Oki. i’m a complete retard.
i started fencing just over a month ago, and i really like it. its ace! only one thing. Recently i’ve started bending my blade teh ‘wrong’ way(up) whenever i hit someone.
Anyone got any tips for me, either not to bend the blades, or just to be better in general?
i fence with a pistol/orthapedic grip, and i’m about average height.
Any recomendations on a specific make of weapon to get( electric epee) i’ve been recomended ‘allstar’( i think i better get my own before i knacker the clubs equipment )
i just want to know a heap of stuff about fencing really. The people at teh club would tell me everything if i asked, but i dont wanna bug them all the time.
miby you guys can give me some - extracurricular- advice.
Maeglin (the fencing guru) ought to be along momentarily to answer your questions better than I can (I too am new at fencing).
However, this statement:
bothers me.
Ask them. The instructors are there to teach you. If you do not understand something, ask them. If you want to know something, ask them. This is especially important since your safety and your opponent’s safety could be at risk. (Remember, they are fencing instructors, not mind-reaaders.)
but i’de just like some other people’s ideas on how to do things ( sone of the semi-guri-ish guys wants me to hold teh blade differently, adn it feels better, ad i can move more freely, but i never got told this by the instructor. it just never came up. I wouldnt think to ask, in the middle fo doing something as the instructor has demonstrated/ walked me through “is there another way, that you are less familiar with, but that might be equally as good or perhaps better”
just looking for more advice like that
if u know what i mean.
just some advice from people who have had different experiences or stuff.
the instructors are good and everything, i just like to do a bit of ’ background’ reading before i decide ont eh best way to do things
should be read ALL the time.
i get a bit obsessive about some stuff, and i just wanna know everything!
just dont wanna get on everyone’s pip too fast.
night as well do some reasearch of my own. or better yet, gut u guys to share your experience with me.
Hi, Qis. I used to fence epee for about 6 years – 3 years college, 3 years competitively. That was a while back, but probably little has changed since then.
Firstly, hardly anyone fences epee with a truly straight blade; usually the blade is purposely bent (more like arching) downward to give the fencer a better angle-of-attack over his opponent’s handguard for a wrist/forearm touch. Using a bent blade is legal (within reason) according to the rules. Because of the preexisting downbend, most touches should result in a further downbending, not upbending.
Now, as for you. During most attack situations (which as you know are executed with your arm fully extended) once your point hits the opponent, you follow through your attack as follows: 1. your blade should flex (with a further downward bend, see above) 2. your hand should rise, from your shoulder (remember, keep that arm extended – no double touches, please) and 3. your wrist should break slightly downward.
All of the above should not result in an upbent blade.
That blade thing was really bugging me tho.
Thx for the help stuyguy, about half an hour to late for my fencing class;-)
most of my threads are a bit pointless.
any other tips anyone?
p.s would u mind telling me why you stopped fencing stuyguy?
i love fencing ( i know, its a new thing, i might get bored of it)
but i really think its tops!
even the warmups get me all hyper and psyched.
Off to a competition this weekend, should be a fun( short) experience, but i think i’ll learn from it.
Go talk to your armorer! That’s the guy (once it was me, the girl) who puts your blade in a nice vise and whacks it with a large rubber hammer to give it that lovely curve.
(I can IMAGINE what some dudes are thinking, but we’re talking real weapons here, you sluts–not metephorical ones.)
Epees can be made of several differing kinds of metal/alloys and you might like to try a couple before you find the blades you truly love.
Ok, this will sound kinda stupid, but trust me:
attack with your point, not your arm.
If your blade is bending down, it is usually because you are not leading with your tip, but extending your arm first, then trying to “place” the point on. Your point should hit straight on first, and then you follow through with a slight break in the wrist so as not to impale your opponent.
Bend the blade yourself. Stick the rounded off part on the floor and push down on it so it bends the way you want it. Go about a foot down and then back up again a number of times and you’ll get a good bend in it which should take care of your problem.
Take care of your blade. Don’t EVER get it wet. Ever! Those things rust faster than an Edsel in New Jersey.
And go with sabre. The foilers say it’s uncouth fencing, but they’re just being snobs.
Good luck with it.
