I caught a blade with my neck last night

[mackillian]

I'm scratched, bruised, and a bit swollen. I wasn't impaled. The blade slipped under the bib and nailed me on the side of the neck. It was a dry blade, so did less damage then an electric blade would do with the smaller tip.

It was an odd experience. I remember getting hit and thinking "WTF just happened? O_o." Then standing there, holding my neck. My coaches asking stopping their lessons, coming over, asking if I was okay. Repeatedly. Making me show them my neck.

How bad CAN these types of things get? Just out of curiosity. Seeing my coaches drop everything rattled me more than actually getting hit.

[keith]

Back in the eighties a fencer in the UK died when a blade went under the bib and cut the jugular.

So these things can be very messy.

[ThatReallyHurt]

Ouch - I'm glad to hear you're okay. Considering all the important stuff you've got built into that area, I'm kind of glad to hear your coaches dropped what they were doing and ran over.

If I had to guess, I'd say that injuries can go from completely not serious, to very serious, even a good hit with a dry weapon near one of the arteries in the neck can cause some dizziness/confusion/loss of consciousness. Never mind the whole worst case scenario/broken blade deal...

Ah, sport. They're all dangerous, in their own little ways...

[Zilverzmurfen]

Oooh, that sounds scary... I'm glad to hear you had no serious injury.
Does your jacket have that blade-catching 'overlap' or is it an older-style jacket?

The same thing happened to me in a comp last year. My mask is a little big (I have a very small head) and it sort of flipped up and my opponents blade - electric épée - hit my throat. Not an experience I'm looking forward to have again...

Perhaps some medics person can tell you how serious it could get. Anyway, I hope you will recover soon!

[CvilleFencer]

One of my fencers once had a foil break at a comp, I think the person he was fencing parried and my fencers blade hit his bell and snapped. Unfourtunetly my fencers was fleching at the time and the broken blade hit the other fencer, also a friend of mine, in the neck with enough force to draw blood and leave a very nasty 2" or so scratch starting from the left sid of his adams apple and ending about where his jugular starts.

At the time we all thought that the blade had went under his bib, and since he was wearing an Infinity lame with no blade trap that was how he got cut. After further inspection it happens that the blade actually punched through the bib of his mask (non-FIE) and just the mask/bib spinning under the hit caused it to shift and give that nice long scratch. It was bad and scary but could have been much worse. Not long after the fencer who got cut invested in some nice FIE gear all around!

I tend to get jabbed in the throat a far amount being a fairly tall epee fencer, especially when I fence smaller people. I keep joking that I am going to buy one of those metal and steel gorgets that the SCA guys wear! Instead I just replaced my old jacket and mask with ones that have taller collars/longer bibs (LP). Hopefully that will be enought that I won't need the Gorget!

[mrbiggs]

A little off topic, but one time my opponent tested by hitting me right in the neck. (He was tall and not very good.) From then on, I always make sure my mask is very close to my face when I test, no matter how good I think my opponent is.

[Hamley]

Ive had this happen to me once before, I yelled at the kid because he was hitting way to hard. I dont mind it happen when there doing good fencing but if a kid doing something on perpose i dont like those things.

[Alain]

Originally Posted by mackillian

I'm scratched, bruised, and a bit swollen. I wasn't impaled. The blade slipped under the bib and nailed me on the side of the neck. It was a dry blade, so did less damage then an electric blade would do with the smaller tip.

It was an odd experience. I remember getting hit and thinking "WTF just happened? O_o." Then standing there, holding my neck. My coaches asking stopping their lessons, coming over, asking if I was okay. Repeatedly. Making me show them my neck.

How bad CAN these types of things get? Just out of curiosity. Seeing my coaches drop everything rattled me more than actually getting hit.

Ouch, you poor thing! I'm glad you're OK, though.

As already pointed out, fencing injuries can range from minor bruises and muscle strains... to death! (keith: I actually know the guy in the UK that did that). Despite playing with swords, fencing is a very safe sport - of course, bruises are unavoidable, but improvements in clothing and blade design have gone a long way to reduce the risks of serious injury.

I remember last year when I was training in France, and one of my mates hit me in the back of the head. I was more worried about just how he managed to hit me there in the first place, whereas he was completely freaked out about it and couldn't sleep that night!

