I was just looking around and was wondering your guys thoughts on painted mask. I like to paint and seeing some of these kinda makes me wanna paint my own at some point. The first two are some I found the last one is an idea I had for my self.
Short answer is (i beleive) that if your opponent complains that it's distracting, you have to change it. So don't do it unless you want to enough that you're willing to carry around a black backup mask to tournaments.
Don't forget the maintenance ... so many of our 'talented' fencers lack adequate point and distance control, that they would be forever touching up the paint.
Not that I'm implying anyone here lacks the aforementioned skills .. just an observation.
P.S. The Prime mask is pretty damned cool, though.
Don't forget the maintenance ... so many of our 'talented' fencers lack adequate point and distance control, that they would be forever touching up the paint.
Not that I'm implying anyone here lacks the aforementioned skills .. just an observation.
P.S. The Prime mask is pretty damned cool, though.
Also, people like to aim for painted masks because (as you can already see from some of the responses), many fencers really don't like them.
Don't forget the maintenance ... so many of our 'talented' fencers lack adequate point and distance control, that they would be forever touching up the paint.
Not that I'm implying anyone here lacks the aforementioned skills .. just an observation.
P.S. The Prime mask is pretty damned cool, though.
Depending on my oppoent's height, I'll often aim for the mask with a parry/riposte in 4, whether it's painted or not.
"When your opponent fears you, then's the moment when you give the fear its own rein, give it the time to work on him. Let it become terror. The terrified man fights himself. Eventually he attacks in desperation. That is the most dangerous moment, but the terrified man can be trusted usually to make a fatal mistake. You are being trained here to detect these mistakes and use them." -Frank Herbert, Dune
Some of them look cool, but really if people show up to fence like that it's just distracting... and will only make the general public think we're even bigger dorks than they already do. And they'd be right.
Pfft, shows how much you know. They had painted masks in the Professional Fencing League and that ended up...oh, nevermind. Good point.
I think that's where this fashion trend originated. I recall seeing a picture of a PFL fencer in a full "Spider Man" uniform, complete with a Spidy mask, jack, and knickers. I think the trend actually died with the PFL, only to be resurrected recently when the FIE relaxed its rules a bit.
Some of them look cool, but really if people show up to fence like that it's just distracting... and will only make the general public think we're even bigger dorks than they already do. And they'd be right.
I agree, though I would wear a mask with any "dorky" design before I would wear a lexan shield in front of my eyes.
Short answer is (i beleive) that if your opponent complains that it's distracting, you have to change it. So don't do it unless you want to enough that you're willing to carry around a black backup mask to tournaments.
At least for FIE events, this is no longer true. The FIE has to approve the design, but once that's done, it's legal. I'd expect the USFA to follow suit.
At least for FIE events, this is no longer true. The FIE has to approve the design, but once that's done, it's legal. I'd expect the USFA to follow suit.
Next question. How many designs has the FIE approved so far?
Interesting side note, George K.'s interpretation of this rule for USFA events (specifically the Sacramento NAC a couple of weeks ago) is that the FOC is the appropriate body to approve mask designs in the US (specifically in that case himself, as the FOC member (one of the two) in charge at the tournament). Epeemike81 had a mask with the PdF logo that he used after such approval.
-B
"Oh but you can't expect to wield supreme executive power just because some watery tart threw a sword at you!"
And painted masks look like a**. Just in case anyone has forgotten my low opinion of them.
But they absolutely love them in the SCA. You will get much admiration for even the dorkiest, amateurishly painted mask. Hie thee hence, and aroint thee from the fencing strip, mask-painters!
Last edited by Inquartata; 05-02-2006 at 03:50 AM.
I can't find any respect for painted masks either, don't get me wrong. They either look dumb, or dumber, or REALLY dumb. But as for the rules, that's the way they stand, though of course the USFA rules may not be written at all <.< Alas. But the old standard of 'if the opponent finds it distracting, you have to switch' seems fairly tough to enforce these days.
Originally Posted by farginStinkinBastage 
