- Joined
- Jun 4, 2004
- Messages
- 1,163
Wow,
This thread is one of the funnest in a while!
I had no idea there were so many former and current fencers around here!
(Hmmmmmmmmmmm..... A board sponsored by a company that sells large sharp and pointy metal things. Why so many fencers??????????????????? Doh!
)
Anyway, Epee was my weapon of choice in (at?) college. I fenced for Drew University in '84-'85. I started fencing in Feb of '83, the second part of my senior year in HS. There was a club at a nearby state college(Stockton State college, Pomona NJ). The best fencer there was an "A" fencer, ranked 9 or 10 in the US at the time. There were many Epee guys there, and pretty good ones at that. I got real good at fencing well, and losing!
I also fenced foil, in the under 20 division in southern NJ over the next year or so, before heading off to college. I got real good at beating unskilled opponents with simple beat disengage attacks, and quick parry 4 ripostes.
Once, in a non electric match, I got locked up with my opponent, guard to guard, just like the movies. I hesitated, then pulled the Obi-Wan spin move, and poked him in the torso!! I got a major warning, and could have been thrown out. Can't turn the unprotected back of your head to the opponent, you see.
In college, I made the team as a freshman,(wasn't too hard!), and joined two others as a member of the epee squad. I started the season well, but then ran into trouble. The Air Force Academy kicked our butts, and then I went into a slump. I couldn't close out clumsy opponents. I was so used to defending and counter attacking skilled fencers, I didn't know what to do with someone who just stood there! With no right of way, it got ugly quick. Had I been fencing foil, I would have had them for lunch, but I was an Epee man!
Thing went from bad to worse, until the mid Atlantic regionals, held at Penn State that year.('85)
I lost my first bout, but then got into the swig of things, because the competition was more like what I was used to.
I had fallen from the coaches' grace somewhat, so i was on the "B" strip. I think they took 4 from the "A" strip, and the top 2 from the "B" strip, for the finals. I ended up third on the "B" strip. MY counterpart on the "A" strip didn't do as well. He did well in the regular season, becasue he had been taught to attack, and could deal with in experienced fencers. When we got to regionals, i was more in my element. The coach had tried to make me more aggressive, and while his philosophy was correct, it didn't fit me at all.
Had I stayed in school, I would have probably switched to foil, or Sabre the next year.
In the regionals, I came up against a very strong lefty. I watched him clean house quite methodically. he would start out at normal distance, and pick away at the guard and fore arm. After he got a touch or two, he launched his main weapon. He would come from outside the right handers' six, beating and binding the blade, and just running in on the body. He was very strong, and no one was able to answer his method. As my turn came, my coach said, " I don't know what to tell you!" I replied, "That's OK, I've figured out what to do."
The action started, and we fenced classic Epee, at distance. he got a touch on me, and then he came in for the kill. As planned, I did a retreat, executed a counter 4 when I felt his blade pressure, carried his point across my body and away, with a ceding type bind, and let him run on my point. We did that twice, and then I had his attention. Some how, we ended up tied when time ran out, with a couple of double touches thrown in there. He finally won, when he attacked into my preparation, and I had one of those brain freezes, just for a split second. He touched me lightly on the fore arm. Bout over.
Even though I "lost", I was very satisfied to have analyzed his move, and effectively countered it.
I ended up 5 and 3 that day, only one of two on our team to have a winning record for the day. One spot out of the finals, though.
I am right handed, but write left handed. i can fence lefty, but it is tough doing Epee. It didn't feel right, and i couldn't get my guard to look right either. It took me a while, but I finally realized that my dominant right eye was making my lefty stance "look" wrong. I couldn't "hide" behind my arm the same way as I could when fecning right handed. it was just perspective though.
I did Kendo with my two oldest boys last year, but time and money ran out. we hope to take it up again. I gave a fencing lesson to a friend at Church a month ago, along with his 22 year old son, and teenage daughter. A lot of fun. I have two masks, two foils, and a sabre. We should have plenty of room when we get moved at the end of the year. We will be able to practice with out air rifle too, and have permission from our future landlords to shoot any and all groundhog with a 22, if we care to.
My Daughter will learn too. Any young men who come around in later years, had better be prepared to demonstrate their proficiency with blade and gun. If they cannot do so, they will have no chance at courting my daughter.
