Also, has anyone here ever competed in any professional sort of fighting of this sort?(Fencing teams, SCA sort of things, or "ladder" sort of competitions?)

If so...
What was it?
What style was it?
Did you enjoy it?
How long did you do it?
Do you still do it?
If you could do a different form of swordplay (fighting? practice?), what would you do?
How much money and time was involved?

If you havn't...
Are you interested in doing anything like this?

This isn't like a form for you to fill out, this is just to sorta explain what it is I'm trying to get out of this thread. Feel free to talk about whatever you want involving actual swordfighting today, .

I, personally, took foil classes for a year and a half. I quit for awhile because of time consumption and distraction. I'm seriously considering taking these classes back up or pursuing something similar this summer, because I really enjoy it. I'd also like to have a non-work, non-college, related activity to do this summer.

I don't know how much it cost, because my parents paid.
My 7th Grade history teacher got me into it, because he talked to me for a bit about his time on the United States fencing team (I forgot the name, but it may just be the United States Fencing Team, ). He personally did foil, but his best friend was the Epee champion for the United States and was pretty highly ranked internationally as well.

So, like... discuss.

That count?

Other than that, I've done bo staff and escrima

oh you mean weapons.... heh... uhhh

OH BOY!

Master Richards, our first Fencing Master, taught us the French style. That was when I fenced foil.

After he left, Master Toth took over. He was a former Hungarian world saber champion, if I remember right. He taught the more rigid German style. I fenced epee under him.

I hooked up with a club in Omaha when I was stationed there, but it's hard to find fencing clubs when you move a lot.

I'd really like to get back into it. Although, at only 6' tall, I'm damned short to fence epee at any great level. But I make up for it with speed and agression.

Uh, what were the other questions?

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We were all impressed when Talorynn wrote:
So the Karate boys can use Stick, smaller sticks, bigger sticks, and sticks with sharp parts?

OH BOY!

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Me with a 6 ft long staff...
vs.
You

In trained hands, a long staff or "sticks" can hurt like a bitch, and cripple, and kill. Don't underestimate, remember, people used to fight wars with "sticks"

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How.... Kagrama.... uughhhhhh:
I'm a novice fencer. It's great fun, but it requires you to have a lot of flexibility and co-ordination.

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I remember how to do most of it still, and I have great coordination, and I'm pretty flexible, . I also loved it, but eh.. it just kinda slipped away from me. One of those things you stopped doing as a lousy punk pre-teen and regret it as you lose your teenagehood.

I still have my stuff. Hmm. Maybe there will be a fencing club near where I end up in Germany!

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Lashanna had this to say about dark elf butts:
I remember how to do most of it still, and I have great coordination, and I'm pretty flexible, .

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Exact opposite for me. My body developed faster then my muscle could, so I'm about as flexible as a walrus.

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Bloodsage's account was hax0red to write:
I fenced for Air Force when I was in college. Two years foil, and two years epee. We were ranked 10th in the nation my senior year, and my final bout clinched the WAC championship for us.

Master Richards, our first Fencing Master, taught us the French style. That was when I fenced foil.

After he left, Master Toth took over. He was a former Hungarian world saber champion, if I remember right. He taught the more rigid German style. I fenced epee under him.

I hooked up with a club in Omaha when I was stationed there, but it's hard to find fencing clubs when you move a lot.

I'd really like to get back into it. Although, at only 6' tall, I'm damned short to fence epee at any great level. But I make up for it with speed and agression.

Uh, what were the other questions?

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That's great.
I probably should stick to foil, though I really enjoy the movements of Epee from what I've done (dabbling in it during foil classes). My body form just is NOT suited for Epee and Sabre...

Also, this never occurred to me... but Fencing leagues aren't gender divided, are they? That would be sort of lame if they were.

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So quoth The Otaku Penguin:
Me with a 6 ft long staff...
vs.
You

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I'll take out my gun and shoot you in the face. No more karate kid!

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So quoth Lord Tier:
I'll take out my gun and shoot you in the face. No more karate kid!

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he wiael ues the mitey STAFF OF BLOCKING!!!111to block yuor bulets adn then yuo are in trouble sire!!!!1

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Lord Tier stumbled drunkenly to the keyboard and typed:
I'll take out my gun and shoot you in the face. No more karate kid!

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I've got some degree of natural aptitude, but a trained fencer would kick my ass.

Then I run them over wit' mah truck.

I think it's just recently women have had sanctioned epee divisions. Was just becoming common in the late '80s, anyway.

Tall is really helpful for epee, since you're trying to poke your opponent in the wrist more often than not.

I was moved to epee from foil because I was just too aggressive for foil. The no rules, kill the other guy before he kills you, style of epee suits me much better.

Imagine that.

He had some like... Trademark move (which he never used once it became his "trademark" movie, because people would specificly practice for it, ) where he was pretty much guranteed a hit on the opponent's heel (very important spot), that he could pull off almost instantly unless the guy was specificly guarding his heel...
I dunno, but that always impressed me.

Personally, I think just because of the way I am that I'm more suited to Foil. My brother, however, could be good for sabre or Epee... Pretty tall, wiry, long reach. He's also really well coordinated and calculating. And he's very coldly aggressive. Except...
He's also lazy, that kinda detracts from anything he has in his favor for doing fencing.

But a lot of folks get so wrapped up in thinking about their opponent's wrist, they forget about the rest.

{BTW, your instructor had to have been an epee fencer: the heel isn't target on any other weapon. }

Now I wish I was still fencing.

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Bloodsage attempted to be funny by writing:
{BTW, your instructor had to have been an epee fencer: the heel isn't target on any other weapon. }

Now I wish I was still fencing.

