h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

With Epee, the idea is to break the circuit rather than make it. (Which is why we don't wear lame (can't do acute accents) jackets for electric Epee. (And the body wires are different. Well of course.)
Also, you may not need four judges for electric Epee but you do need at least a couple of floor spotters to make sure noone cheats by banging their point on the floor and registering a hit. In serious competitions the piste is metal so this doesn't work anyway, but most of the smaller stuff is done in sports halls.

Just like to add that I'm actually a sabreur, not an epeeist. There's something more satisfying about slashing than prodding. Or maybe I'm just not doing it right.

Pinkd. Wielder of the sabre they called Eric.

Well ummm it is the other way around my friend, in epee; the blade has 2 wires running along it so that when the tip is depressed a contact is made between these wires and a hit is regestered....
In sabre the same principle is applied, however the connection is made between the lame and the blade to complete the circuit, and in foil, it is a 2 stage affair, if the tip is depressed by something other than the opponants lame (say a finger for example) then a circuit is broken and a white (off) light registers on the box, but if the lame is in contact with the tip of the foil, than another circuit is made (which is an easier path for the elec-trickery to travel) thus presenting a coloured (or target) light.

that is my 2 cents worth, just thought i would add it in.
oh i cant spell either incase you didnt notice... :o)
Craig Heberley
NZL
and for the record i am an eppeist, and i do a little foil too...

Well ummm it is the other way around my friend, in epee; the blade has 2 wires running along it so that when the tip is depressed a contact is made between these wires and a hit is regestered....
In sabre the same principle is applied, however the connection is made between the lame and the blade to complete the circuit, and in foil, it is a 2 stage affair, if the tip is depressed by something other than the opponants lame (say a finger for example) then a circuit is broken and a white (off) light registers on the box, but if the lame is in contact with the tip of the foil, than another circuit is made (which is an easier path for the elec-trickery to travel) thus presenting a coloured (or target) light.

that is my 2 cents worth, just thought i would add it in.
oh i cant spell either incase you didnt notice... :o)
Craig Heberley
NZL
and for the record i am an eppeist, and i do a little foil too...

Oops - I knew it wasn't a metal jacket thingy tho...it's been a while since I eped, frankly. I bow to your superior knowledge and totally don't challenge you to a fight to the death, buying time while I nip off to sharpen my sabre..

heh, no need to bow to me, just i was lookin at it and thought, hmmm but yea....thanks for the achknolegement.

craig

Ooh, sabre, uncivilised I think Always has to be Epee for me I am afraid - but then I am over 6' tall so....

Epee's good, I'll grant you, but too painful for me. I don't have enough padding on my legs and as my octave/septime parrys are weak I'm always getting stabbed in the thigh when I epp. Huge purple mounds on thighs are not this summer's look, really.

Your real name isn't James, by any chance, is it? I have fond memories of being insulted by a tall epeeist (who I can fully imagine being called Vibromatic_inc) about 10 years ago or thereabouts.

Fencing is the sport of the gods, tho, even when it does involve unsightly injuries.

Pinkd.

yea sabre is way too meat axe like (sry to any die hard sabures here) for me, i did it for like 2 weeks, and more recently in an under 20's comp here in new zealand, where i managed to win!! odd enough,
but then i won the foil and epee as well mind you..

i am an eppist too, receiving training from one Paul Henchiel (formally of germany then south africa and now in new zealand...)
aiming for the commonwealth champs next year..and having a smidgen of a chance too!!

but yea, any serious fencers out there??? or is it all just for fun (not that i dont hav fun, it is after all a silly game where silly ppl wave silly sticks at each other and wear silly pants!!)

Craig

I was wondering why a lot of epeeists are rather tall.I mean, height and reach are advantages is all weapons. I always thought it was because height/reach can be negated, to a certain extent, by right of way, which doesn't apply to epee. Is this correct?

Dunno. I'm tall, but I much prefer Sabre. I think that may be due to the slashing though, rather than any practical reason.

There are no rights in Epee, it is first in first served, if the two fencers score a touch within one fencing time (1/4 of a second) they are each awarded a point (double hit)

much simplier than foil in the phrasing sense, how ever this does encourage a much more complicated plan of attack, ie hit with out being hit, or always being able to bring up a light so not to fall too far behind should your opponant hit you, counter attack parry riposte and so much more, sometimes describep as a game of chess while on your feet epee seems simple to the watcher, but much more complex when you take it up as a participan..


hope this explains somethings


C.

Beats me. If your point control is good, valid target is only a bladelength away no matter how tall you are...

-N.