Questions tagged [fencing]

Fencing, or sword-fighting, can be a catch-all term for using a sword, but can also refer to the modern sport fencing. Questions about the modern sport fencing should be asked in Sports Stack Exchange. Many martial traditions have fencing as a large part of them, so please also tag your question with the relevant school or style of fencing.

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6 votes
2 answers
524 views

How does Long Guard intercept weapon knock off?

Although longsword is also of interest to me, the focus of the question is sword and buckler duel scenario. To me the long guard with sword and buckler was taught event shorter and lower than in the ...
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1 vote
0 answers
27 views

How often is the Balestra and Quartata Used in Olympic or other fencing tournaments

In this video The Balestra and Quartata two moderately advance pieces of fencing footwork are shown. Are these still relevant in the Olympics and other Fencing tournaments or are they the remains of ...
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1 vote
1 answer
108 views

What is the primary technique of Wudang sword?

Wudang sword is famed in China and has been preserved as an extant practice since swordfighting days. But when I watch web videos on the art, I sometimes get unreliable information about what it ...
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6 votes
3 answers
205 views

Does blade flex have any function beyond durability?

It's well understood that you need some carbon to get well tempered steel, and put flex into the blade for durability. (Brittle swords break easily.) But is there any use of the flexibility inherent ...
  • 3,051
4 votes
3 answers
248 views

Unarmed defender disarming an opponent with a straight sword?

Akido has a well known technique of "sword-taking" (太刀取り, tachitori), where an unarmed defender disarms an attacker with a katana. This technique surely has utility against an incompetent ...
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6 votes
2 answers
142 views

In Olympic fencing, why is the Piste so narrow?

I used to learn Olympic Fencing. In this sport the Piste was very narrow compared with it's length. (2 metres by 10 metres). Because the swords are over half a metre long this eliminates any ...
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2 votes
1 answer
217 views

After receiving the mortal thrust, a swordsman deliberately impales himself on hostile blade, to return a blow (historical duels, small sword)

Was it often in the historical dueling with rapiers and small swords, that after receiving the fatal thrust, the mortally wounded swordsman would step further and deliberately impale himself deeper on ...
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4 votes
1 answer
235 views

Why are outside parries not used in rapier fencing?

In sport fencing, two of the most common parries are parry four, a middle line parry to the inside, and parry six, a middle line parry to the outside. Last night, I went to a rapier class and the only ...
6 votes
5 answers
2k views

Why do fencers point their back foot to the side in the en garde position?

I would expect that given fencing's linear nature, it would be more advantageous to angle the back foot more forward to push off. Why does the foot point off to the side in the basic stance?
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-2 votes
5 answers
130 views

What should I do if I'm fencing stick-on-stick and we get stuck?

Somebody attacked my with a bat-like wooden stick. Fortunately, I have a wooden stick as well. He makes a lunge, but I parry it. We get stuck just like in all movies: What should I do next?
4 votes
3 answers
507 views

Starting my own HEMA club, any advice?

I was looking into practising HEMA(Historical European Martial Arts) for many years, but when I had the money, I didn't have the time or vice versa. Now I have finally found (let's hope) a stable job ...
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9 votes
4 answers
1k views

Is mutual death (ai uchi) the outcome of any duel between champions in saber?

I have read that according to Japanese thinking, once the fighters reach a certain level of skill, it is impossible to absolutely defeat them, therefore mutual death (ai uchi) is the certain outcome. ...
4 votes
3 answers
171 views

Thrusting Targets in the Leg

In George Silver's Paradoxes of Defense he makes the following comment: And again, the thrust being made through the hand, arm, or leg, or in many places of the body and face, are not deadly, ...
5 votes
1 answer
183 views

In fencing, what is a point of fact?

Given the Shin A Lam controversy, I decided to look up the rules for the appeals process. The technical rules I found on the British Fencing website indicate that a point of fact can not be appealed. ...
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11 votes
2 answers
921 views

Alexandre Dumas' Three Musketeers: 17th century French Rapier

In "Les Trois Mousquetaires", we have a lot of sword fights. We have a dozen different people who are described as really good sword fighters. What sword schools were active during the 17th century ...