THERE WILL BE DEATH! THERE WILL BE FIRE!

HemlockGrey · Post by **HemlockGrey** » 2003-10-03 10:04pm

THERE WILL BE BLOOD TONIGHT!

Finally get to use a sword (foil) in fencing. Of course, it's plastic, and I have yet to impale anything other than plastic hoops, but it's a start. However, I am evidently not yet allowed to parry when others attempt to impale me. I can grasp the value of moving forward and backward quickly, but deflecting the nasty sharp pointy object with your own sharp pointy object strikes me as a reasonable and fairly effective manuever.

I do think they're moving a bit slow, though, but that might just be me.

Shadow WarChief · Post by **Shadow WarChief** » 2003-10-03 10:28pm

Well the style you're learning under is certainly....unique what with the plastic foils and all......

I've only done an hour a week for the last 3 years. 30 minutes consist of warming up and drills and the other 30 composed of actual bouting. My group, from the start, has been allowed to do anything that's within the proper scope of foil fencing (so no parry 5s) with our skills at those various parries/attacks increasing through the drills and fumbling around with them in bouts. Not exactly an intense practice schedule I'll admit.

But I'm good enough to beat people my age (17) who've been learning it "the proper way" for many more years than I have.

I notice you use the word "finally"....exactly what have you been doing in this fencing class before you got to handle a blade?

Enforcer Talen · Post by **Enforcer Talen** » 2003-10-03 10:32pm

heh, I remember that class.

in retrospect, I found I preferred quarterstaffs.

HemlockGrey · Post by **HemlockGrey** » 2003-10-03 10:35pm

Well, this is about a month and a half into the program, and until now just footwork and such. It's not *that* slow, considering it's only for one to two hours every Friday, it just *feels* slow.

However, at the end of the 'beginner' session I get to move up to 'intermediate' and use a steel foil. I am tingling with anticipation.

Oh, and the mask is about six sizes too small. Dammit.

Post by **Gandalf** » 2003-10-03 10:38pm

Just what the world needs, another sd.net member skilled in the deadly arts.

Could this make all terroristic?

Post by **Alyrium Denryle** » 2003-10-03 10:39pm

Sounds like fun... Fencing will be one of my elective credits in Uni....

Post by **Sea Skimmer** » 2003-10-03 11:11pm

Your not allowed to parry? Strange shit about, I took a fencing class and we where tought to parry from day one, and we also got metal weapons. Though I quickly became disinterested with the whole thing and stopped going. I found fencing to be a rather stupid thing to learn because of how limited and forced the whole style was.

HemlockGrey · Post by **HemlockGrey** » 2003-10-03 11:13pm

Not allowed to parry *yet*.

I do have a dislike for the slooow, methodical way in which it is taught, and I keep comparing it with rugby in my mind- we got to hit people from day one, but I suppose the two sports are very different.

Also, whenever I walk in there, I can't get the Arabian swordsmen scene out of my head.

Audrie_Dawn · Post by **Audrie_Dawn** » 2003-10-04 01:28pm

Hmm...the fencing classes here at Caltech always used steel, even for absolute beginners like me who hadn't ever done it before.

Brother-Captain Gaius · Post by **Brother-Captain Gaius** » 2003-10-04 02:28pm

Longsword > foil.

The Dark · Post by **The Dark** » 2003-10-04 05:33pm

We don't have fencing here, just Tae Kwon Do, Aikido, and Kickboxing (and a one-day self-defense course that's based off Karate...but it's pathetic). I've done all of them except the Kickboxing.