Okay, question from I newbie here

[Duellist]

First of all I'd like to say hello to everyone. I just began fencing a week ago, and I'm interested in competing later on as I progress in my skills. What happens in a competition, and what the heck is pool fencing? How many touches does it take to score during pool v.s. Final Elimination...is it the same standard 5 or does it extend beyond that? Also, in a fencing tourney do a bunch of fencers bout at the same time and rotate or is it just one fencer at a time? Please, I would really like to know how things work. Oh yeah, and how do they calculate and organize the scores, and how many judges are in the jury and what is their purpose for being there? Okay, I know this is a lot of questions but it's just piqued my curiousity and I want to know this beforehand so I don't look like a fool in front of the other fencers at my club. Thanks for the help.

[DamedEscrime]

SAM! Got one here for you!
And YOU. Listen to what Sam says. He helped me immensely when I started.
BTW Welcome.

[ 08-14-2001: Message edited by: DamedEscrime ]

[MikeHarm]

On the menu at the top of the web page here theres a button marked FAQ, you might want to click it. There is a lot of good beginner info there.

Mike

[Purple Fencer]

Originally posted by DamedEscrime:
<STRONG>SAM! Got one here for you!
And YOU. Listen to what Sam says. He helped me immensely when I started.
</STRONG>

Bwwwwhhhhahhhhhhhhh...Fresh meat

Oops, sorry there...watching too much of the premiere of "Samurai Jack."

Anyhoo, the link Dame's talking about is to my beginner's guide http://members.tripod.com/socalfence/Prep_Package.html It has about 90% of your daily allowance of how to get from the parking lot to the strip. Feel free to show it around to the experienced fnecers in your club. Any input to improve it would be appreciated.

To answer some of your questions...

Pool fencing: That's covered in the guide. Pool bouts are 5 touches. DE is 15. Calculation of scores is covered. Judges? The only time you'd have a judging pool is in a dry tournament (note to self...update that section). I a dry (non-electric) bout, there are actually7 fencers involved in each individual bout...the two fencers, one director (who actually determines right of way (if applicable) and awards each point), and four judges, two behind each fencer. Their job is to watch the other fencer to determine in the point landed in the valid target area. In an electric bout, there's just the two fencers and the director. The hits are indicated by colored lights (it's in the guide).

Let me know what'cha think.

[tinasam]

Sam, do you think you could help me? I don't know if I have a fencing problem, but I know I need help. Heck I hear that all the time

[Purple Fencer]

Originally posted by tinasam:
<STRONG>Sam, do you think you could help me? I don't know if I have a fencing problem, but I know I need help. Heck I hear that all the time </STRONG>

Heeere I come to save the daaaaayyy!!

What'cha need, you Southern Belle, you?

[Duellist]

Thanks a bunch Sam, now I don't feel so awkward anymore Oh btw what does DE stand for?

[tinasam]

DE= direct elimination (lose and leave format)


And Sammy Sammy Sammy -- are you willing and readily able to save my day?

[Purple Fencer]

Originally posted by Duellist:
<STRONG>Thanks a bunch Sam, now I don't feel so awkward anymore Oh btw what does DE stand for?</STRONG>

Hey, no problemo. I like helping my fellows out. Where doyou fence, by the way? If you're out in SoCal during our season (starting end of September, most likely), come on by and say hi...or, better yet, get out there and fence! I'm easy to spot...short, goatee, purple socks, and generally goofy. (Garsh, Mickey!)

[Duellist]

Hey Sam, what's the difference between stepping past the warning line and stepping past the end of the piste

[Duellist]

I fence all the way in the east coast in Boston, Massachusettes...really far from Southern Cal. Hey if I ever visit Los Angeles (my relatives live there) I would be happy to check out some of the academies there

[Purple Fencer]

Originally posted by Duellist:
<STRONG>I fence all the way in the east coast in Boston, Massachusettes...really far from Southern Cal. Hey if I ever visit Los Angeles (my relatives live there) I would be happy to check out some of the academies there </STRONG>

Well...sure! Just check out socalfence.org every so often for the schedule.

