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Date Posted: 07:23:00 11/04/02 Mon
Author: Darby
Subject: Re: "Shindig" fencing Impressions, with spoilers.
In reply to: fresne 's message, "Re: "Shindig" Impressions, with spoilers." on 23:27:35 11/03/02 Sun

Rapiers are about as close to fencing weapons as you can get - epees were at best a last variation on rapiers, but very similar in length and heft, and foils were not dueling weapons.

The thing about duels is that cutting is fairly useless - to get up enough blade velocity to cause damage with a heavy blade (the only one that can keep a decent cutting edge), one has to open to counterattacks with the point - you'll never complete the swing. And slicing, especially if both participants are clothed, is also pretty likely to get you killed. Dueling manuals stressed use of the point and virtually ignored the cutting edge. Sabres were rarely used in to-the-death-on-foot duels, being primarily a weapon used from horseback (with the horse supplying the close of distance and much of the momentum of the blade). And modern sabre, with its impossibly light blades and dearth of logical rules, has no real relationship to use of the real things.

And I agree that the behind-the-back shot, although dramatic, is something you'd probably only use with a dagger in the other hand - not necessarily, though, if executed as a riposte after the other fencer has passed (I did it in a tournament 2 weekends ago and was at no risk when the point was delivered); however, it's virtually impossible to do the way it was done here (Mal passed on the wrong side), and Mal would have been stabbed on the other side (but more likely in the thigh).

- Darby, who also watched fencing on Mystery Science Theatre's Hamlet over the weekend - fencing really needs commentary from the cheap seats.

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