Picture from a class at Sword Fight London

This post came out of one of the forum threads and I thought it made for a somewhat decent overview of some of the different takes on sword combat and fencing that exist.  If you’re going to start talking about some of the other sword arts, it’s a good idea to have an idea where they fit:

If you just want to read the thread or the post itself, here’s the link.  Where there is a governing body or organization available I’ve also linked to it.
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First some terms (I’ve tried to give examples from a wide swath of the community, these groups are not monolithic):

Classical Fencing:

SCA Fencing/SCA Rapier:

SCA Heavy

HEMA/Historical Fencing – (Linking to ARMA)

While there is some overlap (like me) these four groups are largely separate. Your average Classical fencer is not a HEMA guy, nor does he play in the SCA as well and so forth. As a result combining all of these groups into one huge “Classical fencing” doesn’t really make a lot of sense.

For example:

SCA fencers are by and large untrained (or self trained). I would argue that approx 75% would not know a good lunge if walked up an hit them in the face. That top 25% or so can be formidable, many of them train seriously, mixing gym time with up to 5 days of fencing per week. In some areas there are tournaments every weekend during the spring and summer, so there is a strong tournament circuit for these fencers. While there are no official rankings, there are fencers who are consistently at the top level during the tournaments at larger pan-SCA events like Pennsic.

HEMA guys are more complicated. HEMA is growing rapidly, and the Europeans have been hosting large international tournaments. The national coaching organizations in Germany, Italy and the UK have started coaching training programs for HEMA. The major fencing suppliers (Negrini, Allstar/Uhlmann, Leon Paul) already have HEMA equipment for sale. Closer to home, Absolute Fencing is coming out with an entire line of HEMA equipment in the next few months.
There, however, significant divisions within the HEMA “crowd.” Broadly there are those who are more into the history and rediscovery parts of HEMA, and those who are more into tournaments and competition. There is space for both groups.

Further, it’s easy to forget as modern fencers with a international governing body that all of these groups are highly regional, and not at all homogeneous. The Polish and Swedish are putting out really cool HEMA tournament fighters, the US less so. The SCA in CA will be completely different from the SCA in Washington.

Now back to Classical Fencing.

I want to make it clear that there is no one definition for Classical Fencing. The community is rather balkenized into a few camps. There is the Evangalista/Crown camp, the Martinez camp, and the SJSU FMP Camp (Gaulger camp)

I belong to camp 3. I too don’t like the strange big actions favored by Crown and Evangalista. (Crown even banned me from his forum). I’m not a big fan of the very pretty, but tempo challenged fencing I’ve seen from the Martinez students I’ve encountered (with a few exceptions). And I think that classical fencers should be able to fence with modern fencers and not do too badly. I’m equally annoyed when classical fencers talk smack about modern fencing, as when modern fencers talk smack about classical/historical fencing, especially when neither side has done both.

I have a friend who recently moved to Atlanta. He’s a SJ FMP Maestro, his exam was 7 hours long and had a board of 7 maestros. It’s about classical fencing, not modern fencing. As there are virtually no classical fencers in Atlanta, he’s picked up modern foil. He’s new to it, unrated, fenced his second tournament last weekend, and he’s having fun. He still hasn’t told anyone about his classical fencing cert, because it shouldn’t matter and because he’s afraid of the backlash.

What do I want you to take away from this rant? (I can’t sleep and am writing this at 3AM)

WE’RE NOT ALL CRAZY! Please don’t assume that the more antagonistic classical fencers represent the whole community, they’re just the people who won’t shut up.

also,

Classical Fencing is not Rapier/Longsword/Fill in the blank The groups may seem similar, but they are very different communities. Lumping them in together makes it very hard to make valid conclusions about the activities.

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That’s a decent overview to me.  I’d love to get some comments on this also.  (Editor’s note: We tried to find a place locally that would teach stage combat and couldn’t find anything nor could we find anything like HEMA in the area but would love to give it a go.  I’ve done kendo in the past and it’s great fun – plus seeing the similarities and differences in the different sports is a good exercise.)

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Fencing Masters is back for 2012

NEW YORK — En garde!  New York City is getting ready to host the largest U.S. spectator fencing tournament leading up to the Olympic Games this summer in London. Fencing Masters: Kick-Off to London 2012 will feature some of the sport’s biggest names including two-time Olympic gold medalist Mariel Zagunis and World bronze medalist Lee Kiefer, as they take on top contenders from around the world in a tune-up event for London.

