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graphixaddict · 03-02-2003, 07:16 PM

I was curious if anyone knew a good book that describes and maps out all the quadrants where you can attack, along with a list of parries, riposts, counter attacks. All that good stuff, if anyone knows any online recsources that would also help. Baaicly i need to lern some fencing tactics out of a book and by reading because there are no clubs or coaches in this area. Thanks,
Graphix

lfortier · 03-02-2003, 08:01 PM

Hey Graphixaddict! So, you want a few books on foil fencing?
Here's a small list: Try Basic Foil Fencing by Charles Simonian, or Electric Foil Fencing by Istvan Lukovich (I've heard it's good, but for advanced fencers) or my personal favorite: Fencer's Start-up by Doug Werner, which has hundreds of pictures of all parries, ripostes, and quadrant pictures for all three styles. You may even want to look at Foil, Saber, and Epee Fencing by Maxwell Garret. I found theese books all on Amazon.com. I hope this helps! P.S while I've found books helpful, they are NOT the same or as helpful as a coach, who can help you with anything. Good luck though!

Aoife · 03-03-2003, 03:43 AM

Tom Norcross' Fencing: The Foil.

I love this book, it's wonderful. The copy I have was published in 1978 though, so it's probably somewhat out-of-date. Nonetheless, it is a great aid to the basics of foil fencing.

jusplainfencing · 03-03-2003, 03:54 AM

i highly suggest reading the art of the foil by luigi barbasetti its got everything from the salute to feints ,thrusts, tempo,quadrence,beats and binds plus much more and even has a history in fencing,.....this is an awesome book i paid a little too much than i should have(by "i" i mean my parents lol) on ebay but im pretty sure you could get a copy at barnes and nobles or another good bookstore......

jusplainfencing · 03-03-2003, 03:58 AM

Quote:

P.S while I've found books helpful, they are NOT the same or as helpful as a coach, who can help you with anything. Good luck though!

i must say i agree ....you can pick up bad habits...and such without a coach but books arent a bad way to start...have fun and good luck!

Dave · 03-03-2003, 06:15 AM

Fencing with the Foil by Roger Crosnier is a very good introduction to classical foil. It is a progression of lessons from how to hold the foil right the way through. It's only disadvantage is that it is about 30 years out of date.

Morra[PrFC] · 03-03-2003, 07:06 AM

I'm probably going to get shot down for this, but... Nick Evangelista's books tend to talk a good deal about foil, and are rather informative in general.

Not to get off topic, but why do people on the board seem to dislike him so much? (So far, the only reason I've figured out is that he believes in starting with foil before learning any other weapon.)

***Craig*** · 03-03-2003, 11:55 AM

I also suggest Rudy Volkmann's "Big Book of Fencing". Others here have commented on the book, and I think it is a great work on fencing as it includes information on a large number of fencing techniques as well as pointers on how to correct/avoid the most common mistakes.

You can find it here: http://www.fencing101.com/books/bookorder.php

You can also find a discussion/review of the book here on the forum: http://www.fencing101.com/vb/showthr...t=magnum+libre

Cheers,
Craig

Aoife · 03-03-2003, 04:09 PM

Quote:

they are NOT the same or as helpful as a coach, who can help you with anything

Heehee, my coach, whilst being a great coach, is certainly not a bottomless wealth of fencing information.... he managed to teach us to shake hands with the wrong hand for a start

(to his credit, he'd been out of fencing for many years before he took up coaching)

Sildar · 03-04-2003, 02:33 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by jusplainfencing
i highly suggest reading the art of the foil by luigi barbasetti its got everything from the salute to feints ,thrusts, tempo,quadrence,beats and binds plus much more and even has a history in fencing,.....this is an awesome book i paid a little too much than i should have(by "i" i mean my parents lol) on ebay but im pretty sure you could get a copy at barnes and nobles or another good bookstore......

I'll second this recommendation; Barbasetti wrote one of the best books on Classical Italian Foil ever. Some of the terms were translanted rather oddly (they translated the word for engagement as "bind" for some reason, among other things) but it's still a great resource. His sabre book is also possibly the best Classical sabre book ever written. His methods aren't really used in competition any more, but for a look at late 19th century Italian technique you won't find a better book in English. Sadly, it's out of print now, but there are usually a few copies floating around if you check a few of the used book search engines...

jusplainfencing · 03-04-2003, 04:49 AM

yes Sildar i must agree with everything you said very well put... yes the translation is sometimes a bit odd but it is such a good book and in my excitment of actually getting to reccomend this book to someone i forgot to mention the fact that it was first translated to english in 1933...yes out of date but still a great book.. but i was not aware that it was out of print. i guess i didnt pay to much for it then...a pitty really i think every fencer should have the chance to read it....but oh well im sure there are other great books out there lol.....

latenight · 03-04-2003, 08:18 AM

My favorite is by Istvan Lukovich.

The title is Fencing: The Modern International Style .

It's wordy and not an easy read but I think it gives much more insight into modern electric fencing than a lot of the others do.

It has helped my game tremendously.

135711 · 03-04-2003, 02:22 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Aoife
Heehee, my coach, whilst being a great coach, is certainly not a bottomless wealth of fencing information.... he managed to teach us to shake hands with the wrong hand for a start (to his credit, he'd been out of fencing for many years before he took up coaching)

I love it! This is what I live for, the insanity of it all. The Modern Fencing book is very difficult to read, has anyone tried to wade through it? "Epee, the Man's sword". I actually had to cross things out in order to read it. It has historical value.

rvergara · 03-04-2003, 06:29 PM

i think it also depends on the coach. Mine is a great fencer, but is not very communicative. Books have helped me to get the most out of the training

Sildar · 03-04-2003, 11:15 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by jusplainfencing
yes Sildar i must agree with everything you said very well put... yes the translation is sometimes a bit odd but it is such a good book and in my excitment of actually getting to reccomend this book to someone i forgot to mention the fact that it was first translated to english in 1933...yes out of date but still a great book.. but i was not aware that it was out of print. i guess i didnt pay to much for it then...a pitty really i think every fencer should have the chance to read it....but oh well im sure there are other great books out there lol.....

It's even older than that; it was essentially a revised edition of the book he published in 1900, so we're really talking about a late 19th century style! But as I said, if you're looking for real Classical fencing, he's one of the best for foil and sabre.

Barnes and Noble reprinted his foil book a couple years back, but it was a small run which quickly sold out. Inexplicably, they put a picture of two people fencing epee on a book entitled "The Art of the Foil;" furthermore, one of them is performing a fleche, which Barbasetti didn't even mention in the book...

Anyway, you can sometimes find a copy of the later printing online for $15 or so.

Aldo · 04-11-2004, 01:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sildar

I'll second this recommendation; Barbasetti wrote one of the best books on Classical Italian Foil ever. Some of the terms were translanted rather oddly (they translated the word for engagement as "bind" for some reason, among other things) but it's still a great resource. His sabre book is also possibly the best Classical sabre book ever written. His methods aren't really used in competition any more, but for a look at late 19th century Italian technique you won't find a better book in English. Sadly, it's out of print now, but there are usually a few copies floating around if you check a few of the used book search engines...

The english version of Barbasetti's The Art of the Foil was translated from the German version, in which the term engagement was written as "bindung." That's where the incorrect use of "bind" came from.