One weapon, two weapon...

[Rick]

The aftermath of the 14-inch snow storm (i.e. f**cking blizzard) left a lot of my co-workers and my boss snowed in their homes. Hence, since no one else is around, I figured I'd catch up fencing.net postings.

I ran into some threads from way back in the fall about which weapon to take up. In those postings, some people mention some pros and cons about taking up more than one. Hence, let me open the floor to a discussion on (drum roll please) "Multiple Weapons: Yay or Neigh?"

Let me start: Rignt now, I'm fencing with the Epee and Foil. I started out in foil and thought that would be the only weapon I would compete in. However, I kept getting eliminated after my first DE and still wanted to do more fencing. After another early exit, I walked over to my clubmate borrowed an epee and a body chord from her, and signed up for the epee competition. My coach and clubmate have guided me along in the art of epee ever since. I find that I really enjoy doing both and don't plan on giving either one up.

[Gav]

Good post Rick! Nothing I like more than a bit of controversy.

As far as I know opinion is fairly divided about this. Most people I know stick to one weapon. I feel it helps it to keep your concentration on one thing at a time - especially something as complex as fencing.

Having said that the head coach at my club reckons that doing foil helps your hand speed in epee (and epee helps your point control for foil). He's an advocate of bring skills from one discipline and using them in another. For instance he started out doing sabre and then converted to foil. He found that Sabre techniques crossed well into foil and that he could use them devestatingly.

For my part I started doing foil then switched to epee. I can use alot of my old foil tricks in epee but as I don't do foil anymore I find that I use them less and less.

[gesk]

Rick, why stop at 2 weapons. Why not all three.

How can one consider oneself to be a fencer and not know how to fence the other 2 weapons ?
My opinion is that if you have to learn to fence the other 2, might as well learn to fence them well.

Personally I love foil for the adrenaline rush. Epee is a game of finding that window of opportunity to score that 1 light touche. Sabre is exciting but I do it for the thrill of the chase. (sometimes being the "chase-ee"). I do find that sabre fencing requires good and fast footwork.

Worse comes to worse fencing all 3 has messed up my on-guard position.
My 2 cents for the day.
Happy fencing everyone.


[This message has been edited by gesk (edited 12-13-2000).]

[cleghmor]

All three is the way to go! Why not not? Each weapon has its own groove. I'd like to see a tourney like the so called " Iron Man"- no diss to the ladies in the audience. A relay tourney where the winner will have the best victory/ defeat ration and where a tie will be decided by an epee bout.

clegh

[big poppa]

I rrember some "old school fencers" that used to feel the only real way to fence was to fence all three weapons. more and more im starting to see the wisdom in this. each weapon complements the other. Thinkl of it like this who is the more complete maartial artist, a person who has studied judo, boxing and karate or one who studies only one of the arts. hey life is short do it all!

[Rick]

I agree with all of you about fencing all three. But I've only been doing this for a little more than a year. I fence Dry Sabre every now and then. But not as frequently as before. I currently compete in foil and epee and want to devote as much time in practice to either one, or both (I have delusions of going to summer nationals in July for both weapons). Maybe I can start working on Sabre during the off-season. My fear is that by practicng with the Sabre now, it will mess up my guard, timing, tempo, and form with epee and foil.
All in due time, I guess.

[rjccj]

If you can do it, and you enjoy it, then more power to you. I personally don't like competing in sabre, so only do foil and epee. My former coach held B's in all three weapons and was one of the first certified Maestros (excuse my spelling) certified by the USFCA. I worship any of you that can do all three. You da man.

[sabreuse]

Our division did run sort of an iron man/iron maiden thing last year. We didn't do the tournaments all in the same weekend, just kept cumulative results. We get a lot of foil-sabre and foil-epee. Almost no one does epee-sabre. I'm not sure why.

[fencingguy]

ok, since no one else will say it, I don't think fencing all three or even two weapons is a good idea. The reactions you need to have ingrained into you differ from weapon to weapon as do the distance and timing necessary to score a touch. While you can conciously try to make the adjustment, when you are fencing a tough bout that takes away from the concentration you should be putting into strategy and just fencing your opponent. Not to mention if you want to be any good at any weapon you need to spend a lot of time learning to fence it. If you divide your tiem between 2 or even three you severely hamper your improval rate. I know that when I take an easy night and fence some foil for fun it can have serious detrimental effects on my epee fencing. There is nothing wrong with fencing multipke weapons if you want to have fun, but from a serious, competitive viewpoint it is a definite no no.

[Gav]

Thought I would throw something else in. We recently held our club championships. It is almost compulsory (but you kinda feel left out if you don't) to fence all three weapons. Did anyone who concentrated on only 1 weapon win - no! The guy who won gold for epee and sabre is a guy who fences all three weapons (he came 2nd in foil).

He's also nearly veteran age and plans to start competing again when he crosses that boundary. I pity the veterans they don't know what's going to hit them.

[Rapier9mm]

hey clegh -

we have a sort of iron man here, except it is done on all of the years points for each weapon called: "master of arms"

[HilandDoug]

I think Renaissance Fencing Club used to host an Iron Man a while back, but I don't think they do it anymore.

As for fencing more than one weapon, if you've got the gear, go for it. After all, you use 14 different clubs in golf, why not 3 weapons for fencing?

[darius]

Usually, those who want to be really competitive stick with one weapon. However, if your basics are extremely good, you should be able to do well -- if your sense of distance and timing is good, you just have to alter it to suit whichever weapon you're fencing.

Look at Felicia Zimmermann or Andrea Ament and tell me that you can't be competitive in two different weapons.

Everybody has a favorite, but at the same time, different weapons emphasize different skills that can come in handy in all situations.

The extra flick-work I've been doing in foil helped me in an epee tournament I entered on a whim last weekend, I was able to arc attacks over the bell-guard onto the wrist.

Epee stresses very good point control, since you're often trying to hit small targets like the wrist and foot; flik has beaten people he has no place winning against in sabre because he uses his point so effectively.

Sabre is good for working at aggressiveness and extremely fast footwork, since direction changes need to be extreme. It's also good for providing subjects for other fencers to make fun of. ("I think, therefore...")

darius

[Moonitic]

If you want to fence all three...kudos to you.

If you only want to fence one or two..fine with me.

My coach wants me, personally, to stick with one weapon. It's an individual thing.