About those broken bits

[slow_learner]

OK, I tried to search this topic but it was too much for my poor google skills. I am posting the question in this forum because it is highly newbish and hopefully will cause less offense.

Back in October in my beginners class I lunged and broke my club blade on my opponent. The broken bit landed maybe four feet away.

This past weekend I fenced in my second tournament. In my two foil DEs each opponent broke a blade against me. The first time it fell to the floor, landing between us.

The second time there was only a "poing" sound. Honestly I looked upward expecting to see a piece of steel arcing away. Then I looked around the floor, but never saw where it went. My opponent was already running to get his backup foil. The ref (same ref!) stood by nonplussed. (Not a talkative guy at all.)

At that moment there were not many people in that part of the gym, so there was nobody else to ask. Next thing we resumed. So I never did find out where that thing went.

Now, all this flying metal, combined with the way at a tournament you get loads of people milling around and shmoozing and smooching in the vicinity of the strips, prompts me to ask:

Do people at tournaments ever get hit by flying blades?

Have you ever seen or heard of anybody getting hurt this way?





(Disclaimer: I am not affiliated in any way with the insurance industry.)

[Mr. Bill]

Well, I'm very new at fencing, myself; only been to one tournament so far, but I've always had an interest in fencing and have read a number of books on fencing and fencing history. While there have been rare events where a fencer has been injured or even killed by an opponent's broken blade, I've never heard of a spectator being hurt by a flying piece. From a purely physical standpoint, I doubt that even a broke blade piece that flies some distance across the room would possess enough energy, unless it hit someone in the eye, to really cause serous damage. Might make a good topic for the Mythbusters show, though.

[Purple Fencer]

The vast majority of blade breaks I have seen in 12 years have fallen into one of 4 categories:

1) Snapped while straightening or otherwise hand-flexing the blade. Embarassing, but nothing goes flying, since you're holding the parts when they break.

2) Blade snaps during a lunge or other point hit...typically when the fencer is at or near the end of the action...the blade snaps, but there's not a great deal of energy to throw the parts around...you hope you GET the touch in that case so at least the blade dies with honor.

3) The tang shears at the shoulder ona parry or a beat (this is because the tang is welded on....although I think LP makes at least one single-piece blade). EXTREMELY funny to see....unless it's your blade! Parts don't go flying, but they DO prove that either gravity works, or that the earth still sucks! Sabre blades make an interestingt wobbly sound when this happens....and someone like me can usually hear it across the venue....it;s the vendor mating call!

4) Blade breaks somewhere along its length on a beat or parry. This is one I've done...cut about 6 inches off a guy's sabre blade on a parry...I make my riposte (valid), he makes an attempt at a counter-parry/riposte, but missed because there was no blade there! He stopped and looked at his weapon....then we heardthe broken part land about 30 feet away.

[foibles]

This was in the late 80's early 90's. A teammate of mine had somehow managed to get in a bout with Peter Westbrook. There was no electric sabre then, so there were 4 judges and 1 director standing at attention watching the bout.

My teammate makes an aggressive parry. Everyone watches in amazement as his his blade breaks near the guard and the blade goes flipping though the air glancing off one of the judges.

Nonplussed my teammate asks. "So then. How many points I get for hittin' a judge?"

Classic. =)

[SabreReedfrost]

nice! i fence sabre, and my guess would be that more blades are broken in that weapon than either of the other two... i have never seen anyone hurt by a broken blade. However... story time. I was fencing about a year back, it was a bout with this big guy, one of those people who use their size against you. we were several touches into the bout, when in the middle of a touch, he holds his hand up, stops everything, and reaches up to the tip of his blade. once there, he proceeds to casually snap off the end of it, holding out his new fragment for me to see. it was broken on both ends. now i'm scared to death of broken blades, lol

[Tomas N]

I agree with almost everything PF said...the most common way blades are broken is by hand bending them. I don't agree though with the call on #4. A broken blade stops the action and your riposte, while landing on target, does not score a point. At least I think that's the right call.

Tomas

[Purple Fencer]

I agree with almost everything PF said...the most common way blades are broken is by hand bending them. I don't agree though with the call on #4. A broken blade stops the action and your riposte, while landing on target, does not score a point. At least I think that's the right call.

Tomas

It was a few years ago and I'm trying to remember the rest of the action....i WAS awarded the touch, however. i think the tought was that I had made blade contact -- and therefor the parry was proper-- so I had the right to riposte...kinda like if you land ashot in foil and your blade breaks....once the light goes off, the action's done, so the touch stands...as very few blades break BEFORE they hit something!