Updating Sabre

[Lead_Epee]

Hi

Has any one ever tried combining sabre and rollerblades/quads in to a form of wheeling combat?
Neither epee nor foil would be suitable as their too linear in movement (it would turn in to a jousting match).

A ‘few’ changes might have to be made to the rules.
I’m guessing that conventions would have to go out of the window so as to keep things simple (Epees so much more sensible), wiring would become ‘wirelesses (for obvious reasons) and the piste would be have to become rather bigger – more of a pitch.

If it works it might more closely resemble the mounted action from which sabre is supposed to have descended?

If anyone reading this happens to live in London or Bedford (England) and fancies giving it a go please let me know.

[Larrison]

*laughing* (sorry, but the mental picture I got of this is pretty wild...)

There was a variation of roller derby proposed for TV sports that used a figure 8 track. Imagine bouters on skates with sabres and a figure 8 track... Add in rock music, bright colorful team uniforms, cheerleaders, theatrical lighting and you might have something.... Of course, you'd have "attackers" and "defenders" and the use of the roller derby-style "whip" to accelerate an attacker either into or up behind a convoy of opposing players...

You'd sure need to change the "mask" to a full protection wrap around helmet though -- including side and back of neck protection -- and probably require torso, arm and hand armor since you can get "whacked" from any direction instead of just the front including both arms.

[PeterGustafsson]

Hi Lead_Epee!


I suggest that you forward your idea to our own sabre fencer, Inquartata. He will no doubt have a lot to say about it.


Have a nice time!

Peter Gustafsson

[mrbiggs]

Right now, quite a bit of sabre is two people running at each other. Now they will be able to do so more quickly. Where's the gain?

(In other words, there will be no more defense in sabre. How can you parry riposte without being able to change directions?)

[Inquartata]

You mean you guys didn't hear that tormented bellow of outrage echoing around the world about an hour ago? That would have been me...and I wasn't saying "Great Pan is dead". ( Obscure classical reference. )



I think it's best that we confine this idea to epee, with the goal of fewer epeeists in future. They could use a good winnowing.

[Capt. Slo-mo]

Actually, how about a version of wheeled-chair fencing, where two saberists sit in office chairs, and are pushed/steered/retreated by a second person applying direction to the chair.

Full fencing gear for everyone, of course...but it might add some horse-like drama to the linear strip. And with wireless strips, it'd be even more fun!

[ReverseLunge]

Actually I think sabre would be much much better without ROW. Double hits allowed too.

[esskreemr]

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[Lead_Epee]

Re “Pan tis dead” - I’m flattered that the nativity of my idea might be likened to the naissance of a new epoch )

Too true that right now sabre just consists of two people running at each other (although having to avoid crossing their legs as I remember) – The advantage of my ‘little change’ is that a skate mounted wielder of a sabre gains something of the wheeling motion of someone on horse back.
Parry ripostes would still be possible and indeed necessary, but the angles that they would have to cover would have to be greater.

[Inquartata]

Originally Posted by Lead_Epee

Too true that right now sabre just consists of two people running at each other

When you start from such a faulty premise, everything that follows must be suspect. Your understanding of sabre is superficial, hence your ideas about how to reform it are unlikely to be very useful.

But I expect this from an epeeist. After all, epee just consists of endless bouncing. ( See what I mean? )

[Lead_Epee]

As I understand it sabre is supposed to be a ’military’ weapon, where the weapon wielder is supposed to be equine borne – I’ve rarely seen horses rush forwards and backwards (not crossing their legs) in the manner of sabre folk. However I have seen horses rush and wheel in the same way as skate mounted folk.

My suggested step upon the evolutionary path is one that would bring the species back to the wellspring its evolutionary niche and hence would stop it of becoming an anachronistic strain that will die out under the weight of its own rule book.

By “endless bouncing”…..I’m presuming that you mean ‘active repositioning‘ )

[Inquartata]

Modern sabre didn't evolve from the cavalry sabre, really. The resemblance is purely superficial. It's a common misconception though.

[Mauler]

Been there, done that. My brother and I used to "experiment" a lot with mixing various hobbies. Fencing Sabre on highly mobile platform seemed very natural, especially since we are from the days when Sabre footwork was quite liberal. We never got around to mixing fencing and skydiving, though. But just about anything less than that, we've done it.

Sabre: Great with roller blades (roller skates back in my days), bicycle, rockclimbing gym (let the belay partner control "altitude" of combatants)....

Foil: Mixes well with SCUBA diving... And nobody gives you the weird look, because they automatically assume it's a spear-gun of sort.

Epee: HURTS A LOT !!!! when done on a bicycle, jousting-style...

Btw, no, we didn't use Right-of-Way. It wasn't for points, and certainly not in bout-like setting. Just a couple of crazy kids playing in potentially harmful situations (iow: fun). It wasn't about fencing. More of just swordfighting, Anime-style (which, of course, wasn't called that back then).

Anime-Manga fans out there might remember "Battle Angel Alita," and its "personal combat at 300 mph" which spans across several volumes.

[Lady Riposter]

Quads?

In my day they were just called rollerskates! I now feel old...and I'm not!

[mrbiggs]

Originally Posted by Lead_Epee

Parry ripostes would still be possible and indeed necessary, but the angles that they would have to cover would have to be greater.

No...have you ever watched a tape of sabre back when there was crossover? How well did parries work for them? (not too well.) Now, multiply that by ten, and you have sabre with rollerblades.

Also, it would be unsafe.

[BovineMadness]

If you ask me, it just seems daft, ridiculous, and irresponsible.

Count me in.

I'm sure it wouldn't stand a chance of replacing the weapon as it is now, but I can imagine it would be great fun. Or, as suggested, on bicycles for that true modern cavalry feel.

Even better option- how about Mini-Moto motorcycles?

[ReverseLunge]

OK, Foil has ROW because it was intened to be the training weapon for epee. Why should saber have ROW? I think saber without ROW would be the ultimate expression of western swordsmanship.

[jessicasimpson]

Originally Posted by ReverseLunge

OK, Foil has ROW because it was intened to be the training weapon for epee. Why should saber have ROW? I think saber without ROW would be the ultimate expression of western swordsmanship.

Saber without ROW would be saber without B*tching and complaining, and that does not compute

[BovineMadness]

Originally Posted by ReverseLunge

OK, Foil has ROW because it was intened to be the training weapon for epee. Why should saber have ROW? I think saber without ROW would be the ultimate expression of western swordsmanship.

Have to agree with you on that. I mean, historically speaking, if two people landed hefty cuts to each other's head with a live, full-weight sabre, they wouldn't gather at their funerals and say "Yup. Corpse A won because his attack came in as Corpse B was advancing with his arm bent."

I'm all in favour of nixing ROW for that reason alone.

[PeterGustafsson]

Hi!

Originally Posted by Mauler

Epee: HURTS A LOT !!!! when done on a bicycle, jousting-style...

The screen nick seems very apt indeed.


Imagine when a low line attack to the leg misses, and goes into the front wheel spokes!


Have a nice time!

Peter Gustafsson