, but it just doesn't last like the good stuff. If you go that route I would recommend Absolute, since they have great customer service and will replace stuff if it breaks within the first few months. If you want stuff that lasts a bit longer, Uhlmann/Allstar is my pick. They are the same brand, but uhlmann is blue and allstar is red. Some people say Uhlmann tends to fit better on slender people, but I can't comment on that. If you have a lot of money and like spending it, Leon Paul is the Apple of fencing gear. It's quality equipment for sure, and a lot of people swear by it, but it is pretty pricey. I would stick with their lower-end gear, though, unless you are super competitive. Stay away from any "ultralight" lames (break easily) or FIE gear (required only internationally) unless you plan on being a hardcore competitor. Also, ignore "practice gear" and just get electric stuff from the start. With blades, throw everything I just said out the window and just use what feels best. Most people aren't willing to pay for all their gear at once, and will collect pieces over time. I would recommend going with the mask first, then a weapon, then the jacket, then the lame/body cord/mask cord, and finally the pants (sweatpants work fine for practice). Alternatively, buy a beginner set from Absolute, save a lot of money, and prepare yourself to replace some things down the line if you stick with the sport.
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Mar 28, 2015 04:18
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Verisimilidude posted:I'm curious, but why are fencing blades so easily breakable? Speaking with people who fence smallsword, rapier, or french foil, their weapons don't seem to break anywhere near as often as sport fencers. I mean, they're paying between $200 to $300, so there's that. Longswords can break from time to time, but it's mostly due to defect, problems with heat treatment, or using way too much force to begin with. Anyone who has ever fenced with a well-used Vniti epee knows that an indestructible blade is not a good thing. Those blades last forever, but the stress from bending over and over again gives them the consistency of a wet noodle after a while.
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May 7, 2015 02:29
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Conditioning outside of fencing like weight lifting and/or running helps prevent injuries, too. Fencing can be hell on your knees if you're fat and your muscles can't take the strain off your joints.
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May 23, 2015 15:32
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I can see going barefoot for historical, if you do a lot of grappling or whatever, but I wouldn't allow it in my (sport) classes for the reasons Achmed gave. It always amazes me how many little kids walk in wearing flip flops, though. I feel bad making them sit out for the fun stuff, but I don't trust students enough to take that risk. Edit: I'm not certain on foils, but with epees all german wires/tip parts are interchangable with LP. I swap them around all the time. ScratchAndSniff fucked around with this message at 14:45 on Jun 23, 2015 |
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Jun 23, 2015 12:27
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Rodrigo Diaz posted:So hey any of y'all seen this guy? His beard is the source of his power.
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Jun 27, 2015 00:23
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Verisimilidude posted:What do y'all do to train in your free time? I'm hitting a bit of a plateau this week and I want to improve or add to my personal training. Running and weight training. Nothing fancy. I really like running with minimalist shoes, though, since they force me to build up my calves.
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Jun 29, 2015 23:23
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thewireguy posted:He said I have to be there six months or more to spar. I've always been confused at the whole "X amount of time before you spar" thing some places love to do. It's really more about maturity and following a few simple safety rules than actually being good. Different people grasp these things at different rates. By putting a definite time limit on it, the whole thing feels more like hazing than ensuring safety. I assume this is historical, though. What kind of weapons/protective gear do you guys use? I can see the 6 month thing making sense as a general rule to keep the new guys reigned in if you have a situation where one idiot can really hurt someone.
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Jun 30, 2015 11:44
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I've only seen a couple hotshit new guys ragequit fencing after getting owned by more experienced guys. Each time it was hilarious, though, and I was glad to see them go. Edit: 3 beginner classes before bouting seems pretty reasonable to me. ScratchAndSniff fucked around with this message at 15:30 on Jun 30, 2015 |
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Jun 30, 2015 15:00
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ImplicitAssembler posted:It's about making sure that people have the basics down before they start hacking away at each other. Typically people will forget everything they've been taught the first (many) times in front of a 'live opponent'. In fact, often even just putting them in armor seems to be enough to make people forget. I can respect wanting students to get the basics down first, but you say it "typically takes..." which makes me think you have some kind of skill requirements. I have no problem there. I'm more annoyed by firm declarations that students need to be around for X months, regardless of how often a student trains or how fast they learn. Also, Kendo is a different world, so I won't pretend anything I say automatically applies there too.
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Jun 30, 2015 19:56
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Verisimilidude posted:That's just how we roll, baby. This is pretty irresponsible IMHO. You can talk all day about how much control you have, but all it takes is for the other guy to spaz out for one second to seriously hurt you. I would recommend anyone doing this kind of thing to wear eye protection, if nothing else.
