useful sayings...

[epeetaph]

I know I can't speak for most fencing clubs, but as for mine we always have clever cliches about fencing. You know the ones, sayings like..."why sabre because you can't take heads with the point...(but, since epee is first and foremost to me before sabre)..it becomes why epee, because you might not be able to take heads with the point, but you can sure try." I love saying that right after a hit. Anyway, what are common fencing sayings for your club after making hits, or just in general?

[veeco]

One of my favorite cheers that we used to have when fencing in the University Championships in the team event (Sort of like the NCAA champs in the US) was to yell "Operation Cobra" at the end of the bout, when we won.

We'd do that while moving our hands towards the other team in a 'Cobra' fashion.

This is actually a reference to a French movie called 'Taxi'. If you can find it somewhere, I highly recommend watching it. It's pretty cool and you see some nice action, even though it is not fencing related at all.

[introspective]

i like operation cobra, that's great. we didn't do anything. if someone won something we just said nice bout, if not we said don[t worry, one of our teachers would scold us for a moment and send someone out for beer. let's think of more things, i like the hands moving in the direction of the cobra.

[Rick]

Now, this may be a little cocky... but I once told a club mate who asked me to a bout:
'Hang-on, I need to get a can opener', of course, refering to a weapon. And he said: 'A can opener? Why do you call that a can opener?'
And then I said: 'Because I'm going to use it to open a can of WHUP-*** !!!!!!'
I thought it sounded funny, but my coach wasn't amused.

[Cyranox11]

Hi
OK favourite sayings:
1. Curses... foiled again.
(From a kids TV Show in the 1970s called Cheesecake.)
2. Wooohoooooo
3. Go Marmalade!
(In joke ona fencer's name.)
4. Use the force Luke!
(We had a fencer called Luke. Yes he was a Star Wars freak.)
5. Keep your Wits about you.
(I belong to the University of the Witwatersrand Fencing Club, it is abbreviated to Wits [pronounced vits] University.)
Later
Cyrano

[Mergs]

From the Veteran's corner: "Old age and treachery will overcome youth and skill!" or "Not that, as your coach, I necessarily endorse it, but remember, you have one yellow card per bout!"

[Mengarath the Dragon]

The sage advice of our teacher:

"Don't get hit."
"Distance is the first rule of defence."
and
"Parry, dammit!" (usually called to a rookie from the sidelines)

He also has a shirt that says "Absolute Epee 100 proof"

------------------
Mengarath the Dragon

Life is to short to be ordinary.

[Mergs]

MD,

A variation on the last saying,
"Nice parry, next week I'll introduce you to a new concept called the riposte!" (also screamed at rookies from the sidelines)

[Fleche]

On the star wares theme, my coach made us
hit our partners blade, then extend, then our partner would have to hit our balde and extend, and so on, all with our eyes closed. He told us to 'use the force'. I don't think we will be jedi knights anytime soon . .

[Zelda]

I got 2 good ones on the weekend...
"Parry the attack, not the right to attack"
and
"Aim for a point, not the whole target"

[Purple Fencer]

Here's one I tend to tell myself when going against a better opponent...

"Fence well...don't suck."

------------------
I'll be mellow when I'm
DEAD!

[sabreuse]

At one club, whenever everyone was just standing around talking, our coach would say, "Is this a fencing club or a social club?" That always got us back to business.

[Mengarath the Dragon]

Our club's answer to that would probably be "Fencing? What's that?" *wide eyed stare*

I admit, we are a social fencing club, but don't get us wrong, we do love to fence and have some people who are damn good at it, but like our instructor says:

"If you're not having fun, go do something else."

Our fencing isn't just practice so we can win tournaments later on, it's for the love of it. Sometimes we have a bit TOO much fun. :-)

Sorry, off topic I know.

------------------
Mengarath the Dragon

Life is to short to be ordinary.

[Lumberg]

Common sayings at a fencing club:
10. "Excuse me"
9. "Please"
8. "Hi"
7. "Over there"
6. "I don't know"
5. "Hello"
4. "Okay"
3. "Thanks"
2. "En garde"
1. "Who farted?"

------------------
Lumberg.
"...ahhh, we have sort of a problem here... yeah, you apparently didn't put one of the new cover sheets on your TPS report"

[Moonitic]

One of our favorites is "Blood makes the strip red...Kill, kill, kill!"

Many of us visit our Ren Fest during the summer, & a common battle cry there is to say GRASS instead of strip. We've adopted it as our own.

[Clean Touch]

A popular expression in some of the circles here in Northern Callifornia is to be visited by "the Ghost of Fencers Past". This usually occurs when fencing in a tournament against an opponent who is clearly your superior and wonderful moves seem to pour from your blade as you score touch after touch after touch. A little like bieng in "the "zone", but more like receiving a spiritual revelation on the strip and afterwards wondering "Where did that come from? Wow!"

Yep, you've been visited by the Ghost of Fencers Past.

------------------
Est-ce que l'attaque etait bon? Mais Oui!!

[This message has been edited by Clean Touch (edited 01-23-2001).]

[Tyrantraxus]

Clean Touch,

Sounds like Myamoto Musashi afther he achieved his Kensai status(sword saint).

[Lumberg]

Clean Touch said, "Where did that come from? Wow!"
That's similar to "Who farted?" Don't steal my limelight.


------------------
Lumberg.
"...ahhh, we have sort of a problem here... yeah, you apparently didn't put one of the new cover sheets on your TPS report"

[ladybug]

When someone is having trouble hitting with the point our coaches often quote the sabrist attempting epee for the first time -

"I hit him here the light doesn't go off, I hit him there, the light doesn't go off STOOPID WEAPON!!!"

Of course if when they REALLY want to screw up one of their students during practice bouts, there is always the ever popular cry of "BELLY FEINT" done with the appropriate action, of course. You would be amazed at the reactions they get from that one!!

[tsalyards]

We always used the term "dance it in" when referring to how one should land a touch in a controlled, relaxed manner. "Dance it in, man...dance it in."

-Tad

[This message has been edited by tsalyards (edited 01-24-2001).]