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

well it's about time i told you lot about a new hobbie of mine...

just when you thought the prospect of meeting Dr Anthea was bad enough
I've taken up fencing

every friday night from 7.30 till 9.30 I go off to the local fencing club suit up into a white fencing jacket, helmet, glove, and most importanly sword
( cant fence very well without one )

now for those of you who know a little about fencing some technical stuff
I also have a wire up my right arm, because I'm right handed,
and this wire is also cliped to a sleveless metalic overcoat above my normal fencing jacket
I fence with a foil
which is a long thin sword with the ability to bend which gives it some... interesting effects when you flick your wrist

now one would think that a timid person like myself wouldnt go fencing, it is at times agresive and a little scary.
but its great exercise, you really get heated up with all the equipment on and jumping slashing and stabbing your way to get a few points on the board before your oponant
I shall when univercity starts, enquire about joining the univercity fencing club, but i have a feeling that i shall have to buy my own equipment but that wouldnt be too bad... it would mean that there wouldnt be someone elses sweat in it for a start....
however those of you who read the post know i have something a little more important to save for.....
hmmm... I can do both...
maybe

Dr Anthea

Khamsin, what have you let yourself in for???

I used to love fencing when I was in Scouts. Well, we were mostly mental and did a lot of combat training. Rifles, pistols, swords, quarterstaves, longbows....

Admittedlty it wasn't real fencing, and we used blunted dress sabres instead of foils, but the principle as the same (oh, and the scar above my kidney proves 2 things. 1) Use safety equipment. 2) Never, ever challenge the General. Then again, there's a scar on my shoulder where he bit a chunk out of it. Told you we were mental).

...Sounds fun!

Anth,you - timid?Who you trying to kid?Kham,now would be the time to start running for the hills.

oh he fences too, just with a different type of sword

Anthea, have I told you what a nice person you are recently?
*mental note; do not annoy Anthea in future*

~Skenvoy

Just beat the General in a duel with blunted katanas. I won with 2 femoral artery cuts and a upper arm slash to one digit cut.

Basically I would have cut both the major blood vessels in his leg, and took a chunk out of his arm, whereas he'd have taken off my little finger.

Wonder if AD still wants to sort out this debt of honour?

Bring a live blade and your quite welcome to try (had an arguement with jackruss about sword versus judo. Seem to remember both coming to the conclusion that only the upper levels of Japanesse swordsmen could defend well against it due to Judo being about fighting an armed opponent and so western sword play wouldnt stand a chance - the foil stabs not slashes; plenty of time), although you have no debt of honour, nor does anthea as the poem was rightfully removed for being defamatory.

Didn't know Preston had a fencing team. Maybe they'll have a Judo team as well although the martial arts centre up the road seems to do it along with Iaido (*goes to buy bokken*)

*chokes*Anthea - I can't */believe/* you said that!That's like something Senga or Roxy - or possibly me - would say.(Senga's a bad influence.)My God,what's happened to you?!

AD,Pysc,please don't start.

Thing is Anth, the foil's nowhere near as fun as the sabre. It's got a point like a foil, an edge like a japanese blade, but the top 7 inches of the reverse side are sharp too. It's a superior weapon all round than anything I've ever used. It's not widespread nowadays though, but if you like the fencing it might be worth looking into.

But you need the swing though with the sabre to get your full effect. Face to face the foil is superior, where as with room to mood the katana et sabre comes into play.

Then again you've also got to look at the way each is used. You dont exactly get close with the foil unless you go for the kill, where as with sabre and katana getting close isnt so much of a problem.

This is with the sabre, its not something that you can really practice with. Not against a live opponent. Fencing and kendo (plus the attatchments) probably have the advantage on the sabre there, more so kendo because its not singular - theres numerous other additional martial arts that improve and build upon it.

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Knock it the off, both of you, or get out of Anth's journal! She doesn't need two people bickering like preschoolers in here!

yes, if Anthea wanted childish bickering she could have me and Kham having a go at each other. Actually I haven't had a really good bicker with Kham in ages I must remember to go and start some sort of immature childish argument with him

*shakes head*Oh foolish children.

Who are you calling children?

Mostly AD and Pysc.

oh that's ok then

that could be called defamatory you know..

I said mostly.