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[graphixaddict]

After thinking about it for a while here’s what I think about fencing. Everything about fencing is so fragmented and broken up no wonder it’s hard to unite fencing for a common good. By that I mean, we have historical, sabre, epee, and foil and I think by splitting things up that much it only hurts the sport. I think the biggest division is obviously between historical fencing and modern fencing, look at other sports. With other sports when things changed because of technological advancements the people didn’t break off and form their own sports. I mean historical fencing is like Amish fencing it just weakens fencing as a whole. On top of that we have a split within modern fencing; we have sabre, epee, and foil which I think is really too bad. Obviously its way to late for this to change but it is unfortunate that fencing didn’t remain united as one sport with one set of rules instead of basically three different smaller sports. I mean some people will say its still fencing what does it matter, but after watching a epee fencer at my club try and do sabre it was like he had never touched a weapon before. In basketball if you go to California its still basketball, there isn’t a basketball style 1 court, basketball style 2 court, its just plain old basketball anywhere you go. It’s too bad we don’t have one hybrid sport that everyone does no choice about it for the good of the sport. Obviously this will never work at this point because I can already here sabre fencing fuming about at the fact that I could even propose such an insane idea. Same goes with the epee and foil fencers. Another thing is the amount of divisions...I understand that the rate at which your body develops and changes relative to fencing is very fast but look at nationals, there are almost 90!!!!! divisions at nationals. Does that seem insane to anyone besides me. It wouldn’t be so bad if there was only one weapon, then we would only have 30 or so divisions! well that’s about it from me, really i'm just wondering what other people have to say about this subject, about fencing in general and what they see as the future of fencing. Thanks,
Graphix

[Mo]

Originally posted by graphixaddict
really i'm just wondering what other people have to say about this subject, about fencing in general and what they see as the future of fencing. Thanks,
Graphix

Graphie dear,

I seriously think you need some sleep.

Look at Gymnastics, it has bar, vault, floor and beam. Yet it works. There is rhythmic and artistic gymnastics.

It is ok for there to be different weapons or it would be BORING but not if the only weapon was saber. (goes without saying)

[Wizardly]

How's this for a wild idea:
Tournament, 15 touches, 5 in each weapon, best 2 out of 3 to advance.

Honestly, I think the three weapons are distinct enough to not detract from each other. They really aren't a matter of mere nuance, exemplified by your epeeist example. I would think it's far less a difference of a nuance than say ice skating and ice dancing. Compared to many other sports, the distinction is quite meaningful; our athletes do not normally excell across multiple events. Take swimming: freestyle, butterfly, breast stroke, and various distances...all by the same athlete. Basketball is basketball simply because only one way was ever invented. Take football though...we now have NFL and Arena league. Take bat-ball games: softball, baseball, stickball. There are numerous racket-ball games. Honestly, I think it more of a justification for the medals our sport wins in the olympics: we lack separation by mere nuance.

On the other hand, the separation by more than mere nuance can inhibit the layperson from understanding. For example, after learning epee, now the layman has to learn new rules for foil if they wish to watch.

Something else to consider is the benefit of having the three weapons categorized similarly. For example, if there was a split and a International Foil Federation, differences in the rules might have emerged such as different sizes for the strips. This is probably why "fencing" will never absorb "japaneese fencing" i.e. kendo.

Sometimes I'm surprised more people don't ask why kendo and the like aren't a part of "fencing." Perhaps there is some misconception by the public since every other "sword fight" sport has it's on classification while our weapons go by their categorical name rather than individually. I wonder if referring to our weapons individually would help... instead of "I'm a fencer," you instead say "I'm a saberist." We could rename the FIE from (translating) International Fencing Federation to International Federation of Foil, Epee, and Saber.

That there are 90 divisions isn't really all that displeasing to me. I'm sure as the USFA grows big enough, tournaments will be split off much as the World Cups don't fence all weapons simultaneously. Those 90 divisions also allow a lot of fencers to participate where they otherwise might not. Nationals are like the world series, allstar game, superbowl, stanley cup, etc... all rolled into one week. Given the scarcity of weapon crossover, if nationals grow big enough I'm sure the weapons will fragment to different time periods (then it wont be summer nationals, it will be foil nationals etc...). I would really only see this happenning for logistical reasons though.

Asside from all of this, it's far too late to go back now. Foilists made up just shy of 50% of the summer nationals participats...I doubt very much if epeeists and saberists will go quietly into the night and be absorbed by the majority...and if what you say is true, then it'll only be worse: then we'll have the anachronistic fencing, the discarded epee and saber arts, and sport fencing (more than likely, foil) rather than just modern and classical.

We can leave Amish fencing to the Amish: I doubt they have as much political power as sport fencing does. I don't think it's the divisions in fencing that detract from us...I just think it requires too much brain power for the average person to understand. I mean, it doesn't take much to see a ball and kick it...poof! you're a soccer player. Anybody can run...poof! you're a racer. However, the sword is this alien object to most of us and it's effective use implies a great deal of practice. I think it is the lack of attention span in the average human that is our Achille's heel - nobody would appreciate what was going on even if it were only epee that they saw.