Fleche or no fleche

[Shadow Fencer]

Please excuse my ignorance, but some of you know me as Rip Van Winkle in terms of being out of fencing for the past 22 years. When I was fencing way back then, the fleche was "the" move for sabre. What year did it become illegal to "cross the feet"?



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I live to fence and fence to live!!

[Eskrimador]

I learned to fence sabre dry and with the fleche and as I've just come back to the sport, the reflex is to fleche with a riposte or remise. Seems a shame to put so much into learning the fleche and then not be able to use it. I remember when outlawing the fleche was being discussed and my reaction was that these rules are being made by foil fencers who want sabre to be more like foil.

I suppose I'll just have to adjust. However, I don't think they should have outlawed all crossing of the legs. Rather I think the passe avant or the fleche could be outlawed but not both. This would have gotten rid of the tendency to just rush at each other which in my opinion was why there was priority. I think some of the nice, clean sabre fencing that you see now is due to the stiffer 2000 blades that do a pretty good job of taking care of whip overs.

[Stryder]

S2000 blades:
A)Suck. They keep breaking off at the tang. B)Don't do as much to avoid whipover as did the removal of the manchette (overglove).

Fleching became illegal sometime in the 1992-1994 era. (I am going from my own rapidly-fading memory, so any actual facts would be nice here.)

Regarding the passe Avant: Most ref's allow a crossover after the halt. Which is essentially what a passe avant is. To cut into an attack and then cross, seems to me to be accepted. Any conflicting experiences?


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www.geocities.com/strydermike

[thebigriddle]

I remember because I was still competing back in 91-92. I was also learning saber. I remember when the new came out. It was a real bummer. Some people didn't care. I just use to love how fast the game went. I tell you what it wasn't for everyone. That was partly because it was hard to direct. The electric made it even faster. It only became more popular because it slowed down. In saber speed is every thing. Slowing it down, I didn't agree with. If you don't like the speed it is fenced at, there is always foil and epee.

[This message has been edited by thebigriddle (edited 04-24-2001).]

[Eskrimador]

I can't say that I've had any particular bad experience with the 2000 blades and I agree with you about the manchette.

Regarding the passe avant after a touch I'd say that there's usually no call because any passing would be after a halt. I was referring to crossing while on the advance and finishing with a lunge or a step forward. The other possibility I meant was no crossing on the advance but finishing with a fleche rather than outlawing all crossing.

[Wafath]

Re: S2000 blades:
I like them. I have never been hit on the back of the head with one of them. I don't think they reduce whipovers to the arm, but I think they will reduce whipovers to the back off of a correctly executed parry 5.

Fleche? Don't know. I started sabre after the no fleche rule. I do like how the game has become a distance game.

W

[space_cadet]

No, because it's the rules. This is a "beating a dead horse" topic.

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Cadet à Space