As to "what's the difference between stepping past the warning line and stepping past the end of the piste " I assume you mean the meter line and the actual end of the strip.

A number of years ago (probably in the late 80's/early 90s? Someone with more experience might know), if a fencer retreated to the line one meter form his end of he strip, action was halted and the fencer was warned that he was near the end of the strip. Crossing it did not incur a penalty card. I have to assume that the warning was removed because it slowed the game down. If you watch the 1980 Olympics, you see action stopping all the time because of it.

Crossing the actual end of the strip with BOTH feet is an automatic red card...point against you. It's defined as both feeting having broken the plane of the end of the strip. If you've got one toe still within the boundaries of the strip, you're good.

[epeemike81]

Duellist,

Are you fencing at the BFC? If not, where are you fencing?

-m

[sabreur]

Sam,

Looking at your beginners guide, I notice that you say that fencing jackets must have a croupade (crotch strap)--is this true for saber competitions as well? I mean, sabre lames have the damned things, but I detest them, and my jacket, as opposed to my lame, is a fine, waist-length classic (or as classic as FIE 800N armor can get).

Just curious.

Regards, MR

[Purple Fencer]

My understanding (at least in the U.S. - perhaps in Canada as well - not sure about Germany or other places in Europe) is that the crotch strap is required, regardless of the weapon, even if the sabre lame has one, and fo rthe same reason, it keeps the bottom of the jacket down to minimize the chance that the blade will slide up the jacket. At least, that's my best guess (it DOES make a certain amount of sense)

I remember the old style sabre jackets that stopped at the waist. I have to assume they were made that way so it'd be easier to see if a hit was on the target area or not. With electric scoring, that kind of visual aid is no longer necessarry, and it's much easier for Leon Paul or Allstar to simply make all their jackets with the same basic design instead of a separate one for sabre.

[Peach]

I can never find the place in the rule book where it says the groin strap is required. All it says in the USFA rule book in sabre is:

--The jacket must cover the valid surface of the trunk, its lower part overlapping the breeches by at least 10 cm when the fencer is in the "on guard" position. --


And Appendix A talks about the fabric strength tests, the plastron, and the breeches.

However, all comments from me should be suspect, because I at least once forgot to put my sabre jacket back on before donning the lame, and fenced an entire DE that way.

Well, the lame does cover the whole jacket, so nobody saw, so I am sure no one will ever check for the strap.

But boy, did it hurt.

[Purple Fencer]

Originally posted by Peach:
<STRONG>...all comments from me should be suspect, because I at least once forgot to put my sabre jacket back on before donning the lame, and fenced an entire DE that way</STRONG>

Yikes! I bet you never did THAT again! You told me at Nats that you'd just earned your "A"...how long ago was this exercise in pain?


Y'know...reading through some of my posts, it makes me look like I'm really an authority on the beginner issue. I hope I don't dissapoint anyone who actually get to meet me after reading the guide, then finds our what a whacko I am

[Peach]

Oh, gawds, that was actually my first ever sabre tournament--I was alternating between the foil and the sabre. I was called to strip for the sabre DEs and, having only fenced for about a year and a quarter at that point, I hadn't developed my current finely honed habit of NOTICING I've forgotten to put something on BEFORE I go on strip. If I don't have to get myself suited up twice I've done something wrong.

And Sam, I wouldn't worry about sounding like an "authority." You never represent yourself as anything other than you are, your advice is always unassuming, and you never pretend to know more than you do. This makes you more trustworthy than many who might be expected to be better-informed or less imbued with purple hue.

--Delia

[oiuyt]

Crossing the actual end of the strip with BOTH feet is an automatic red card

Careful there Sam. It's NOT a red card, it's a touch for the opponent.

-B

[Purple Fencer]

Originally posted by oiuyt:
<STRONG>

Careful there Sam. It's NOT a red card, it's a touch for the opponent.

-B </STRONG>

Hmmm, you're right. There's no such penalty card in the chart. However it equates to the same thing, so how much differance is there?

THAT'S gonna get me in trouble