Worst Fencing Injury

[Masterfulks]

Whats the worst you've ever seen?

Our saber coach told us how in a bout he held out his line, and the other guy beat i think. Either way it broke my coaches saber, but all happened so fast that he didnt have time to move it before it stuck into the other guy. He said it went clean through jackets and into him. I dont remember the extent of the injuries but it was a friend of his and he spent some time in the hospital......OUCH!

[Mr. Foilist]

One of the coaches at my local club (who is now retired) told me a story about a fencing injury he received (Let's call him "Mickey").

Mickey was fencing some guy in a club match, so he wasn't wearing knicks, just sweats and no cup. Mickey and his oponent got really close and started in-fighting. Well, Mickey's oponent took a prime and jabbed straight down. The point went down his sweats, down his underwear, and tore his scrotum.

They were entangled and Mickey and his oponent were struggling to free their weapons. Mickey felt some pain in his crotch and reached down and came up with a bloody hand, at which point he said, "I think I need to go to the hospital." I think he needed 8 stitches, or something like that.

The story might not be completely accurate (I'm not 100% sure that that's what Mickey said) but that's it in a nutshell.

So, wear a cup.

[ 05-07-2002: Message edited by: Mr. Foilist ]</p>

[D'Artagnan1673]

Sounds like a good reason to not infight and to always wear knickers

[Boo Boo]

A few stories:
- at a local competition someone was fencing (with breeches on), his opponent hit him in the groin, the blade broke, went through his breeches, through part of his left testicle and pinned it to his left thigh.

- Another local competition, guy gets hit to hard in the groin that he immediately crumples to the floor and throws-up in his mask.

- My husband was fencing epee in a local competition. He is normally a flicky foilist, so was doing a lot of flicks to wrist. Was fencing a pentathelete who kept putting his guard in the way of my husband's flicks to wrist. Husband thought "ah, I will flick it harder so that ist wraps around the guard and hits anyway". Pentathelete doesn't move his guard in the way of the next flick, husband's point flicks hard onto thumb and breaks thumb.

Boo
(neglects to tell the story when she broke someone's ribs, but that was a few years ago...)

Boo
(w

[D'Artagnan1673]

Violent violent.....

For some of you people who are more knowledgable of fencing from say 50 years ago, were there injuries of this calibre then?

People have come very close to getting me in the groin before, its scary.

[Purple Fencer]

Didn't see it, but you can't get much worse than Smirnov getting killed at '82 Worlds

[lochinvar]

D'Art, I can't speak for 50 years ago ( ) but I can speak for 30 years ago, and:

Yes, there were these kinds of injuries back then, too.

It's in the nature of the sport. Put two metal rods in people's hands and tell them to poke at each other, and these things happen. Considering the number of bouts that take place in a given year vs. how many injuries of this type there are, I'd say we have a pretty good safety record!

As for hits to the groin, they come with the territory. (I was clocked in the 'nads myself before I started wearing a cup--believe me, it wasn't fun!)
Solution: Always wear your cup. I've yet to hear of anyone being injured in the groin while wearing one. (Well, I have heard of one alleged case, but that's not my story to tell... and besides, I'm not sure I believe it. )

[edew]

Polish epee fencer had lung pierced, just missed heart. Lived to tell the tale (and fence again).

Noah Zucker: same thing in epee. Still competing.

This past weekend in Las Vegas. Teammate Brian in epee thought he hit, but the light didn't go off, so he quickly turned to the referee, lifted his mask, and pointed the epee for checking. The other fencer didn't know what's happening, jabbed the epee right against Brian's neck.

Brian now sports a "Nike" swoosh mark that starts at the jugular and ends at his cheek. An inch more and he would have worn an epee through the skull starting at the jaw.

[135711]

<img src="graemlins/freak2.gif" border="0" alt="[Freak]" />

[ 05-22-2002: Message edited by: 135711 ]</p>

[JohnnyRotten]

Last summer, while fencing in a dry foil bout, I was pierced through the hand. The foil entered near the second knuckle of the thumb on the top side (?) of my hand and exited on the palm side of my hand near my wrist. Luckily it missed bone and tendons and only tore up muscle so by the time this season rolled around I was raring to go...until I severely sprained by knee. heh.

[Maestro]

In 1991 I cut my arm on a doorway. The cut was very small and as such didn't prose too much of an issue. That night in fencing practice a wild lunge in 6 hit smack down on the cut and ripped it. 6 stitches later I have a really good war wound from fencing that I show all my friends.

[Puppet Master]

[quote]Originally posted by Maestro:

It took this long for someone to register as "Maestro" ??

[haggis]

Thought about "Maestro" as a name when I joined but just seemed a little pretentious (sorry Maestro).

Worst injury: hit on knee, blade broke, broken blade still going forward and stuck into my upper thigh. Lots of blood, six stitches and a scar that I can show to those who know me well.

[ 05-07-2002: Message edited by: haggis ]</p>

[Lordy]

I was once told a story by a pretty reliable source that a high level American fencer, I don't remember who, but I'm thinking it was Dan Kellner or someone of that nature was fencing in shorts. His opponents blade went up his shorts. Dan (or who ever it was) needed reconstructive surgery.

Also, when Smirnoff took the foil blade through the eye, he lived another NINE days before he died... Pretty hellish.

[edew]

[quote]Originally posted by Lordy:
<strong>[...]
Also, when Smirnoff took the foil blade through the eye, he lived another NINE days before he died... Pretty hellish.</strong><hr></blockquote>

Let's be a bit more accurate on this...he was on life-support for another nine or so days. I don't think he had brain activity immediately after the incident.

[Purple Fencer]

[quote]Originally posted by edew:
<strong>

Let's be a bit more accurate on this...he was on life-support for another nine or so days. I don't think he had brain activity immediately after the incident.</strong><hr></blockquote>

You beat me to it, Eric. I was going to say the same thing.

[MikeHarm]

[quote]Originally posted by 135711:
<strong>some people were delibertly trying to hit under my mask, but then about 1 year ago, i realized that the family jewels were a real live target and i learned to go for it! maybe that's why i provoked such a reaction!</strong><hr></blockquote>

Deliberately trying to slip your blade under the bib when fencing is unacceptable in any salle, did you bring the subject up with the coach?

[ScorpionDevil]

You guys make me scare to go to my next tourny
<img src="graemlins/evild.gif" border="0" alt="[Evil]" /> <img src="graemlins/evild.gif" border="0" alt="[Evil]" /> <img src="graemlins/evil3.gif" border="0" alt="[Evil 2]" /> <img src="graemlins/evil3.gif" border="0" alt="[Evil 2]" />

[ 05-07-2002: Message edited by: ScorpionDevil ]</p>

[neevel]

Point snags on glove, blade breaks, goes up the velcro/body cord opening, up the jacket sleeve, up the sleeve of the underarm protector, and punctures about an inch into the chest (just getting through the chest wall and nicking the lung). All the proper protective gear was there, but things went exactly so that the blade bypassed it all. Happened to a friend at U. of Iowa while I was in grad school there. Fortunately, the Field House in Iowa City is right next door to the University Hospital.

-Dave

[Inquartata]

Thus does Blind Chance sneer at the constant ramping up of safety standards...