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Any fencers?

mnewsham

mnewsham

Lifer
Been taking a fencing class this semester at school and I am really liking it, I was wondering if anyone here was a fencer (foil, saber, epee) and had any advice on which style they prefer, advantages or disadvantages from your point of view etc. Also does anyone know of some good sites on the web for looking at gear? If I decide to continue fencing after this semester should I look into investing in my own gear or should I use provided gear (either by the school or local fencing club).

Any on-topic (irony) comments are appreciated.
 
I took a fencing course in CEGEP (pre-university). Was quite good at and loved the foil (fleuret) for its finesse. Hated sabre and épée for the violence and bruising. Felt those two advantaged the bigger guys too much.
 
dennilfloss said:
I took a fencing course in CEGEP (pre-university). Was quite good at and loved the foil (fleuret) for its finesse. Hated sabre and épée for the violence and bruising. Felt those two advantaged the bigger guys too much.
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I seem to prefer epee for the more realistic (to me anyway) fighting. Foil is just so restrictive with right of way and valid target areas. Though foil is what I have been fencing most.
 
dust said:
My English Very good not, but how many styles are there to build a damn fence?😀
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desk%20flip.jpg
 
mnewsham said:
Been taking a fencing class this semester at school and I am really liking it, I was wondering if anyone here was a fencer (foil, saber, epee) and had any advice on which style they prefer, advantages or disadvantages from your point of view etc. Also does anyone know of some good sites on the web for looking at gear? If I decide to continue fencing after this semester should I look into investing in my own gear or should I use provided gear (either by the school or local fencing club).

Any on-topic (irony) comments are appreciated.
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I fenced, years ago. Primarily Epee. IMHO all forms of fencing are fun, it's really just a matter of personal preference.

Foil Fencing and Epee fencing are similar in points are scored only with the tip of the weapon. They differ in that the foil is much more flexible and lighter than the epee. They also have different scoring targets. Foil fencing scores when you touch the torso of your oponant. Epee is the entire body. I've seen many matches where a sloppy fencer lost because of a poor stance, allowing his toe to be hit. There are also Some Right of Way rules with Foil that aren't in Epee. It's possible to get the first touch as a foil fencer and not get the point.


Sabre Fencing has right of way rules like foil fencing, but the target area is everything but the hands from the belt up. You also score with the edge of the blade. Attacks are much more similar to what a cutlas would use.

Epee is closest to traditional rapier dueling than the others.

As for using supplied gear, If you are on a budget, you probably want to use the weapons they have. You can go through blades at a surprising rate. As for Vest and Leggings, You'll probably want to buy your own. Fencing will make you sweat far more than you would ever expect it to.

Hey, as a side note. If you don't mind really nerdy, geeky sub-cultures, the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism) does thier own brand of fencing. Closer to actual rapier dueling than sport fencing is. A few differences is that they fence in "the round" rather than just a strip. They can and do use the off hand. Often with daggers, bucklers, other swords.
 
my only experience with fencing was in Track & Field II from back in the days. that game was awesome, except the lame fencing part.
 
I took it in gym in highschool. I enjoyed it, and in retrospect, I could have done it as a full time sport. More manly than the girly games that try to pass themselves off as sport in school.
 
I fenced through high school.

I loved it. If my college had a team, I would be on it.

As far as blade: I liked foil the best. I liked that the sword was smaller and lighter. I was very fast which worked great using foil. Eppe always seemed bulky to me, though I didn't really stick with it for any period of time.

Saber was fun, but I only got the chance to try it a few times.

Also, I fenced with a group of SCA folks once, and it was a ton of fun. Maybe I will see if there is a group around here.
 
all i know about fencing is that the FBI recruits directly from the Penn State fencing team (and probably other good schools as well)
 
I do a lot of fencing during the spring and summer. Last year was miserable - I went right through several patches of poison ivy & ended up with rashes all over me. This year, I'll be sure I have the rubbing alcohol to wash the oils off in advance of putting in more fencing. Planning on fencing in at least 5 more acres.