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Jul 5, 2015 21:05
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Verisimilidude posted:We usually weed out people who are complete spazzes prior to allowing them to practice with steel or with blade-on-blade contact. You are right though, we run a risk. Because of the recent rash of injuries we've been seeing, we either need to teach newbs to tone poo poo down or require people to have at least light protection (perhaps higher level students can forgo hand protection). I'll bring it up to one of the assistant instructors and see what they have to say. Even experts have bad days now and then. For the sake of everyone else reading this: Even blunted weapons can mess up your eyes pretty badly. If someone points a weapon at you and you aren't protected, you are taking a serious risk. Edit: Other protective stuff depends on the drill or whatever. Some crazy people fence sabre shirtless and walk away with nothing worse than some nasty bruises, but even they wesr masks. ScratchAndSniff fucked around with this message at 00:24 on Jul 6, 2015 |
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Jul 5, 2015 23:46
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Nektu posted:If he gets that close in historical fencing, you wrestle him to the ground and/or make-believe-bash-his-head-in with your pommel Sport fencers do this too. It's frowned upon in tournaments, though.
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Jul 9, 2015 01:16
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I use an overpriced pair of d'artagnans (would not recommend), but one of the best guys I fence with swears by his cheap squash shoes from sports authority.
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Jul 9, 2015 03:47
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HEY GAL posted:he meant that at some point in history, fencing changed from a thing where you are encouraged to grab a dude's sword and punch him in the head (good) to one where you are penalized for it (bad) Does HEMA or whatever really let you punch each other? I thought most of the historical stuff had more like a limited form of wrestling. Would seriously like to see a vid where a swordfight ends in a knockout.
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Jul 9, 2015 12:48
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It isn't too common in the sport, but if if you knock the blade out of the other guy's hand and hit him in a continuous movement, you get the point. There are certain binds which can make the other person drop their weapon if you have a good angle, and a good beat can do it too. In the historical side, since grappling is a thing, there are lots of moves that end with you taking the other guy's weapon. They were discouraged when I did rapier sparring, though, since they could easily end with you breaking the other person's finger on the ricasso. ScratchAndSniff fucked around with this message at 21:23 on Jul 11, 2015 |
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Jul 11, 2015 21:17
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Verisimilidude posted:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykUJP78YYQc  Seems like an odd reason to risk your life and limbs if you ask me. I can see why you would want to use sharps to practice winding and whatnot, but why not invest in a full suit of armor at that point? No idea how much it would cost, but a few thousand is a small price to pay for safety IMHO. I wonder how much that place pays for insurance... Edit: Completely unrelated, but are there any good books on dussack? Everything I see out there seems to use the focus more on messer, but I am more curious how the old "2 guys with clubs, first one to bash the other's face into pulp wins" proto-fencing worked. ScratchAndSniff fucked around with this message at 19:03 on Jul 20, 2015 |
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Jul 20, 2015 18:44
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Verisimilidude posted:Here's a good article about why you should sometimes practice with sharp swords. https://chivalricfighting.wordpress.com/2014/02/18/why-you-should-train-with-sharp-swords-and-how-to-go-about-it-without-killing-anyone,/ Yeah, there's is no way I can argue with this. It's just so bizarre. I read that, and I've no doubt Windsor knows what he is talking about, but his conclusions and assumptions are just so foreign to me that I wouldn't know where to begin describing where I disagree. I guess I just disagree that the risk (serious injury to myself or partner due to either one of us brain farting) is worth the reward (learning to sword right). Different strokes, I guess. If anyone understands that risk and wants to take it then good for them. Also, stuff about singlestick/cane fighting is everywhere. I want to learn about the sporting side of dussack. I'll check out that book, but I'm really interested in more analysis than just a translation. edit: me speels gudder ScratchAndSniff fucked around with this message at 02:22 on Jul 21, 2015 |
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Jul 21, 2015 00:44
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Crazy Achmed posted:Sharps tried to autocorrect to disastrous, I think my phone is trying to tell you something. This is a great idea. Does anyone else have kid-friendly ways to give consequences to losing without risking a Darwin award? I find in my classes some of the kids need to work on fencing under pressure.
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Jul 21, 2015 13:25
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I'm trying to replicate that "competition jitters" feeling. Pushups and stuff don't really work, since when I've tried it everyone just does a whole bunch to show off anyway, win or lose. Club tournaments are great, but can be hard to swing in smaller classes. Restricted/handicapped bouting is fun, but I don't feel like it prepares someone in quite the way I'm going for. I do like the idea of offering a reward instead of a punishment for the loser. I may play with that.
