Which weapon

[johngjr]

Hey im just starting at highschool fencing. im a little on the short side 5 foot 3 which weapon is best for a highschool guy.

[MyrddinsPrecint]

The one you enjoy the most.

[prototoast]

You'll be at a disadvantage no matter which weapon you fence, but you'll be able to compensate the best in foil.

[OROD]

Hey im just starting at highschool fencing. im a little on the short side 5 foot 3 which weapon is best for a highschool guy.

Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Sir Isaac Newton, ... even Alexander the Great were foil fencers. On the other hand, Hitler is a well-known epee fencer, and Stalin liked to kill his political enemies with his saber. So, now that you know the facts, I'll let you decide which weapon is the best.

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[seven6ty]

Yeah, if you're rather dainty and scared of getting hurt, I'd go with foil also.

[Snarf]

If you like to fence: epee
If you like to argue: foil or sabre

[JS Hart]

If you like watching football ---> Foil.

If you like watching basketball ---> Saber.

If you like watching grass grow ---> Epee.

[foibles]

It's nice to fence with many different people. As such, consider fencing the weapon that is most popular at your club. Also, fence the wep your coach is most proficient in teaching.

My college club was foil/ epee, so I fenced that. Many years later I was at an all sabre club and I enjoyed learning sabre from a good sabre coach. My current club is foil/ epee again (with a strong foil coach) so I'm doing that, again.

It's all fun, really.

[Fiat Slug]

Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Sir Isaac Newton, ... even Alexander the Great were foil fencers. On the other hand, Hitler is a well-known epee fencer, and Stalin liked to kill his political enemies with his saber. So, now that you know the facts, I'll let you decide which weapon is the best.

.

Whoa there! Alexander the Great was a foil fencer? I must've been asleep when my foil coach taught that lesson. Are you making this up?

[LilyEve]

I think you should try all three! I have, and I ended up with Sabre being my favourite. Go to some local clubs and watch how each weapon is fenced...and then just choose one that interests you most! Don't let your height be the deciding factor.

I'm 5'1'' by the way. Even shorter than you are!

[JacoKierkegaard]

The correct answer is "yes."

Although at 5'3" I wouldn't automatically figure you for an epeeist, but that's about it. Try all three, do what you like.

[OROD]

Whoa there! Alexander the Great was a foil fencer? I must've been asleep when my foil coach taught that lesson. Are you making this up?

Making it up? Absolutely not, that would be preposterous. Other notable foil fencers include Einstein, Gandhi (Mahatma AND Indira), and Freddie Mercury.

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[Inquartata]

Don't forget The Jaguar.

[Fiat Slug]

Making it up? Absolutely not, that would be preposterous. Other notable foil fencers include Einstein, Gandhi (Mahatma AND Indira), and Freddie Mercury.

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Preposterous indeed. Next we'll hear that Obama was a foil fencer and that the light saber was actually photoshopped over a foil. Maybe there's a conspiracy here...

[Inquartata]

He omits the fact that Lee Harvey Oswald, John Wayne Gacy, Son of Sam and Ted Bundy were also foilists, as are Osama Bin Laden, Moammar Khadafy and Bernie Madoff. Convenient, I call that.

[deepwave]

I'm 5'4" and love epée. The highest rated epéeist in my division isn't much taller than me. It is possible to make up for the disadvantage of not being absurdly tall, so if I were you I would try all three and fence the weapon(s) you enjoy the most.

[Alcibiades]

...On the other hand, Hitler is a well-known epee fencer...

Can you please provide your source(s)?

Also, the rapier did not exist in the 4th century BCE. Let alone the foil.

[RebelwithoutaCause]

One thing you wil learn about fencers is that we are all very opinionated when it comes to weapon choice. I agree that you should try all three to see what best suits you. Don't let your height determine it either, fence whatever makes you happiest otherwise you'll never stick with it.

From a cost perspective it's going to be cheaper to get into épée. All you need is a uniform, weapon and cord. Foil and saber both require lames and special masks which can get very pricey. Shop around and you should be able to find some good deals on starter kits. Hope this helps.

[InFerrumVeritas]

I've posted this before, but I feel it bears repeating:

I've fenced all three (although with very limited experience in two of them). Competitively, I've fenced foil.

Saber: This is what I was initially drawn to. Then I saw it fenced. All of the blade play that I had seen in old videos wasn't there (well, it was, but it wasn't the same and I didn't reconize it). I initially liked the poetry of older saber, but that wasn't there when I tried it. I like to watch saber, but not to fence it.

Epee: Initially, I didn't like epee. It was too free form and boring to watch. I never fenced it (despite my coach at the time being primarily an epeeist), but picked it up when my friend's foil stuff broke and I still wanted to fence. It was fun, but it lacked the syntax of bladework that I loved.

Foil: This was what I had to start with, and for a while I only did it until my coach would let me fence saber. When I became disillusioned with my picture of saber fencing not matching reality (damn reality and not rearranging itself to my whim!), I went back to foil and found that the complicated bladework and syntax that I wanted was there all along.

My point is, as a beginner, you don't know what you want. You think you do (I did), but what you imagine somthing to be is often different that it is. I see merit in all three weapons and respect the different strategies involved in them. One of them fit the way I think best (logical point, rebuttal, counterpoint) and had what I enjoyed most about fencing (bladework).

To find out what fits you, fence them all. Learn the basics of each, borrow gear, give them a try (against all skill levels, from beginners like yourself to people who demolish you so that you don't just go for the one that you win most at). Then, after you've done that, see which one you like best. When all is said and done, there's nothing wrong with fencing multiple weapons. You can fence one, two, or all three. It's okay.

[Fiat Slug]

He omits the fact that Lee Harvey Oswald, John Wayne Gacy, Son of Sam and Ted Bundy were also foilists, as are Osama Bin Laden, Moammar Khadafy and Bernie Madoff. Convenient, I call that.

Wow! I had no idea that foil fencing was so popular. Maybe someone should share this info with ESPN so that we can get more TV coverage.

Second thought, maybe not. We don't want ESPN to think that foil fencers are lunatics.