foil or epee to start?

[hale bopp]

i know that convention dictates that one begin with foil and move on to epee... is everyone in agreement here?...the salle near me only uses epee so i am wondering if i should hold off beginning until i can fence foil?

[KD5MDK]

Sabre!

[jdoiv]

it will make that much of a difference. Question is: do you want to fence foil or epee? If epee is the goal, what is the point of fencing foil? If you want to fence foil, but epee is the only game in town, you aren't going to kill your foil game by fencing a little epee when you start. Just don't try and be a counter attacker. Control the action and take the blade and you will be fine. Where about's are you?

[Zilverzmurfen]

Originally Posted by hale bopp

i know that convention dictates that one begin with foil and move on to epee... is everyone in agreement here?...the salle near me only uses epee so i am wondering if i should hold off beginning until i can fence foil?

Unless you really want to do foil then hold off, but it doesn't matter which weapon you start out in.

If you have the oppurtunity to try out all three weapons then do that and see which one 'talks' to you the most. Otherwise just go for the weapon your club provides classes in.

Very welcome to the sport!

[Goldgar]

Originally Posted by hale bopp

i know that convention dictates that one begin with foil and move on to epee... is everyone in agreement here?...the salle near me only uses epee so i am wondering if i should hold off beginning until i can fence foil

"Everyone" here never agrees on anything. I believe that foil is the best weapon for beginners to start with, unless they already know they're going to specialize in some other weapon. Naturally, there are plenty of people that disagree with me on that. But regardless, if it's a choice between starting to fence now, with epee, or starting some time in the misty future with foil, I say go with the epee club and get started sooner.

Much more important than what weapon you start with is the quality of instruction at the salle. Do they only do epee because they're a purely recreational club with no good instructors, or is it because they're a very strong epee salle, with great instructors who specialize in epee?

[needle]

My very biased opinion is that kids should start with foil.
Adults should start with the weapon they want to fence ... try all three if you don't know.

[RoninX]

One problem with going into epee cold (total newbie) is that epee is a weapon of subtleties. You show someone how to hold it, advance, retreat, lunge etc... and then tell them to hit the other person first.

There is so much more to it than that but it is very difficult to explain to someone without some depth of experience in fencing or martial arts. Some people do just "get it", but they are in the large minority when it comes to epee.

So yeah, foil first isn't a bad thing. Just be sure you try epee at some point. This is so you'll know what you're missing if you decide to go the low road and stay with foil full time

[yomi]

Originally Posted by KD5MDK

Sabre!

yeah....i agree with you ^_^ V

[Dr. Pfleschbach]

Try all three for a while. If you start by fencing one weapon exclusively it can be harder to switch, especially if it means changing coaches, because you will develop a relationship with your coach and changing can be like leaving your girlfriend or telling a friend you would rather hang out with someone else. You don't want to wind up psychologically committed to a weapon and coach that may not suit your personality, so play the field until you know what you want.

[mrbiggs]

Originally Posted by hale bopp

i know that convention dictates that one begin with foil and move on to epee... is everyone in agreement here?...the salle near me only uses epee so i am wondering if i should hold off beginning until i can fence foil?

Go to the salle and fence epee. The foil first thing is for people that have a choice between weapons. Don't miss out on fencing just because the nearest salle happens to fence epee.

[Maester]

I choose foil, cuz its easy to start with, but sabre is looking pretty good right now.

[Dr. Pfleschbach]

Oh, I didn't notice the thing about the salle only teaching epee. Mrbiggs is right, just go fence epee, but keep your options open.

[Zilverzmurfen]

Originally Posted by mrbiggs

Go to the salle and fence epee. The foil first thing is for people that have a choice between weapons. Don't miss out on fencing just because the nearest salle happens to fence epee.

My point exactly. All fencing clubs do not offer classes in all weapons, which people seem to assume.

[OROD]

Newbs should start with foil first. Even if the newb thinks he wants to do epee or sabre, start them with foil. Newbs dont know anything, by definition... and besides, anyone who willingly wants to fence epee or sabre obvisously has issues.


.

[VELISARIOS]

Childrens must start with foil.

[Inquartata]

That's because foil is a weapon only fit for children.

[remise]

I started out fencing epee because that's what my coach told me to fence. Later on, I decided to fence sabre and foil. Once you are accustomed to epee and suddenly try to learn, say, sabre...with its right-of-way rules, it can be a frustrating journey. I will still catch myself counterattacking during a sabre bout that will cost me the touch.

[airathanas]

You should start fencing in whatever weapon you want. There are plenty of clubs that are one weapon only- either by choice or that's just the way it is. At UNC Chapel Hill, people start fencing in a specific weapon, rather than everyone starting in foil.

[keropie]

Originally Posted by airathanas

At UNC Chapel Hill, people start fencing in a specific weapon, rather than everyone starting in foil.

Well, that's mostly true. The intro class at the University is foil only, though the intermediate class is all three weapons, and team members with previous experience start in what ever weapon they/we (coaching staff) choose, but first time fencers do foil first. For a week. Then they go into whatever weapon they choose. They do, of course, get a brief exposure in all three weapon prior to that choice. But yeah, team members foil 'intro' is a week unless they decide to stick with foil.

[needle]

Originally Posted by keropie

They do, of course, get a brief exposure in all three weapon prior to that choice.

Does their brief exposure to epee include your "crazy flick"?