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Jul 23, 2015 22:05
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strangemusic posted:My first (non-club) foil just arrived in the mail! Hooray! Getting comfortable with the point is key. Hang something up by a string (soda can, tennis ball, golf ball, w/e) and lunge at it over and over. Boring, but effective. If it gets too easy, see how many full lunges with hits you can do in a minute and/or how far you can accurately lunge. Advance, retreat, lunge, etc. in front of a mirror. Try to figure out how/where/when your form looks weak, and self-correct. Do this with parries, too, if you know how they should look. ImplicitAssembler posted:Put them into 2 teams and punish the losing group. Whatever exercise you choose, make sure that they do it properly. (Push-ups with straight backs, chest to the ground, all the way up). Burpees *always* works as it's very hard to do short cuts on them. Nothing like a bit of peer pressure to make sure you win. Good ideas. I'll try to incorporate these into my next class.
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Jul 25, 2015 00:35
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Prices will vary a LOT by region, so don't worry if another goon is getting a better deal in another part of the world. Also, don't stress over which club to choose when you start out if you are lucky enough to have multiple nearby options with similar pricing. Switching clubs is really common, and you are not married to the spot where you start.
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Aug 1, 2015 22:55
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Siivola posted:Just so you know, medieval dagger is the funnest, most unfair weapon known to man and if your club's not doing any dagger, you're missing out bad. The most fun I ever had in my time with historical was full contact longsword sparring with daggers as backup weapons. Most rounds were just typical longsword hits, but every once in a while it devolved into a stabby wrestling match. Would not recommend if you bruise easily.
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Aug 8, 2015 00:54
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If a group of Jamaicans can start a bobsleigh team, a group of Faroeses can hit each other with swords. Follow your dreams, goon sir!
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Aug 13, 2015 21:20
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Crazy Achmed posted:So what do you guys like to do against absence-of-blade attacks? I really hate those. This could describe a ton of different things. Maybe try describing the attack in more detail, along with weapon you are using.
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Aug 18, 2015 18:24
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dupersaurus posted:We call it hiding the blade around my parts, hold the blade out of the way so your opponent can't easily parry, but keep the distance so you have time to finish. Standard foil stuff. Absence of blade can mean any time the blades aren't engaged... So like, most of the bout. Different areas will apply terminology differently, so advice for dealing with whatever Crazy Achmed is referring to will depend on the situation/weapon.
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Aug 19, 2015 03:45
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Ohhhh. Sorry for being pedantic. In that case, I second Dupersaurus' advice. Like anything else, distance is key. Alternatively, switch to epee, hit them in the foot, and bounce your way to victory. Never. Stop. Bouncing.
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Aug 19, 2015 23:05
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What is the most hipster weapon?
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Sep 16, 2015 15:47
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There are ways to make the sport more "spectator friendly" but I don't know why anyone cares about that for a sport most people only see once every 4 years. It isn't like fencing is on ESPN every Sunday. IMHO fewer rules are the best way to encorage a wide variety of strategies. That is what makes fencing fun for the fencers. If they don't like bouts that last the full time, they can just decrease the amount of time in the bout. 2 minutes seems reasonable to me. Also, overtime in pool bouts is dumb. They can just record both fencers as losing if time runs out at a tie. Edit: "rests" in DEs are also dumb, outside of Veterans events. Fencers are supposed to be athletes, and if a guy can't stay on his feet for more than 10 minutes they need to lose weight or something. Mid-bout coaching is usually a joke anyway. ScratchAndSniff fucked around with this message at 14:11 on Nov 13, 2015 |
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Nov 13, 2015 14:05
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dupersaurus posted:I've heard it argued that saber is better for younger kids since they don't have much fine motor control, and saber doesn't rely on that as much as foil does. You can get them moving and thinking like fencers before they're ready to work on detailed hand work. Anyone who says this has way more faith in little kids than I do. Kids are assholes who go out of their way to hurt each other. At least with foil, it's sort of hard for the kids to hurt each other and still get points. With saber, the line between "fencing correctly" and being an rear end in a top hat is a bit more fuzzy, I don't let anyone bout saber until I think aren't an idiot. Also, explaining to parents why little Timmy has a tiny bruise is hard enough without the occasional nasty saber whacks. "Dry is best for beginners" is code for "we don't want newbies spending a half-hour putting on our expensive electric equipment only to break it".