Anyway, it's good to hear that you're alright. And don't get angry; get even

[drippingwet]

Shouldn't there be some sort of neck guard, maybe coming from the jacket or inside of the mask, or just some sort of separate accessory? This seems like a serious chink in the armour, and from one point of view it's surprising that the neck is semi-exposed like it is, given that for instance, a blade simply slipping upwards over the lame isn't impossible. Another thing, like Alain talked about, is the back of head hit. Why isn't the back of the head covered as well, perhaps with something that would replace the current strap, while covering the whole back of the head, and stick some Kevlar in it or something?

Originally Posted by CvilleFencer

At the time we all thought that the blade had went under his bib, and since he was wearing an Infinity lame with no blade trap that was how he got cut.

What's a blade trap?

[mackillian]

My coach pointed out my blade trap last night, it's the double sided material of your jacket that makes a place for the blade to catch if it's sliding upwards towards your neck. My jacket has a blade trap. My lame does not, and of course my lame was over the jacket.

My breathing went funky a bit last night, right after, but everything is okay today. Just swelling, aching, and a headache.

I think it's just those sort of things that make you realize that you really ARE playing with swords!

[prototoast]

Originally Posted by mackillian

How bad CAN these types of things get? Just out of curiosity. Seeing my coaches drop everything rattled me more than actually getting hit.

Worst situation I was ever personally involved with involved a sabre point in line drill. I had my point out, it hit the upper part of a female chest protector. The blade slid under the bib, and when I pulled it back, the tip had broken off. Luckily (and I was really scared), she only had a scratch on the chin.

[AndrastVitesse]

That happened to me. I was at practice and the blade just slid under the bib. I wasn't hurt or anything, but it was really scary.

[CvilleFencer]

Originally Posted by drippingwet

Shouldn't there be some sort of neck guard, maybe coming from the jacket or inside of the mask, or just some sort of separate accessory? This seems like a serious chink in the armour, and from one point of view it's surprising that the neck is semi-exposed like it is, given that for instance, a blade simply slipping upwards over the lame isn't impossible.

It is possible to get a gorget to wear that prettymuch cover and protects the entire neck. They are not overly comfy, and are ancient tech, but they still work. People who do Erma and other heavy blade/schlager fencing wear them. Look on ebay and type Gorget to get and idea of some of the styles. The leather with metal plate jobs are probably the best for fencers since the all metal gorget is just overkill unless you fence with a lot of hard core goths who are looking for a blood doll after a good day of fencing.

Another thing, like Alain talked about, is the back of head hit. Why isn't the back of the head covered as well, perhaps with something that would replace the current strap, while covering the whole back of the head, and stick some Kevlar in it or something?

It happens so rarely that it is not much of an issue, although this type of thing is available for some masks and comes standard on some coaching masks. They chances of taking a broken blade in the back of the head are so low that it is not really worth thinking off. Wierd things do happen, but since fencing is more safe than golf, or showering for that matter, to much protection is just a overkill in some regards. Besides if I wanted to fence in plate mail I would do SCA heavy stuff and swat people will big rattan polls.



What's a blade trap?[/quote]

[P Barbasiewicz]

I can remember the worst injury happening at the club I train at with Alain...

This was back in our school days and he was fencing this other kid - at foil I recall - when Al parried and his riposte hit the kid in shall we say a delicate place.

The kid shrugged it off OK at the time but we didn't seem him at the club or school for a couple of weeks...then Al bumpted into him at school and this kid said to Al, "You b######! I had to have an operation on a twisted left testicle because of you!" Makes any grown man cringe hearing this story...

On top of that, the testicle in question haemorraged (as if it wasn't bad enough already). The best of it was the kids nickname at school from then on...bollock! (any UK fencer will understand the word, don't believe its in the US volcabalary though...basically refers to your nuts as you may guess).

[jeff]

Westbrook got an accidental tracheotomy this way, and a trip to the hospital, from a practice bout. No joking subject. mackillian, I'm glad you're okay.

[telkanuru]

Nothing like a good scare to make you invest in good equipment... Know it worked on me.

[sabreur]

A guy on my college team took a broken epee through the thigh. No permanent damage.

There is a very small level of risk, but it is always there. Statistically, a golfer probably has a greater chance of being struck by lightning than a fencer does of being fatally injured....

MR

[MikeHarm]

The worst one I know of is that one of my epee friends got a severed testicle in a practice match against one of his teammates back when he was doing NCAA. He still won the match.

[LUDICROUS]

Hats off to him for being a hard man!

[D+F+P=Hadouken!]

Nice catch.