[Ansteorra-rapier] Proposed revision to rapier rules

[David Cordes]

Oh, I agree, most of my arguments are hypothetical, however, in the
seven months I've now been in Bonwicke, I've seen epees out at least
half a dozen times (having never seen them being used in the four
years I was in Drachenwald!).  Several of those times were to allow
interested passers-by try fencing a bit (and given how he handled an
epee, I'm extremely glad that we didn't loan one of them anything
heavier!), a couple of times, since we offered them as options for our
Baroness to choose for us to fight with, they were chosen, and a
couple of times they were for the benefit of those with either
recurring arm problems, or arm/wrist-strength problems.

Clearly your experience has been different!

Asbiorn


On 10 October 2012 10:15, Sean Hertzberg <colsith at gmail.com> wrote:
> But I will counter with....who will they fight?  If they are the only ones
> that have epees, then they cannot fight anyone else.  In this case, they
> will now have to buy two blades so they have one for their opponents to
> borrow.  There goes the price difference.  Or, you are now asking everyone
> else to buy a second blade that they MAY use once every 3 or 4 years just to
> accommodate one person that may or may not exist.
>
> Again, I will go with what is actually being seen, not a hypothetical
> situation.  In the last 5 years, other than one event that was specifically
> set up as "throwback", I have not seen or used an epee or foil.  Not once.
> If they are not being used, why keep them around for a "just in case"
> scenario?
>
> Avery
>
>
> On Wed, Oct 10, 2012 at 10:03 AM, David Cordes <david.cordes at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>>
>> Keeping my comments up here, just for contrast!
>>
>> Yes, on the matter of Hanwei blades, I agree that they have been
>> extremely useful in allowing people to get into using a heavy blade at
>> very reasonable price.  That said, you can pick up a epee (not
>> including shipping) for less than $40, which in some cases could be a
>> significant cost difference.
>>
>> And regarding the blade-and-setup weight, yes, again, its certainly
>> quite possible to have a nice, lightweight heavy blade and fittings.
>> But the individual with arm problems has to know about them, ideally
>> be able to try them to see the weight, and how it works, and then be
>> able to afford them.  The last is a separate issue, and goes back to
>> my first point, so I won't reiterate here.  The First two points of
>> this, though, can be a problem, particularly in regions where there
>> are not a lot of fencers, and where it is a significant  amount of
>> travel to get to bigger events where there will be more fencers with
>> different kit options.  I admit, these aren't generally a problem in
>> groups with a large, well-established rapier community, but for those
>> groups without one, and trying to encourage people in, offering more
>> (and cheaper) options for a start isn't a bad idea!  The other aspect
>> of the heavy blade that can be a problem for those with arm issues can
>> be the weight-distribution.  My impression has been that even the
>> physically lightweight heavy blades and generally significantly more
>> tip-heavy than light blades, and with the distribution of weight away
>> from the hand and arm, that needs to be controlled precisely, this can
>> be a problem.
>>
>> Certainly, in the most part, I think the vast majority of fencers
>> should be using heavy blade, rather than light.  However, for the
>> benefit of those without the resources to look at getting even a cheap
>> heavy blade, and for those with medical reason to need to use a
>> lightweight blade, I would have said we ought to try and be more
>> inclusive, not less.
>>
>> Asbiorn
>>
>>
>> On 10 October 2012 09:37, Sean Hertzberg <colsith at gmail.com> wrote:
>> > Answering in the body below:
>> >
>> > On Wed, Oct 10, 2012 at 9:30 AM, David Cordes <david.cordes at gmail.com>
>> > wrote:
>> >>
>> >> While I think the idea is in general a good one, there are a couple of
>> >> specific issues that I have with it.
>> >>
>> >> The first of these is cost-based.  Yes, heavy rapiers are relatively
>> >> cheap and readily available today, but particularly for someone with
>> >> little disposable income (people like students, at least in theory!),
>> >> a light blade is potentially a more practical investment.
>> >
>> >
>> > It is now possible to get a full rig with a Hanwei blade for about $100.
>> > Not utterly cheap, but affordable and the Hanwei will probably last
>> > several
>> > times as long as a standard epee or foil blade.
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> The second concern is more fundamental, I think.  If or when this
>> >> measure goes through, what happens to those who for medical reasons
>> >> (generally problems of some sort in the arm) cannot use a heavy blade
>> >> (or at least cannot use it for any useful amount of time)?  Yes, the
>> >> proposed change allows for variances from it, but by the current
>> >> wording, this is only for individual events.  This change would mean
>> >> that those fencers could only fence at events where they notified the
>> >> marshal in charge that they were going to be attending and wanting to
>> >> fence with light blade more than a month in advance, and that said
>> >> marshal in charge got the appropriate permission, more than a month
>> >> before the event.  The other question with respect to this, is what
>> >> happens at practices?  If its an official practice, would we still be
>> >> able to give people who come up and express an interest the chance to
>> >> try fencing with  a light blade?
>> >>
>> >
>> > It is possible to get a heavy rapier rig that will be just about the
>> > same
>> > weight and balance as an epee.  Check out the set up that HE Simone uses
>> > or
>> > HE Claire...both weigh less than my old epee.
>> >
>> >> In service
>> >> Asbiorn
>> >
>> >
>> > In Service,
>> > Avery
>> >
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>> >
>>
>>
>>
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>>
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Publius Virgilius Maro - Aeneid