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Jan 19, 2016 02:04
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GrandpaPants posted:I'm new to fencing, about 4-5 months in, but when my instructor looked at my foil to repair it (it had been buzzing randomly), he said that I bought some "cheap Chinese knockoff" foil, so I'm looking for a new one. He recommended looking at Absolute, but when looking at their electric foil page, I'm more or less at a loss, since there are approximately a billion options. Apparently what I should be looking for is a foil that is easily maintained (i.e., I can buy the various tip parts for it easily), but I have no idea what the difference is between the "Absolute" tip point and, say, the German one, and that seems like one of the more straightforward options. My instinct is to just go for the "standard" foil with default options, but I figure it wouldn't hurt to ask the thread. I'm not sure what he meant by "chinese knock-off" but the last time I did some digging into them Absolute sourced their store-brand components (i.e. the default options) in China. The blades don't last quite as long as name-brand, but are totally fine for beginners. Ask around and and hold club-mates weapons to choose the grip and just get all german electrical components. If you don't have a bunch of club-mates to pester, ask the coach for more input. Some coaches like teaching with pistol or french grips, and when you're starting out you don't want to be the one Belgian grip hipster in the class. Edit: Unless there is something wrong with your bell/grip, you could probably just buy a wired blade and save a few bucks. ScratchAndSniff fucked around with this message at 18:53 on Feb 17, 2016 |
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Feb 17, 2016 18:46
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HEMA wants to revive historical martial arts. SCA prioritizes fun with swords. It's apples and oranges, really. From what I've seen the people in any group who sperg out about perfectly recreating the act of killing someone with an obsolete weapon to the finest detail are all annoying as hell. Also, those people always seem to be the first to cry because "he hit me too hard!"
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May 12, 2016 17:52
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Typical HEMA bout: Two fatties hit each other at the same time and then argue over who would have died first.
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May 13, 2016 11:48
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General Emergency posted:So let me check... BirdOfPlay posted:Ehh, we still have a lot of fatties. This needs to be in the OP Future Days posted:Seth Kelsey is the only fencer I can think of as "fat and ugly." He was a pain to watch, too - horrible guard and footwork -, but epee is like that I guess. vOv I've heard fencing him is like fighting Jackie Chan in Drunken Master. Everything looks so wrong but it works somehow. He's also just as awkward irl as you would guess. ScratchAndSniff fucked around with this message at 01:28 on May 14, 2016 |
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May 14, 2016 01:26
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It can help to have a neutral observer when you get a lot of 2 light hits, especially with saber. A lot of the time what you perceive to be an "immediate" riposte will look delayed to a ref, or will look like a beat attack by the other guy.
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May 21, 2016 16:22
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A lot of fencers (particularly in epee) get by just fine by stop-thrusting and being really loving tall.
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Jun 4, 2016 13:07
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At the end of the day playing with swords is fun, and trying it with different sets of rules is also fun, and surprisingly helpful. I think everyone should dabble in a bit of everything they can because why not? My time with German longsword really upped my epee game, oddly enough, and one of the best guys on our college team had a kendo background. Has there ever been an attempt to do an MMA kind of thing with different styles and weapons fighting each other? Working out rules and safety would be a nightmare, but it could be fun to watch.
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Jun 7, 2016 17:14
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Hazzard posted:
That's pretty cool, but I'm thinking a step beyond that with established rules and a league. Fencing people is fun, but it's a terrible spectator sport. Simplifying the rules and letting different styles go at it could actually be fun to see... Maybe? Balancing safety with "realistic" weapons would be the hard part, though. castration is never fun.
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Jun 8, 2016 12:24
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IM_DA_DECIDER posted:I don't think fencing (of any kind) is a terrible spectator sport because of the rules, but because it's too fast and dependent on tiny nuances in what the fencers are doing. These are hard to judge when you're not actually in the bout yourself, unless you slow it down and provide a lot of visual aids for spectators, like this: While I admit that was painful to watch, tweaking the rules and toning down the period equipment could make it better. Old school MMA matches looked dumb too. Plus, just look at this thread. Different styles have a lot of rivalry. The demand is there. I agree that the speed/tiny nuances being a big factor, but try explaining priority to a non-fencer and watch their eyes glaze over. Watching 2 guys hit each other at essentially the same time 5 or 15 times in a row using identical techniques and then declaring a winner isn't fun.
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Jun 8, 2016 17:56
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To clarify: I'm talking spectator only. What got me on this was seeing all the talk about the "new" professional fencing league, which is clearly doomed to fail.
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Jun 8, 2016 18:01
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Ataxerxes posted:Also, has anyone here trained with a dussak? One of these things: I'm a big fan of dussak. People today tend to use them as messer trainers, but back in the day they also had their own spectator sport. First person to bleed on the head loses. Has anyone ever tried replicating that? I would pay money to see it.
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Jul 11, 2016 00:32
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