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I thought it was Epee, but I wasn't sure and for some reason my mind was telling me that was wrong... I thought about it and thought about it... somehow worked it out in my mind that it would probably be foil, so I said Foil, don't hurt me.

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Lashanna had this to say about pies:
And Bloodsage, the more and more I find out about you personally, it seems, the more and more I think I'd like to you know you, heh,

Personally, I think just because of the way I am that I'm more suited to Foil. My brother, however, could be good for sabre or Epee... Pretty tall, wiry, long reach. He's also really well coordinated and calculating. And he's very coldly aggressive. Except...
He's also lazy, that kinda detracts from anything he has in his favor for doing fencing.

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I fenced in a saber tournament once. I was there in epee, but they were one entry short in saber for it to "count" toward ratings. I'd never fenced saber, but they let me sign up, thinking I'd be easy meat.

Except that it was a club meet, and they hadn't had the same intensity of practice I had.

I took third, but the funny part is after I got home. They didn't have electric saber equipment--that's very expensive--so we used judges. But I'm an epee fencer, so I was only in a lightweight jacket.

When I took my shirt off at home, my wife made this strangled noise and asked me what the hell happened. I was confused, so I looked in the mirror.

The blades are sort of whippy, and I'd taken a couple of good shots to the shoulder--my back looked like I'd been flogged, with black lashes and angry red blade marks in the middle.

It was funny. And painful, the next day.

Anyway, for saber, you have to be really quick and agressive. Short fast people do very well in saber.

Your brother sounds like a good candidate for epee, though. But epee takes a lot of discipline: point control is everything.

Ooo...
The Atlanta Fencers Club

There is a local Kendo group here that I would LOVE to be a part of, I just can't find the time right now. And I would enjoy taking fencing lessons tremendously.

[ 05-14-2002: Message edited by: NiteShadow ]

Watch 'Rob Roy'... you'll see what I mean. Though I think the bad guy in 'Rob Roy' is using what would be classified as a sabre. I honestly don't know though so you'd have to ask one of the fencers here.

[ 05-14-2002: Message edited by: Woody ]

Just knowing me, I'd try to see how far it'd bend and end up sending shards of it across the room.

[ 05-14-2002: Message edited by: Ferret ]

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Zephyer spewed forth this undeniable truth:
I was, at one point, an authorized rapier fighter in the SCA, authorized in single rapier, rapier and dagger, and rapier and rigid parry (I preferred bucklers) styles. As well as a heavy fighter in training, preferring long spear, dual maces, and most of all polearms.

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I was actually looking into that as well, considering maybe joining in SCA for that.
Talked to another ECer who's been in SCA for quite some time, and poked around my kingdom and the Georgia area SCA. The Georgia SCA looks sort of lacking in any of the combat departments, but that may just be because of poor web site design, and I think I may call someone about it.

More than likely though, I'll pursue (continue to pursue? re-pursue?) traditional fencing...

I'm not confident enough to place myself above beginner/novice. I WAS pretty good, but that was also about 4-5 years ago and and I was 13 or 14... well.. My body, for one, has changed a lot since then and I don't remember a great deal of the specifics.

The problem being that places like the Atlanta Fencers Club ONLY has a beginners section for people 7-14 years old.
I'll probably end up look for a small instructor, though I think it may take some looking.

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We were all impressed when Ferret wrote:
I know now, Ex-girlfriend fenced so much she went to the Junior olympics. I was messing around too much one day and she knocked the clicker out of my hand and smacked me in the shin at near the same time.

Just knowing me, I'd try to see how far it'd bend and end up sending shards of it across the room.

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Your girlfriend pwns.

Twin Butterfly Shortswords

Nunchaku

Jo Staff

Tai Chi sword

Whirling Tornado Broadsword

Tonfas

Sais

basic combat knife fighting

knife throwing (Maradon will learn when he comes down at the end of this month hehe)

how to best use a standard home depot axe

throwing nails (grind off the disk at one end, and sharpen the other, just like knives cept cheaper and stronger)

umm, thats bout all I can list, no I'm not bragging, she did ask, and if any of y'all have any questions, ask me (not that you'd hesitate anyway)

and we also found these pair of hand and a half swords with an almost flawless balance, made of carbon spring steel, so we're gonna work out the best way to use them too

so uh, yeah (sorry bout the length)

[ 05-14-2002: Message edited by: CBTao ]

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ACES! Another post by CBTao:
kaaaay, due to living with a blackbelt in Tang Soo Do, who also teaches Wing Chun, I was obligated to learn the following:

Twin Butterfly Shortswords

Nunchaku

Jo Staff

Tai Chi sword

Whirling Tornado Broadsword

Tonfas

Sais

basic combat knife fighting

knife throwing (Maradon will learn when he comes down at the end of this month hehe)

how to best use a standard home depot axe

throwing nails (grind off the disk at one end, and sharpen the other, just like knives cept cheaper and stronger)

umm, thats bout all I can list, no I'm not bragging, she did ask, and if any of y'all have any questions, ask me (not that you'd hesitate anyway)

and we also found these pair of hand and a half swords with an almost flawless balance, made of carbon spring steel, so we're gonna work out the best way to use them too

so uh, yeah (sorry bout the length)

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I wanna learn that stuff... I get short staff next belt, long staff th belt after that , then broadsword and then he gives us the rest and along the way he'll throw in some special class deals.

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nem-x had this to say about Robocop:
I know the secret art of being Asian and kicking ass, with my PINKY!

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Quick! Blind him with the dental floss so he doesn't flip the fuck out and kill us all!

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Ferret had this to say about Cuba:
Quick! Blind him with the dental floss so he doesn't flip the fuck out and kill us all!

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Oh, I cry.