Whats the most impressive thing youve seen another fencer do?

[arcon]

Ok, Some have tempers some have honor all have egos. Give an example of
the most impressive or the kindest thing youve seen another
fencer do.

ill join in later!

arcon

[bjacobs]

At a college meet I saw one sabre fencer flunge at the other, cutting to the head. His cut was parried, but while still in the air he made a counter parry and riposte.

[wflaschka]

Joshua Huttenbach's flicks to the back (NY fencer from the 80's-90's).

Michael Marx's flying lunge.

Steve Mormando getting a Canadian angry enough to flick him off to his face.

Golubitsky vs Kim for the World Champs.

[Katman]

I've seen a talented female epeeist parry a flesh then riposte from between her legs.

Another talented female epeeist loaned our club her FIE weapon at a tournament after all of ours had broken.

Good times, good times.

[arcon]

I assume that her riposte landed. Did it?


arcon

[arcon]

Ive never seen him do it but ive heard that Michael Marx can travel
up to three feet with his flying lunge.

[arcon]

Ive heard of "thinking on your feet" but thinking in mid-air takes
speed and skill.

[arcon]

I guess the most impressive thing ive witnessed concerning another fencer would be how a former Olympic partisipant remembered
every single action in a bout with me. He could tell me what i did
or didnt do during each stage of the 5 point bout.
Of course i never touched him. It was many years ago and i was
just getting started. It was as though he had a photographic memory and he just printed it out as I spoke with him.

arcon

[cowpaste]

Originally posted by arcon
I assume that her riposte landed. Did it?


arcon

Yes, she landed it smack on the flecher's chest.

[Sabresque]

Originally posted by wflaschka
Steve Mormando getting a Canadian angry enough to flick him off to his face.

A coach I know almost got in a big fight with a Canadian coach who was taunting him during a student's bout. Maybe it was the same guy and Mormando had a good comeback?

[wflaschka]

Sabresque -- IIRC, it was a young Canadian national team member that Mormando was fencing at an early-90's NY cup. The Canadian was losing his temper due to Mormando's big chest cuts, and Mormando played along for quite an easy bout. After the fencing, the Canadian was livid. I got the lesson -- use the opponent against themselves.

[Nialscorva]

Fencing Nat Burke when he was at Virginia Tech, he locked out in a big six, closed distance, dropped so that he was sitting on his heels, then flicked over my right shoulder to hit me between the shoulder blades from a squat. I'm 6'9", and he landed it.

[Talen]

Well, I have fewer experiences to draw from, but the most impressive thing I remember was Art Wade, my coach, back in the mid 80s instructing me in my lunge. He parried everything I had. He was also blind - with cataracts. It was a humbling experience.

Unfortunately I quit fencing soon after and I'm just now getting back into the fray. I miss him - he died a few years after that. My very first tournament is this weekend. The Art Wade Memorial. How appropriate.

[Inquartata]

Most impressive? Back in the days of "dry" sabre, watching Peter Westbrook going from full-tilt retreat to lightning fleche without apparent transition. It seemed to me at the time that the man had a waiver on the laws of physics...

Most impressive recent personal experience: Chasing a guy down to the end of the strip, where he tripped and fell on his bum---but managed to parry and riposte in mid tumble.

[Dee EffEll]

50+ year old John Moreau winng Div I ME at the 2003 summer nationals. A thrill to my veteran heart.

[arcon]

i had the pleasure of meeting John in Reno. He did me a favor.
Johns been very active all his life. Hes good at Martial Arts(karate)from what i know.

[MyraTrue]

I've several thoughts that come to mind-

I'll always think of my first epee teacher- a fencer who rarely ever came to practice anymore (in his PhD), who I only knew a bit from after fencing activities. And one day, he showed up to fence foil with me (my only weapon at the time), and he just kept showing up to fence with me. He told me I should fence epee, and he convinced me, somehow ("but I'm too short!!!"). I never quite figured out how he managed it, or WHY he decided to help me, but I'll always be grateful. I remember all the times we'd sit on the floor and he helped me fix my weapon, or showed me how to pound out the dents in my mask, or "try this, next time he does that."

Another might be my first tournament when I spent a semester in Wales. The club I was fencing with had enough epees for ONE epee apiece, and none of us ended up on the same strip, or even in the same BUILDING for the National Welsh Open. So here I am, with an epee thats been giving us problems, and in my first bout, its registering on the guard. I'm sunk!

But one of the fencers in the pool walks over to her bag, pulls out her FIE weapon, and hands it to me. Never met her before, never met her again, but she just loaned me her only spare. And I'll never forget that.

[Catlady]

First, I'm amazed by and grateful for all the fencers who are better than I am and have taken time to help me even though they didn't have to. Despite what's said, and what I've observed, about egos in this sport, that's got to count for something. There are very few fencers who I actually have enough knowledge to help, but I try to repay the favor when I can.

Now if I could become instantly proficient in one move for one night it would have to be the "flying flick" that my first fencer instructor pulls off sometimes. He's a bit on the short side, but he just advances down the strip, jumps up--and gets amazing air--then lands the most perfect flick. It's not all that useful in the long run--the percentage of points scored on flicks is miniscule at best--but it just looks so cool.

I'm also amazed by the people who just make it look so easy--at least when they're not making it look easy when fencing me. Again the instructor I mentioned before is capable of doing this sometimes. Then one day he fenced our coach--I've mentioned him before, he fenced quite successfully for the USSR, and then coached the Ukraine youth team--even with being past his prime, thinking like a coach and generally being out of practice, this guy was incredible. Their bout had to be one of the prettiest bouts ever.

[akishier]

I wasn't there when it happened, but one of the members from my club did a flesche and ran straight into a wall. Her mask was so dented, she had a lot of trouble taking it off. Powefull flesche..... ouch.

[arcon]

ouch! sounds like the most Dangerous thing youve seen
a fencer do.