Fencing.Net - Your Guide to Fencing & Fencing Equipment

Woopmonkeyman · 11-26-2006, 08:09 PM

First of all, I am a generally skilled Fencer, however I have never owned my own equipment and most of my knowledge comes from what the Coaches have said about the different weapons and etc, which is very little. Anyways, I am going to start trying to understand all of the weapons and etc more in-depth than I currently do, and I thought I may as well start with blade sizes. So, the question, what is the generally used blade size in Foil? and exactly how many different blade sizes are there?

erooMynohtnA · 11-26-2006, 08:34 PM

Size five is all you need to know.

Woopmonkeyman · 11-26-2006, 08:40 PM

Are the other blade sizes for the other types of weapons? Or is size five the only existant one, and all other types of weapons have their own measurements? (I think it is the first one, but not completely sure)

keropie · 11-26-2006, 09:50 PM

Roughly speaking (though I don't believe they are actually defined), size five is 35" (the max allowed), 4=34", 3=33", 2=32", 1=31", 0=30" for foil and epee. Sabers are (I think) .5 cm shorter.

Most competitive fencers older than 12 use size 5 or full length blades. Some use smaller ones for whatever purpose. Under 12 I think you are limited to 32" blades (or size 2, but since size 2 isn't actually defined, 32" is the answer) and I think Y10 is size 0 (30").

Though I'm tired, and didn't bother to look any of this up.

Woopmonkeyman · 11-26-2006, 10:02 PM

Ah, thanks, it all seems rather familiar, but I wanted to make sure about it.

Purple Fencer · 11-26-2006, 10:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by keropie

Roughly speaking (though I don't believe they are actually defined), size five is 35" (the max allowed), 4=34", 3=33", 2=32", 1=31", 0=30" for foil and epee. Sabers are (I think) .5 cm shorter.

Most competitive fencers older than 12 use size 5 or full length blades. Some use smaller ones for whatever purpose. Under 12 I think you are limited to 32" blades (or size 2, but since size 2 isn't actually defined, 32" is the answer) and I think Y10 is size 0 (30").

Though I'm tired, and didn't bother to look any of this up.

Thay's ok....that's what an armorer is for...

The regulation size for a #5 blade is 90cm from the front of the tip to the guard in foil and epee....for sabre it's 88cm...teh numbers on teh blade do NOT relate to length as outlined above...that's a common misconception.

For teh longest time the length of teh #0 was not codified....so in essence, you could take a #5 that was unmarked, stamp a 0 on it, and it'd be legal...however, the length eas recently codified...but I don't remember the length.

Donald???

KD5MDK · 11-26-2006, 11:04 PM

What document would have codified it?

Purple Fencer · 11-27-2006, 12:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KD5MDK

What document would have codified it?

The rulebook....but it may not have hit the English translation yet...that's why I asked Don Clinton...he;s teh one who told me.

CvilleFencer · 11-27-2006, 12:24 AM

A friend of mine, a strong fencer with a really good parry repost game was using a number four blade for a while. Of course she did not know it... She had ordered them from TCA (under the old owner) and that was what they had sent her. Since I handle about a zillion blades, I knew it was a little off about as soon as I picked it up, but until I told her, she had no idea she was using a size 4. Moral of the story, in foil it does not make a huge amount of difference.

I have talked to a few people who actively prefer a 3 or 4 blade as they feel the shorter length gives them an edge in accuracy and in fighting. I don't think I buy that though. With ROW, the length of the blade just does not matter as much. Assuming you could find them, a 4 or shorter blade for epee just would not be a good idea... However, I once came across a 40" practice blade that an SCA type fencer used. I toyed with the idea of trying to find one, threading the tip and wiring it up. I think it would be a great "prank" blade, especially if I was pommeling it!

Never could find any of them though...

KD5MDK · 11-27-2006, 09:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Purple Fencer

The rulebook....but it may not have hit the English translation yet...that's why I asked Don Clinton...he;s teh one who told me.

There aren't any FIE competitions below the Cadet level, so there's no reason the FIE would codify a blade length for competitions they don't sponsor. Blades smaller that full size (5) are only required for USFA Youth competitions, as far as I know, and for Y12 and Y10 only, anyway. As far as the FIE is concerned, those competitions do not exist.

Purple Fencer · 11-27-2006, 09:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KD5MDK

There aren't any FIE competitions below the Cadet level, so there's no reason the FIE would codify a blade length for competitions they don't sponsor. Blades smaller that full size (5) are only required for USFA Youth competitions, as far as I know, and for Y12 and Y10 only, anyway. As far as the FIE is concerned, those competitions do not exist.

It might be a USFA addition, then...

Goldgar · 11-27-2006, 10:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CvilleFencer

A friend of mine, a strong fencer with a really good parry repost game was using a number four blade for a while.

It doesn't surprise me at all that her parry/ripostes were particularly good, using a #4 blade. In my experience, a shorter blade leads to quicker parries, due to the shorter moment arm. So shorter blades give you increased hand speed, at the cost of some reach.

Seems to me I recall EDEW telling me he prefers #4 blades, though that was a while ago. I once fenced foil against a pretty strong opponent using a #0 blade (all I could lay my hands on, having broken all of my own), and was getting parry/ripostes I'd never have managed with a #5. Fortunately, I have long arms, so I could still reach the target.

DHCJr · 11-27-2006, 11:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by keropie

Roughly speaking (though I don't believe they are actually defined), size five is 35" (the max allowed), 4=34", 3=33", 2=32", 1=31", 0=30" for foil and epee. Sabers are (I think) .5 cm shorter.

Most competitive fencers older than 12 use size 5 or full length blades. Some use smaller ones for whatever purpose. Under 12 I think you are limited to 32" blades (or size 2, but since size 2 isn't actually defined, 32" is the answer) and I think Y10 is size 0 (30").

Though I'm tired, and didn't bother to look any of this up.

Don't believe everything you read on the internet. As Purple Fencer said the measurements are in Metric, not inches. And as KD5MDK said the FIE doesn't care.

In fact the USFA doesn't have a rule for the length of blades except for full length. For Y-10 and Y-10 only they do have a requirement for #0 or #2 blades. What that means as Purple Fencer said, it is a blade with a 0 or 2 on it.

I had made a suggestion that they needed to codify what the length was. I pushed for 84 cm as that would validate over 90% of the blades marked as a 2 legal. It would also make a few (very few) 3 legals. Instead for one competition and one competition only last years SRYC in San Jose they made the rule 32.5". This is Aproximately the length of the blades from Leon Paul, the only one with any standardization. The problem is even with Leon Paul this is not the maximum. It is an average. There was so much failure of blades the tape on the tables were moved.

I would like to make a request to any Y-10 fencers or their parents who also fence Y-12 and/or Y-14 and prefer a full length blade. Have your full length blades stamped with a 2.

Many of the other manufacturers, not only do not have any standards, but they also do not stamp in any way their shorter blades. So even if you get a blade from one of these other manufacturers with a blade 72 cm, it would not be legal, but a full length (90 cm) blade with a 0 or a 2 stamped on it would be legal for Y-10 competitions