For gear, a 3 point hitch post hole digger for the tractor works really well for setting the corner posts. Plus, a wire wrapper for tying fencing sections together, a post pounder, a come-along for tensioning the fence (plus pull it taught with the tractor), and a tool for attaching the fencing to the posts. Oddly, I don't like those fencing pliers much & prefer separate pliers for each part of the job, though the fencing pliers are best for removing the big heavy duty staples from wooden fence posts. I also prefer to use a ratching tensioner when putting cables between the 3 posts in each corner.

For style: I prefer the woven wire. Welded wire is crap - I tried it a couple of times and ever last inch of it has made it to the scrap yard within 5 years. It doesn't last. The woven wire (field fencing) will last the rest of my life. I prefer Red Brand, and generally use the goat and sheep woven wire (much smaller holes than regular field fencing) at a 4 foot height for property lines, and 3 foot height for dividing pastures. (My goats can't get over the 3 foot stuff.) The stuff is a little pricey though; around $300 for a 330 foot roll. Toss in some metal t-posts and you're looking at a couple grand for a small project. Plus, I toss a strand of electric above the fence; I think mine is a 50-mile charger, with enough of a bite to knock a person onto their butt. Otherwise, the goats climb the fence to reach yummy apples hanging over the fence line. Barbed wire is getting to the point where it's considered archaic. The injuries it does to animals cost a lot more than the money saved with the barbed wire.

For websites, you might want to try tractor supply.
 
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DrPizza said:
I do a lot of fencing during the spring and summer. Last year was miserable - I went right through several patches of poison ivy & ended up with rashes all over me. This year, I'll be sure I have the rubbing alcohol to wash the oils off in advance of putting in more fencing. Planning on fencing in at least 5 more acres.

For gear, a 3 point hitch post hole digger for the tractor works really well for setting the corner posts. Plus, a wire wrapper for tying fencing sections together, a post pounder, a come-along for tensioning the fence (plus pull it taught with the tractor), and a tool for attaching the fencing to the posts. Oddly, I don't like those fencing pliers much & prefer separate pliers for each part of the job, though the fencing pliers are best for removing the big heavy duty staples from wooden fence posts. I also prefer to use a ratching tensioner when putting cables between the 3 posts in each corner.
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mnewsham said:
Been taking a fencing class this semester at school and I am really liking it, I was wondering if anyone here was a fencer (foil, saber, epee) and had any advice on which style they prefer, advantages or disadvantages from your point of view etc. Also does anyone know of some good sites on the web for looking at gear? If I decide to continue fencing after this semester should I look into investing in my own gear or should I use provided gear (either by the school or local fencing club).

Any on-topic (irony) comments are appreciated.
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I fenced in high school, epee. I kind of miss it, but would have to devote a lot of time to it to get back in proper shape to fence well. I haven't bought equipment in over a decade, so I'm afraid that I wouldn't be much help on where to buy stuff beyond the usual google-fu.

If you buy a weapon, though, invest in a good one. For an Epee, get a FIE blade (less likely to break, safer when it does) and a German tip, and learn to do your own wiring. The amount of headaches you'll save by getting a good piece will offset the higher cost. Play around with grips as well. You'll probably want to start with a pistol grip, but whether you stay there or move to a French grip is a matter of style. You can get better fine control with the French grip, but more strength with the pistol.
 
Yes Dr. I have done both kinds of fencing. Your type is more fun on motorcycles.

I fenced sabre in college and after for a little. Sabre is to match the calvary weapon on horseback. All parts above the waist are targets (you do not hit the horse). Sabre hurts the most too. Ripping chest cuts and the donut holes in your arm from the roll over on the tip come to mind. In a warm gym, sweat stings.

Epee is a first blood weapon. Foil is to the death. So that explains the target area.

My college instructor fenced foil and sabre on the US team (Dan has not been with us for years). My favorite from him was telling the sabre team to get drunk the night before. He said that fencing (sabre) with a hangover made you better. 🙂 PO'ed sabre fencers don't like getting hit.

I used Triplette Competition Arms for all my stuff in the 80's. They still are around. So worth a look.
http://www.triplette.com/
 
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