Fencing
 

Anybody here fences? I'm starting to take classes next week. Just wondering what to expect.

I fence... or used to.

Be sure to stretch well before and after.

Don't expect to be Errol Flynn right off the bat. You will start very slowly - foot work, posture and how to handle the weapons will take up the first few lessons before you even learn the difference between a parry and a lunge.

Don't invest in equipment until you know that a) you are going to stick with the sport and b) which weapon you will prefer.

Learn the basics of foil, learn them well. Everything you learn with foil gets carried over to epee and sabre.

It's a hell of a lot of fun and also works your mind. It's been described as physical chess, and that is a very good analogy.

I fenced back in college. It was a lot of fun, and something someone like me without tons of natural athletic ability could do and not look like a klutz. But you do use muscles you never thought you'd be using...definitely stretch well beforehand.

I wish I'd kept up with it.

What are the differences between foil, epee and sabre?

My room mate fences, we have an unofficial fencing club on campus.

I myself, am a martial artist, and prefer the katana, (my primary martial arts weapon) over fencing anyday... but that's just me...

A Fence
 

Foil is the lightest weapon and the scoring area is the torso.

Epee is heavier, the scoring area is full body.

Sabre is a light weapon, hits are a slashing motion and the target area is anywhere above the waist.

http://www.usfencing.org/

http://www.fencing.net/

Moe.Ron,
Our school offers class(es) on fencing. I briefly thought about signing up this summer, but didnt have time. Maybe next summer.

Re: A Fence
 

Out here in the West, we're more into barbed wire.

I used to fence back in the day. Yes definately stretch stretch stretch!!! I remember the good ole days of my coach's favorite torture routine....the "lunge drill". Man he made us all stand in a line side by side and do 100 perfect lunges. If one of us was not in correct formation we would ALL have to start over at 1. It was torture but one hell of a workout. You dont really realize it until you take off your face mask and you're drenched in sweat. But its a hella good feeling!!!

Oh yeah...I remember that one. And we'd hang a washer from a string and had to get the point through the hole, preferably w/o whacking the washer. And as soon as we got good...the size of the washer was decreased.

That and footwork exercises...oy vey.

Funny Story...
 

The night before last me and two of my friends spent the day shopping. We were talking about all the olympic games and fencing came up. Well my friend Cristina was like wow, there's fencing. She could not believe it the entire night and thought for sure the olympics really did have everything. Well the other girl that was with us, Stacey, was like it isn't that big of a deal, it really is a sport.

Well last night while watching swimming, she decided to announce to everyone that there is olympic fencing. Then she says, "can you believe they take the time to build fences on tv." We looked at her like WHAT? After we explained it to her and told Stacey about it, her and I figured out why she had so much trouble believing it the night before.