Are you "Heavy handed" ?

[inigomontoya]

I hit hard.

The coach says - hold your arm out completely straight as you lunge. The hit should come at the point of maximum accelleration in the lunge.

Then all the girlies complain about bruises. Is the coach wrong, or is their something else I'm supposed to do at the same time to stop it hurting so much? Like the way cricketers are supposed to not hurt their hands when they catch a ball?

I've got one of those Russian maraging epee blades and it is a bit stiff, maybe a cheaper sword would help.

[Fechter1]

Sometimes hard hits occur because your opponent was acting like a jack-ass.

Or does something stupid... You know, like leading with the body when attacking, withdrawing the arm (that good ol' punch attack...), then extending (punching) into an established line, usually catching the point with the inside elbow. And then they complain that their opponent hits too hard...

[Greg]

I did it during an epee DE. Fencing against a guy who taunted. Got him with a four parry followed by a diagonal transfer to my eight with a riposte hard and fast to his manly region (not intentional though, just ended up too low). He never taunted again and lost 15-11.
I agree with above. I sometimes fence really skinny fencers and when they get hit in the chest and not all that hard, it hurts them. If they only parried ...

[fences_like_a_lemur]

I sometimes fence really skinny fencers and when they get hit in the chest and not all that hard, it hurts them. If they only parried ...

It seems like all of the fencers who are small or skinny or young are easier to get injured, probably because they are small and just can't take getting hit by a bigger person well. I always feel bad when I fence a young or small person at a tournament because I feel bad if I fence normally and accidentally hit them hard but then I don't want to fence them wierdly so that I don't hit them and end up loseing.

If only they DID parry...

[jfarmer]

I did it during an epee DE. Fencing against a guy who taunted. Got him with a four parry followed by a diagonal transfer to my eight with a riposte hard and fast to his manly region (not intentional though, just ended up too low). He never taunted again and lost 15-11.

And the referee didn't call him on the taunting? While I will let some go by in club play, as a rule, when I ref, I don't give such fencers a quiet verbal warning and then haul out a card. Smart ones shut up. Others, well they get what they deserve.

John Farmer
Coach, Oak Ridge Fencers Club

[jfarmer]

I hit hard.

The coach says - hold your arm out completely straight as you lunge. The hit should come at the point of maximum accelleration in the lunge.

Then all the girlies complain about bruises. Is the coach wrong, or is their something else I'm supposed to do at the same time to stop it hurting so much? Like the way cricketers are supposed to not hurt their hands when they catch a ball?

Your coach is correct. But you are not controling your distance to target well enough. Your maximum accelleration in the lunge should happen as your front foot lands. Your tip should land just as your front heel touches,
bending the blade slightly (and setting off the switch) as your front knee comes over your foot.

Simple case: If your opponent remains in the same spot as when you start the lunge, then you should be able to land a light touch & get the light, 10 times out of 10.

If they move, then thats where watching them and the use of tactical actions to trigger their responses comes into play.

Try working with a bouting partner to present you with both stationary targets and moving (with speed variations) targets. Your goal is to get the light without your partner feeling the touch. That also helps with tactical issues during a bout. It tends to disrupt their timing.

John Farmer
Coach, Oak Ridge Fencers Club