Bristol
Contact:-
|
Prof. Neil BROWN |
|
07590 046892 |
Competition
Venue 2010:-
Leon Paul Series Sabre &
Cadet Sabre
St Dunstan's School, Wells Road, Glastonbury, BA6 9BY
Click here for a map
Events:-
Bristol Leon
Paul Series Sabre Entry form 2010
Bristol
Cadet Sabre Results 2009
About the Events
The Bristol
Leon Paul series was first run in 1997 by Dennis Hunt & Neil Brown (coaches
at Salle Hunt-Roeder), the Bristol Cadet Sabre competition was first run in
2001. Details & results for these events can always be found here.
This web site
also tells you about sabre training in the South West & about buying
equipment.
For queries
contact Prof. Neil Brown www.fencingcoach.net
Results (for the results
from earlier years
Bristol
Leon Paul series sabre 1999
Bristol
Leon Paul series sabre 2000
Bristol
Leon Paul series sabre 2001
Bristol
Leon Paul series sabre 2002
Bristol
Leon Paul series sabre 2003
Bristol
Leon Paul series sabre 2004
Bristol
Leon Paul series sabre 2005
Bristol
Leon Paul series sabre 2006
Bristol
Leon Paul series sabre 2007
Bristol
Leon Paul series sabre 2008
Bristol
Leon Paul series sabre 2009
Bristol
Cadet Sabre 2001
Bristol
Cadet Sabre 2002
Bristol
Cadet Sabre 2003
Bristol
Cadet Sabre 2004
Bristol
Cadet Sabre 2005
Bristol
Cadet Sabre 2006
Bristol
Cadet Sabre 2007
Bristol
Cadet Sabre 2008
Bristol
Cadet Sabre 2009
Training in
the South West
You can see full details of the clubs below by clicking on the links.
Training
August
every year. Millfield Summer Camp. Suitable for all fencers, all weapons. For
details look on the South West fencing web site at www.southwestfencing.net
Where to buy
equipment
Second-hand & good value
equipment I have for sale
Leon Paul &
other UK suppliers
Competitions
International
FIE Competitions
National Competitions
South West Competitions
The Sabre Club
Information on
sabre fencing in
Fencing Forum
Home of
Links
About
the Sport
FENCING
The
sport you've always wanted to try!
What is Fencing?
Modern
fencing has retained the basic goal of duelling; hitting an opponent with your
sword without getting hit yourself. Contemporary fencers, however, use
lightweight, blunted swords to play a game of passionate, exhilarating physical
chess. One of the original modern Olympic sports, fencing provides a vigorous
workout, rewards mental agility over sheer strength & power, & is one
of the safest sports. In fact, you're more likely to be injured jogging or
playing golf.
Descended from
the duelling sabres of the late 19th century, which were in turn descended from
naval & cavalry swords, sabres have a knuckle guard. Hits can be scored
with either the point or the edge of the blade anywhere above the opponent's
waist. Sabre technique emphasises speed, feints, & strong offence. While
the speed of sabre often makes fights difficult to follow, if you focus on who
starts an action (who has "right of way"), the lively exchanges will
soon begin to make sense.
Similar to the
duelling swords of the 19th century, the epee has a stiff triangular blade,
& a large guard to protect the hand & the wrist. Hits are scored with
point anywhere on the opponent's body. Unlike foil & sabre, there are no
rules of right of way to determine which actions have precedence. The first
fencer to hit wins, if the fencers hit at the same time, both score a hit. Epee
technique emphasises timing, point control, & good counter-attacking.
Descended from
the 18th century smallsword, the foil has a thin, flexible blade with a square
cross-section & a small guard. Hits are scored with the point only on the
torso of the opponent. With the smallest target area of the three weapons,
precision & strong defence are crucial. As with sabre hits are awarded
according to which competitor has the "right of way" when the hit is
made.