A man must have standards after all!
Tom
This thread is one of the funnest in a while!
I had no idea there were so many former and current fencers around here!
(Hmmmmmmmmmmm..... A board sponsored by a company that sells large sharp and pointy metal things. Why so many fencers??????????????????? Doh!
)Anyway, Epee was my weapon of choice in (at?) college. I fenced for Drew University in '84-'85. I started fencing in Feb of '83, the second part of my senior year in HS. There was a club at a nearby state college(Stockton State college, Pomona NJ). The best fencer there was an "A" fencer, ranked 9 or 10 in the US at the time. There were many Epee guys there, and pretty good ones at that. I got real good at fencing well, and losing!
I also fenced foil, in the under 20 division in southern NJ over the next year or so, before heading off to college. I got real good at beating unskilled opponents with simple beat disengage attacks, and quick parry 4 ripostes.
Once, in a non electric match, I got locked up with my opponent, guard to guard, just like the movies. I hesitated, then pulled the Obi-Wan spin move, and poked him in the torso!! I got a major warning, and could have been thrown out. Can't turn the unprotected back of your head to the opponent, you see.
In college, I made the team as a freshman,(wasn't too hard!), and joined two others as a member of the epee squad. I started the season well, but then ran into trouble. The Air Force Academy kicked our butts, and then I went into a slump. I couldn't close out clumsy opponents. I was so used to defending and counter attacking skilled fencers, I didn't know what to do with someone who just stood there! With no right of way, it got ugly quick. Had I been fencing foil, I would have had them for lunch, but I was an Epee man!
Thing went from bad to worse, until the mid Atlantic regionals, held at Penn State that year.('85)
I lost my first bout, but then got into the swig of things, because the competition was more like what I was used to.
I had fallen from the coaches' grace somewhat, so i was on the "B" strip. I think they took 4 from the "A" strip, and the top 2 from the "B" strip, for the finals. I ended up third on the "B" strip. MY counterpart on the "A" strip didn't do as well. He did well in the regular season, becasue he had been taught to attack, and could deal with in experienced fencers. When we got to regionals, i was more in my element. The coach had tried to make me more aggressive, and while his philosophy was correct, it didn't fit me at all.
Had I stayed in school, I would have probably switched to foil, or Sabre the next year.
In the regionals, I came up against a very strong lefty. I watched him clean house quite methodically. he would start out at normal distance, and pick away at the guard and fore arm. After he got a touch or two, he launched his main weapon. He would come from outside the right handers' six, beating and binding the blade, and just running in on the body. He was very strong, and no one was able to answer his method. As my turn came, my coach said, " I don't know what to tell you!" I replied, "That's OK, I've figured out what to do."
The action started, and we fenced classic Epee, at distance. he got a touch on me, and then he came in for the kill. As planned, I did a retreat, executed a counter 4 when I felt his blade pressure, carried his point across my body and away, with a ceding type bind, and let him run on my point. We did that twice, and then I had his attention. Some how, we ended up tied when time ran out, with a couple of double touches thrown in there. He finally won, when he attacked into my preparation, and I had one of those brain freezes, just for a split second. He touched me lightly on the fore arm. Bout over.
Even though I "lost", I was very satisfied to have analyzed his move, and effectively countered it.
I ended up 5 and 3 that day, only one of two on our team to have a winning record for the day. One spot out of the finals, though.
I am right handed, but write left handed. i can fence lefty, but it is tough doing Epee. It didn't feel right, and i couldn't get my guard to look right either. It took me a while, but I finally realized that my dominant right eye was making my lefty stance "look" wrong. I couldn't "hide" behind my arm the same way as I could when fecning right handed. it was just perspective though.
I did Kendo with my two oldest boys last year, but time and money ran out. we hope to take it up again. I gave a fencing lesson to a friend at Church a month ago, along with his 22 year old son, and teenage daughter. A lot of fun. I have two masks, two foils, and a sabre. We should have plenty of room when we get moved at the end of the year. We will be able to practice with out air rifle too, and have permission from our future landlords to shoot any and all groundhog with a 22, if we care to.
My Daughter will learn too. Any young men who come around in later years, had better be prepared to demonstrate their proficiency with blade and gun. If they cannot do so, they will have no chance at courting my daughter.
A man must have standards after all!
Tom