Hey buddy, is something wrong with that grip?

[RebelFencer]

Well I'm taking that stance because I have firsthand experience at some Div 1 NACs and have seen that level of competition. It only stands to reason that the competition level is higher than the NACs at World and Olympic championships (which I have see footage of). Now I have never really watched much sabre and don't have anything really to back up my statements...so a sabreur will have to take that stance. But if you're saying that the distance control of the world's top fencers is bad then you are wrong. It is a bit tougher for them though, since when you have two world class fencers trying to manipulate distance and timing...it is usually fairly even.

[farginStinkinBastage]

Wow, RC. I actually held your answers in other threads with respect, but now I see you're just another dumb-a** kid who enjoys the annonymity of the internet and blurts off at the mouth as he sees fit without consequence.

You are the perfect example of bad fencing in general.

[RebelFencer]

Oh? I really don't see how anything I've said has been disrespectful.. I just haven't taken your particular viewpoint. And if you think I try to be anonymous by any means, you obviously haven't been around too long. I see you're from FL...are you going to be at Sectionals this weekend? Perhaps you could tell me all about Tiomkin, Kellner, Golubitsky, Kolobkov, Jeanette, Thompson, Mattern, and how poor their fencing really is.

Way to overreact to losing an argument ass.

[mrbiggs]

Still, watch the sabre championships on the FIE site and honestly tell me what you think. I will admit that the epee and foil bouts are far better.

Sabre bouts are 100% about distance! Now, I can't say anything about classical form (then again, I don't really care about it) but to say that high level sabereurs have bad distance is ridiculous. That's how they win bouts. Look at them get points on each other. How many times is an attack blade parried rather than parried with distance? They make it look easy on the videos, but that doesn't mean it is easy.

[keropie]

Oh? I really don't see how anything I've said has been disrespectful..

I believe he was referring to rcmatthews who was, unfortunately, a bit rude, and not to you.

I will, however, say that fencers @ FIE events, WC, Olympics, what have you do have impressive abilities at fencing. They are fast, accurate, and do keep good distance (trust me, stick someone in their who didn't, and they'd stick out like a sore thumb). The 'problem' if you want to call it that is they they often move so fast that the audience (especially the 'uninitiated') had no idea what happened. Additionally, the choice of actions they use may not fall into 'normal' fencing actions. I'm ok with that. And also, they have the reaction time to realize (usually) when they've hit their opponent and the touch is over. And sure, then they slink away, walk out of a lunge, lose form, whatever, but hey, the touch is over, who cares?

If you watch NBA basketball, you'll realize that the things they do aren't 'correct' either. Passes thrown from the hip, jump shots behind the head, dribbling (don't even get me started), etc. But they can do it because they are that kind of athlete. The same is often true of WC champs and Olympic fencers.

FSB, I understand what you wish existed. But it doesn't, at least not a meaningful level. I also strongly (but hopefully respectfully) disagree with you about the scoring machines. The switch to an objective scoring system is necessary for a sport to be relatively fair, so any movement in that direction is a good thing. Jury systems in fencing, to me, tend to be horrible, but a lot of that is that there are very few good side judges around these days. I do think that the lock out levels are too short nowadays, but we've been over this ground, and I think that the flick is fine, and there are plenty of ways to stop it w/out 'using saber parries,' though I don't know what would be so wrong with that, really. There are systems of foil that look a lot like it, anyhow.

Everyone cheer up, calm down, and smile ^^

[rac]

Welcome sir.

[mrbiggs]

who enjoys the annonymity of the internet

No one who disagreed with you in this thread is anonymous. You can find out who rcmatthews is easily, and RebelFencer and me with a bit more effort.

[Monsieur le Comte]

Haha. First post here and I'm about to jump into a flame war. :-D

I'm very new to fencing, only having been at it for about 2 months. However, when I was deciding if I really wanted to go for it or not, I watched some videos from the olympics of fencing. These people would just run at each other or leap at each other. There was no parrying or dodging of any sort. Just two fencers trying to each beat each other to the hit.

After seeing this I almost didn't take up fencing.

Thankfully I went down to the local club and watched some real fencers actually using parries and footwork, and saw that indeed it might be more fun (and skillful) than blindly running at your opponent trying to smack them with your blade.

[JackOfHearts]

Haha. First post here and I'm about to jump into a flame war. :-D

Hm.... Welcome Monsieur the Count. Would that be a reference to the Comte de la Fere or Le Comte de Monte Cristo?

[Monsieur le Comte]

Hm.... Welcome Monsieur the Count. Would that be a reference to the Comte de la Fere or Le Comte de Monte Cristo?

Monte Cristo. Amazing book, though I'm only 733/1462 pages... Have a ways to go.

[JackOfHearts]

Monte Cristo. Amazing book, though I'm only 733/1462 pages... Have a ways to go.

I just finished it yesterday. Excellent book. Though I prefer the Three Musketeers and Twenty Years After

[bigdawg2121]

Definitely an excellent book. Welcome to the forum. Stick with fencing long and you'll probably realize that those same guys you think are just running at each other started out with the guys you are calling "real fencers" and then passed them by for a reason. International fencing is a little too fast for the untrained eye to see and appreciate....hence the slow motion replays that are becoming popular with presentations of championship level bouts.

[get the point]

I must agree with all the others that say Olympics and world competitions are hard to understand for people with an untrained eye. Because beginning fencers do not know all the different tactics and styles of fencing, they will not understand more advanced fencing. You might see a foil fencer that looks like he has horrible distance control. But that might be because he is very good at in-fighting or is planning some sort of counter-attack. I myself have fenced with olympic-level fencers and they might look like they have bad form but that is because they can. They have the foundation to go back to the regular en garde. It's like the saying that whoever knows the rules, can break them. I have to say, the olympic fencer tore me a new one

[La_Fee_Verte]

Bottom line: press the button (lame or not is your choice, no lame is mine); touch the lame. Befoe the other person (priority aside). That's all. Efficiency of movement makes this more likely. It is an agonistic S-P-O-R-T! with things like swords but not actually swords. Competition with quasi-swords but not sword fighting. The context is important. Wish, imagine, fantasize all you want but it changes nothing. Press the button; touch the lame IAW priority or good sense to get the point. Khallas. Bes. Period.