How points are scored
Sabre
The target
area is from the bend of the hips (both front & back) to the top of the
head, simulating the cavalry rider on a horse. The sabre fencer's equipment
includes a metallic jacket (lamé or electric jacket), which covers the target
area to register a valid hit on the scoring machine. The mask is different from
foil & épée, with a metallic covering since the head is valid target area.
Just as in
foil, there are two scoring lights on the machine; one shows a green light when
a fencer is hit & one shows a red light when the opponent is hit.
Off-target lights do not register on the machine.
Épée
The entire
body is the valid target area.
The blade is
wired with a spring-loaded tip at the end that completes an electrical circuit
when it is depressed beyond a pressure of 750 grams. This causes the coloured
bulb on the scoring machine to light. Because the entire body is valid target
area, the épée fencers equipment does not include a lamé. Off-target hits do
not register on th machine.
Foil
The valid
target area in foil is the torso, from the shoulders to the groin, front &
back. It does not include the arms, neck, head, & legs. The foil fencers
equipment includes a metallic vest (lamé) which covers the valid target area so
that a valid hit will register on the scoring machine. A small, spring-loaded
tip is attached to the point of the foil & is connected to a wire inside
the blade. The fencers wears a body wire inside his jacket which connects the
foil to a spool wire, connected to the scoring machine. There are two scoring
lights on the machine, one shows a green light when a fencer is hit, & the
other shows a red light when the opponent is hit. A hit landing outside the
valid target area (that which is not covered by the lamé jacket) is indicated
by a white light. These "off target" lights do not count in the
scoring, but they do stop the fencing action temporarily.
The Fencing Piste
Fencers
compete on a piste, 14 metres long, 2 metres wide. After each hit is scored the
fencers stand in the centre of the piste 4 metres apart behind on-guard lines.
Fencing begins when the referee calls "fence" & stops when he
calls "halt".
Etiquette
Fences
salute their opponent, the referee, & the audience at the beginning &
end of each fight; they shake their opponent's hand at the end of the fight.
Protective Equipment
One of the
reasons fencing has such a low injury rate is the gear fencers wear. Fencers
wear breeches to at least the knee, with long socks covering the rest of the
leg.
An underarm
protector is covered by a long-sleeved jacket; women also wear breastplates.
The sword hand is gloved, with a long cuff to prevent blades from catching in
the sleeve. Foil & sabre fencers also wear lamés, made of conductive
material, covering the valid target area. A wire mesh mask protects the head;
since the head is valid target in sabre, sabre masks are also made of
conductive material.
The Referee
Each fight
has its own referee who starts & stops the action, interprets the
exchanges, & maintains order. The fencers may consult with the referee
& ask for an explanation of a decision, but may not question a referee's
interpretation of an action.
Occasionally,
the referee must exercise his or her authority to award penalties against a
fencer (or coach) for violating the rules. A yellow card is issued as a warning
for a first-time or minor offence, such as arriving on the piste with
malfunctioning equipment. A red card, which automatically awards a hit to the
opponent, is awarded for a repeat of a yellow card offence or for a more
serious offence, including refusing to salute. A black card, for the most
serious transgressions, is used only rarely & means the offender is
disqualified.
Scoring
Confused by
the flashing lights? A red of green light means that a hit has landed on
a valid target area. The light on the side of the fencers who scored the hit
lights up & the referee then award the hit. When both red & green
lights flash, the referee decides who had the right of way in foil & sabre
& awards the hit accordingly. (In épée, both fencers can score at the same
time.) A white light can be an off-target hit in foil (no hit awarded) or a
fault in foil or sabre.
Right-of-Way
One of the
most difficult concepts to visualise in foil & sabre fencing is the rule of
right-of-way. This rule was established to eliminate apparently simultaneous
attacks by two fencers.
In essence,
right-of-way is the differentiation of offence & defence, made by the
referee. The difference is important only when both the red & green lights
go on at the same time in foil & sabre. When this happens, the winner of
the hit is the fencer who the referee determines was on the offence at the time
the lights went on. Épée does not use the right-of-way in keeping with its
duelling origin - the fencer who hits first scores; if both fencers hit within
1/25th of a second, both score a hit.
