A peak into my other life...

[WJenness]

So aside from skiing, the sport that takes up a lot of my time is fencing. I fence, organize tournaments, referee, and just about everything else...

The world championships just finished up over in Paris, France.

Boston.com has a nice pictorial of the event...

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/11/2010_world_fencing_championshi.html

Some pretty neat photos, just thought I'd share with the crowd.

-w

 

[dmc]

Cool... My niece used to fence and liked it but somehow it f'd up her knee...

 

[WJenness]

Cool... My niece used to fence and liked it but somehow it f'd up her knee...

Yeah, it can do that (sometimes it's form, sometimes it's just crap luck)... It's an odd sport with all kinds of weird asymmetrical demands on your body...

I seem to be drawn to sports hard on knees:

running
fencing
skiing

I wonder what's next

-w

 

[deadheadskier]

so I have a question. Are there different size divisions in fencing??

The reason I ask is you're a really tall dude. For whatever reason I have this picture in my mind that most fencers are like the size of jockeys.

 

[WJenness]

so I have a question. Are there different size divisions in fencing??

The reason I ask is you're a really tall dude. For whatever reason I have this picture in my mind that most fencers are like the size of jockeys.

Nope... The only breakup is by weapon... I fence epee, which means I fence other epee fencers... Foil fencers fence foil fencers and sabre fencers fence sabre fencers.

Height does give me a bit of an advantage (as does being left handed), but shorter fencers have their advantages as well i.e. lower center of gravity, which is huge for directional changes, less target area to hit, etc...

Also, by being an epee fencer, my entire body is valid target (as is the other fencer's)... everyone's wrists are the same distance away from one's hand.

-w

 

[deadheadskier]

How common is it that people go apechit from getting whacked? I imagine this sport isn't so great for someone with a bad temper

 

[SkiDork]

So how does it actually score? Just touching your opponent? Or is there more involved?

 

[dmc]

So how does it actually score? Just touching your opponent? Or is there more involved?

You stab the other guy in the eye... Or hit them in the ass..

 

[WJenness]

How common is it that people go apechit from getting whacked? I imagine this sport isn't so great for someone with a bad temper

Fencing has it's share of hot heads... but overall, most people are pretty good about it, and most anger is just towards themselves for letting themselves get hit. (Or the referee for making a (precieved or actual) bad call.

So how does it actually score? Just touching your opponent? Or is there more involved?

Each weapon is a bit different.

Epee (what I fence) is the simplest. There are two wires that run up the blade and a button on the tip (a little larger than a pencil eraser). You're plugged in to some scoring equipment (there's a cord that plugs in to the weapon, runs up your sleeve and down your back, which plugs in to a 'reel' which lets you move up and down the strip. Those reels are then connected to a machine on the side of the strip). When you push the button on the tip of your epee down by hitting the other person, a light goes off on the box on the side of the strip. If both fencers hit within 1/24 of a second, both lights go on and both fencers get points. The floor is conductive and grounded by the machine, and each persons weapon is grounded as well. This way, hitting the floor or your opponent's weapon doesn't result in a light coming on.

Foil is similar to epee in that there's a button on the end of the blade that you have to push down to turn a light on. Sabre is just contact with any part of the blade...

In sabre and foil, fencers wear a conductive vest (foil) or jacket (sabre) so that when you touch the conductive jacket, you complete the circuit and turn the light on.

Foil and sabre also have a system of rules called 'right of way' or 'priority' (depending on who you're talking to). That determine who gets awarded the point when both lights are on. (The timeout is much longer in these two weapons).

It's one of those things that's MUCH harder to explain via text than show someone...

-w

 

[RootDKJ]

So what's the most bad-ass weapon on the market?

 

[dmc]

So what's the most bad-ass weapon on the market?

Samurai sword..

 

[SkiDork]

so what is a typical score? 1-0? 100-87? Somewhere in the middle?

 

[dmc]

When I first read this thread title.. I got nervous.. Glad it's the good sword fighting...

 

[severine]

Given the topic of discussion in Shakespeare this week, all I can think of are Hamlet and Laertes.

Pretty cool, W!

 

[Warp Daddy]

Interesting sport . My dad fenced in college in the early 40's and when i was a kid he bought me a set of fencing gear and we used to mess around for fun with it-- i sucked

 

[WJenness]

so what is a typical score? 1-0? 100-87? Somewhere in the middle?

Somewhere in the middle... but much closer to the former.

There are three main types of bouts.

Pool bouts: The first round of the tournament is usually fenced for seeding, breaking up the field into 6 or 7 person 'pools' you fence everyone else in your pool.

These are 3-minutes or first to five touches. 99% of the time, they go to five touches.

After the pools, you are seeded into a table for "Direct Elimination" (picture NCAA Men's Basketball tournament bracket).

Direct Elimination bouts are fenced as three 3-minute periods, or first to 15 touches (probably 97% of the time these go to 15, except Sabre, which ALWAYS gets to 15 because it is MUCH faster than the other two weapons).

Team matches are fenced as a 3 vs. 3 relay... each fencer on one team fences each fencer on the other team, in a pre determined order. Fencers switch at a multiple of 5, or after 3 minutes have expired. The bout ends in the 9th "encounter" when time expires or one team has 45 touches.

-w

 

[bvibert]

I never knew there was so much to fencing. I thought it was just guys with bee keeper hats and funny looking swords. :dunce:

Definitely interesting.

 

[catskillman]

Interesting - I had no idea it was so involved and automated.

 

[RootDKJ]

When I first read this thread title.. I got nervous.. Glad it's the good sword fighting...

+1 uke:

 

[mondeo]

When I first read this thread title.. I got nervous.. Glad it's the good sword fighting...

I'm disappointed.

Althought this could all be innuendo. I mean, he's talking about crossing swords and stuff.