Styles of Fencing

[rheyn]

Hi,

I've heard about different styles of fencing (foil) such as the Italian style, the Chinese style, the Hungarian style, etc. I was wondering if anyone could explain these styles to me further and the differences between each one.

Thanks

[Beloit Fencer of Old]

Some might include the French style in that list.

[KD5MDK]

I have never heard of a Chinese style of foil. Where did you come across it?

[migopod]

I have never heard of a Chinese style of foil. Where did you come across it?

Marching Tiger, Flicking Dragon.

[TooLoftheDeviL]

Marching Tiger, Flicking Dragon.

thread winner. awarded 1 internets.

[Mr Epee]

I have never heard of a Chinese style of foil. Where did you come across it?

It's pretty much the same as regular foil, except you get hungry again an hour later.

Don't laugh. It's true.

[Beloit Fencer of Old]

I'm afraid that rheyn or whatever isn't going to ever post here again if we don't start to take her question seriously. Where's telk?

[erooMynohtnA]

Hi,

I've heard about different styles of fencing (foil) such as the Italian style, the Chinese style, the Hungarian style, etc. I was wondering if anyone could explain these styles to me further and the differences between each one.

Thanks

Short answer, a lot of it depends on who you're talking to.

Long answer, http://www.schermaonline.com/scherma...rder=1&thold=0

I don't know who would know better than him. Probably Christian Bauer, but I haven't heard anything from him about it.

[Adler]

Yes I can see why a famous sabre coach would be the best person to ask about styles of foil fencing.

[erooMynohtnA]

Yes I can see why a famous sabre coach would be the best person to ask about styles of foil fencing.

You're right. A top international coach and national coach in France, Italy and China would be woefully ignorant about stylistic differences between those countries.

[Steve Khinoy]

There used to be clearly-distinguished national schools: Italian, French, Hungarian primarily. These differed in technique, emphasis, and terminology. However, they have tended to converge under the demands of modern international competition with electronic scoring. Stuff that didn't work well got dropped more quickly when fencers had to face a variety of highly skilled opponents and you had a scoring machine that registered touches that visual judges had missed or refused to see. So now there aren't so much national schools as regional tendencies, such as Sergei describes. (Plug:For more about him, read his book Fencing Is My Life, which I publish.])

It used to be that the French school (which used the French foil) emphasized precision, point control, blade avoidance, and attacks with multiple feints, while the Italian school (which used the Italian foil strapped to the wrist) emphasized control of the opponent's blade, strong attacks, and parry-ripostes almost in one movement. The Hungarian school was based on the Northern Italian branch of the Italian school (all part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire), but was, I think, more open to French influence.

I'm basing my comments on what I observed and heard from my coaches when I started fencing -- fifty years ago this month.

[Adler]

You're right. A top international coach and national coach in France, Italy and China would be woefully ignorant about stylistic differences between those countries.

I'm sure in Sabre he would but how many top international coaches do you know that are equally versed in the history, styles and methodical diferences of other schools of fencing outside his/her own weapon. The only two which spring to mind at the moment are Czaijkowski and Gabor Bognar.

[KD5MDK]

I'd wait for MdA to answer this, but I'll just interject probably a few more than you'd think.

[Craig]

It would probably be a useful side project for a couple of people to go through the NBC Olympics foil bouts and jot down their impressions of the styles shown in men's and women's foil by the various nations.

Granted, the sample size will be very small, but some of the more experienced here could be able to tease out some initial observations.

Craig