Fencing Thread

[Mogensthegreat]

Oh, fencing. Used for so many hundreds of years to resolve quarrels, disputes, and arguments. There are so many writers talking about so many styles of so many schools with so many swords, it's hard to pick a favorite. My favorite, personally, is German longsword fencing, so much power and finesse is required.

 

 

 

[Toxn]

I did Épée in school about a million years ago.

 

My impression is that the lads/lasses who did rapier tended to cross over pretty well as being limited to the torso is good for form.

 

The sabre folks just seemed like a bunch of screaming maniacs, with fights being decided in few seconds and no parrying.

 

The actual gear was a big pain (we had janky old wired harnesses which caused endless problems for hit scoring) and the formal bouts were tense but rather boring (due to the deterministic nature* of the sport). The most fun thing we did was to play games after practice where we'd set up scenarios and fight as teams over various parts of the gym and surrounds.

 

Anyway, good times.

 

 

*Fencing is a bit like chess in that there is nothing random to account for. So a better player will always mop the floor with a worse player, with only the slight wrinkle of handedness throwing things a bit. As our pool of players (even at provincial level) was very small, what tended to happen is that every bout was a slaughter on one side or the other until very late into the tournament. Then the top three or four fighters would have a real match to see who was taking home the win this time. Getting off the piste and playing team games made things a lot less formulaic.

[Toxn]

Another thing that should be mentioned in the context of fencing as training for the duel: like knife fighting, there is no way that you are going to avoid getting cut going in. Without the artificial imposition of a judge or scorer to rule on which hit landed first, a blow almost always ends up being of the 'I got you but you got me half a second later' variety unless there is a massive difference in skill.

 

Fencing with a shield or armour might change the equation a bit though.

 

Edit: about the best results I got in terms of clean hits were where I used a beat-lunge - the sort of application of brute force that works when you have better reach and greater strength than your opponent.

[Toxn]

Triplepoast - spear is dominate:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNGZvHMmlnA

[Khand-e]

ULTRA POST!

[Khand-e]

RAMPAGE!!!!!

[CrashbotUS]

That guys needs to work on the spear counter a little more. 

 

We have some former college fencers in our group. It's been both an advantage and disadvantage depending on what we are doing. Helpful with body mechanics and muscle memory, a little less helpful with other aspects of early medieval period European martial arts. 

[EnsignExpendable]

Do they do saber vs bayonet anymore? My grandfather wrote about it, sounds rad.

[Oedipus Wreckx-n-Effect]

I only fenced for a year back in first college. Was fun though. 

Tried getting into it with some of the fencing/larping folks. But they were all window-licking jerk-offs. Thus I sold my sword. 

[CrashbotUS]

Yeah, best to find a good local HEMA group or something. Due to the level of actual level physical activity, training and fitness requirements, there are significantly less neckbeards and the like. 

 

As far as sabers go,I have been playing around with learning how to properly use the shashka. I haven't cut my own leg off yet, so I guess I am doing OK with it. 

[Mogensthegreat]

Apparently the German Longsword tradition declined and was overtaken by the rapier tradition because the rapier was more inconspicuous, easier to carry, and less likely to provoke a confrontation.

[Donward]

So it is like a medieval debate between the Open Carry versus Concealed Carry guys?

[CrashbotUS]

It was all the rage to carry a weapon (if you are one of the classes that was allowed) all out in the open and letting it make as much noise as it could rattling around on you. The plebs had to hide theirs. 

[Mogensthegreat]

So it is like a medieval debate between the Open Carry versus Concealed Carry guys?

 

Yeah, but more like a taboo-based restriction on what guns you can open carry.

[Mogensthegreat]

It was all the rage to carry a weapon (if you are one of the classes that was allowed) all out in the open and letting it make as much noise as it could rattling around on you. The plebs had to hide theirs. 

 

Well, in Germany and (I think) Italy, anyone could carry a sword. In England, France, Spain, etc. only Knights (not men-at-arms) could carry swords. In those places, plebs carried knives.

[Toxn]

Well, in Germany and (I think) Italy, anyone could carry a sword. In England, France, Spain, etc. only Knights (not men-at-arms) could carry swords. In those places, plebs carried knives.

Germany had the whole messer thing going on.

"What, this?"

{hefts blade the length of his arm} 

"Naaw, this is a knife."

[CrashbotUS]

The rules were a bit more nuanced than "only a knight can carry a sword". It depended on the period, the person, the location, and current "person on the throne". 

[Jeeps_Guns_Tanks]

Personally I like a good wood plank fence, but chainlink will do in a pinch!

[Meplat]

An aside..

 

Traded two "toledo" blades, one an epee, and one sabre to a guy for some lessons. 

Both blades were pre WW2, and stupidly tough, having survived my relatives and my childhoods worth o sticking them into pumpkins, etc.

 

The guy who took them in was VERY happy to exchange time for the blades.

 

 

So how badly did I get fucked in exchange for learning how to shank someone more better with my Arisaka?

[Khand-e]

An aside..

 

Traded two "toledo" blades, one an epee, and one sabre to a guy for some lessons. 

Both blades were pre WW2, and stupidly tough, having survived my relatives and my childhoods worth o sticking them into pumpkins, etc.

 

The guy who took them in was VERY happy to exchange time for the blades.

 

 

So how badly did I get fucked in exchange for learning how to shank someone more better with my Arisaka?

 

I thought you shanked them with this?

 

[Toxn]

Small swords and spadroons = .25/.32 ACP equivalents for fancy folks and officers in the late 18th century.

 

[Amalynn]

I happen to practice Spanish rapier fencing, following Viedma's treatises. It's really fun, and I do teach a little bit of what I know about it, so far.