Glow in the dark fencing

[thud]

Ooh man I like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4O7jgqLk4o&search=epee

I've seen pictures like this but never footage. The blade actions look so clear, even with the fencers represented as mere silouettes. Isn't there some way to take advantage of this for media/exposure/popularization purposes?

[OROD]

The bladework is definitely much more clear than normal fencing. I think this would be a good teaching tool, especially for newer fencers. But, they need some glowy stuff on the fencers themselves so we can see them better.


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[thud]

I'm imagining a venue that is unlit except around the piste and the director. There is a low, soft, angled or specialized light on the fencers that makes them visible to the spectators, who watch from the darkness. The weapons sport reflective strips like the ones I think are being used in this video, which makes them glow under whatever light is used. It's hard to say how this could work without physically doing it, as I'm sure there would have to be a lot of tinkering with the illumination used, but I should hope that some tournament coordinator might try it out someday. I think there is a great opportunity to create something fantastic to watch for fencers and spectators alike!

[OROD]

I wouldnt want to fence like that. The mesh masks already reduce the amount of light coming in significantly, this can only make it worse.


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[bousquet]

We have a Tournament scheduled on July 14th where we intend to use those glowing epees. This will be outdoors, at night, under some lights. We call it, "A Stab in the Dark". We're trying to make it more fun for spectators to watch. It is harder for the fencers to to see, obviously, but amazingly, you can see enough (as shown in the video) to land touches.

Sandy can tell you exactly what he used to make those blades glow but they are not reflective tape. Its a glow wire of some type powered by a battery pack. The wire is glued on top of the regular epee wire.

As you can see we fence in a dance studio and there are usually plenty of kids still around when we start. The glowing epees are a big hit with them.

[chefencer]

I thought about this the other day as far as the usual 'telegenic' debate - what about computer enhancing the blades like they do the hockey puck so that it's easier to follow on TV? Perhaps making them look a bit light saber-ish for effect...
Obviously, not available to the average club but certainly available to ESPN...

[DJ Apostrophe]

I'm reminded of the glowing puck the NHL had on TV for a season or two that non-fans liked (surveys showed), but any real fans of the sport were vehemently opposed to it...

-w

[thud]

Originally Posted by DJ Apostrophe

I'm reminded of the glowing puck the NHL had on TV for a season or two that non-fans liked (surveys showed), but any real fans of the sport were vehemently opposed to it...

-w

What was the reason for the opposition?

[veeco]

It's confusing at best. The fencing in this video isn't top quality either, which probably wouldn't make it that useful as a teaching tool.

That being said, I applaud the effort and the creativity involved in doing this video. If this pulls in more people to the sport, it's great in my book!

[Fencergrl]

Originally Posted by OROD

I wouldnt want to fence like that. The mesh masks already reduce the amount of light coming in significantly, this can only make it worse.

I agree... looks cool but I wouldn't want to do it.

One of our local tournaments is in a location that is darker than your average gym. I am surprised how much I notice the lack of illumination through the mask.

This is particularly odd because I am one of these weird people that like really low lighting, I have great night vision, and much to my doctor’s disgust… still have perfect 20/20 vision (even though she doesn’t).

Just try fencing in low light sometime with your mask on… it’s tough.

[mrbiggs]

Notice that these are the same people who held the recent tournaments with wireless fencing. They're certainly at the front of fencing technology.


I think that this might be cooler with foil. Especially with the old timings.

[thud]

Originally Posted by bousquet

Sandy can tell you exactly what he used to make those blades glow but they are not reflective tape. Its a glow wire of some type powered by a battery pack. The wire is glued on top of the regular epee wire.

Thank you for telling us about that, bousquet. I hope that you will be able to share footage of your tournament with us!

Anyway, I'm getting another idea. Imagine hooking up these wires to the already existing scoring equipment. The wires flash or change colors when a touch is landed. Spectators will be able to see when the hits happen without seeing the box. I guess it's an alternative to the scoring lights attached to the masks at big competitions.

Does anyone think this might even improve directing?

[thud]

Originally Posted by Fencergrl

Just try fencing in low light sometime with your mask on… it’s tough.

Indeed it is tough; I've tried it also. However, I would say that the primary problem is seeing my opponent's blade. If my opponent's blade was glowing, though, that might change things entirely! Bousquet, can you...um...shed some light on that for us?

[Go? Fencing?]

Hmm... we're wearing white already... how about a black light?

[Durando]

The whole project is delightfully mad. What is up with those guys at Fishkill? Er, I mean, "What's next?" Let's see if we can't get them talking to the Swiss.... I see body paint, black light, yes Abba, yes disco lights.

[bousquet]

I was using the light from the blade to illuminate my opponent, holding the blade lower then I normally do. As you can see in the video we experimented with different amounts of ambient lighting. Being in a dance studio, we had many lighting options available to us. When we had it really dark, all you could see was the blade, no depth perception. With a bit more light it was much easier to see and posed no problem. Made things very interesting. It was just done for fun, and fun it was. We have a couple of very innovative folks in our club (with way too much time on their hands) who come up with great ideas for interesting ways and places to fence. We don't fence like that very often, but when we do, it's a blast.

>>delightfully mad.<< I like it!! I think we just found our club slogan!

[u r the spoon]

very cool. it definitely makes for an interesting video. though with the single wire, the epees tend to "disappear" on occasion.

[Fishkillfencers]

Thud - we think alike. With blades that blink or change color, it would be much easier to discern when and where the touch landed (i.e., foot or floor, first action or second, etc.). Also, a wireless system could be completely contained on the weapon - no cords leading to indicator lights in the mask.

We started this for fun, but there were some surprising results. Suddenly I was seeing blade actions for the first time. If someone lands a toe touch, you see the bend of the blade as it hits the toe. It's an eye-opening experience.

It occurred to me that this is what Lucas did in Star Wars. There are tons of movies with swordfighting, but he made the blade visible.

We intend to post more video eventually. This one is just for fun (obviously). If I'd meant it for training purposes, I wouldn't have chosen Abba.

Maybe the Bee Gees.

[seven6ty]

Yeah, awesome video! Lol, especially the disco ending, that cracked me up.

But yeah, I've been dreaming of doing something like this for YEARS. Only I've been wanting to use large black lights and neon colored paint to paint designs on some old masks, jackets and knickers. Always thought that would be awesome.

[thud]

Originally Posted by Go? Fencing?

Hmm... we're wearing white already... how about a black light?

It's true, our fencing whites show up great under black lights, as can be seen here: http://thirdstreetfencing.tripod.com/id10.html

The best part is that no setup is required aside from the light itself. Thanks for bringing that up.