Tickets go on sale today and can be purchased at www.fencingmastersnyc.com.

Fencing Masters, the only regularly televised fencing competition in the United States, will be held June 26 in the Hammerstein Ballroom. The inaugural Fencing Masters attracted more than 1,800 spectators and was televised on SportsNet NY. Sponsorship dollars and ticket sales provided direct support for U.S. Olympic hopefuls.

The event will be done in complete New York style, featuring several amazing innovations to bring a night of enjoyment for those who are familiar to sport as well as for newcomers. Among the special features of the event are: large-screen instant replay, mask cams to bring the crowd inside the action, specially designed uniforms and a stage created by a Broadway set designer.

An initial six-weapon team has been announced, representing all three disciples of fencing: foil, epee and saber, with both the men and women competing together. A second U.S. team of London-bound American athletes will be announced in the coming months.

Among the headliners is Mariel Zagunis, a two-time Olympic Champion in women’s saber who is certain to be among America’s top medal hopes again this summer in London.

“The Fencing Masters is a great chance for us to show the spirit and skill of the U.S. team on our own soil before we leave for the London Games,” Zagunis said. “I’m really looking forward to competing with some of the world’s best fencers. Hopefully people from all around the country will support us and join in our enthusiasm for fencing!”

In women’s foil, Lee Kiefer will compete in the foil discipline, as will British-born U.S. citizen and New York City resident Miles Chamley-Watson, who achieved a No. 2 world ranking at the age of 20. Rounding out the initial team are New York Native saber-fencer Daryl Homer, who placed 15th at the 2010 World Championships, U.S. National women’s Epee Champion Courtney Hurley and 2004 Olympian Soren Thompson.

The format will be a team points relay with two U.S. teams of London bound athletes competing, along with an additional US team of Future Stars who will earn their spots in qualifying tournaments from around the country.   Two international squads of all-stars, whose line-ups will be announced in the coming months, will challenge the US teams for the Fencing Masters trophy.

“One of the goals I set after our Olympic team’s success play in Beijing was to help grow fencing in the United States while supporting our athletes and bringing the sport into the mainstream.  The sport is amazing to watch and I’m excited that more people in the US will be able to experience its beauty, grace and athleticism before London,” said Fencing Masters founder and 2008 Olympic silver medalist Tim Morehouse, who is vying for a spot on the U.S. team in London.

Proceeds from the event will support the Fencing-in-the-Schools program, which also was created by Morehouse to help start fencing programs in disadvantaged communities and which will be launched in the 2012-2013 calendar school year. In addition, proceeds also will be used to provide grants to help support the Olympic dreams of the U.S team going to London. The inaugural Fencing Masters provided $25,000 in grants to Olympic hopefuls.

The event is being produced by WCMG Events in partnership with the sport’s national governing body USA Fencing. Nike Fencing was named as an initial sponsor for the event with additional sponsor-related announcements coming in the upcoming months.

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Olympian's Life just posted an update on their site:

Great interview on NPR today with our very own Olympic Champion Mariel Zagunis where she told them that saber fencers are a bit crazy like punk rockers! lol Check out the full interview here: http://www.npr.org/2012/02/08/146565917/why-saber-fencers-are-a-kin-to-punk-rockers?sc=fb&cc=fp Mariel will be competing at Fencing Masters: Kick-Off to London 2012 on Tuesday, June 26, 2012 in NYC. Hope you [...]

Go read Mariel Zagunis on NPR: “Saber Fencer’s are Punk Rockers”

Olympian's Life just posted an update on their site:

Dear Friends, We’re officially launching Fencing Masters: Kick-Off to London 2012!  Please see our press release below.  Have some special things in store to help promote our great sport! Please note a really great offer, for the next 2-weeks only the $70 Floor Seats will be 50% off!  Hope you’ll join us for a spectacular [...]

Go read Fencing Masters: Kick-Off to London 2012 (Official Press Release)

Drinking more H20 can improve your performance.

Water is a wonderful performance enhancer. When a star U Conn basketball player took the advice of his sports nutritionist Nancy Rodriguez RD and started drinking enough to consistently void a light-colored urine, he was amazed at how much better he felt all day. Unfortunately, too many athletes overlook the power of this essential nutrient.  Perhaps it’s your turn to give water a try? This article offers droplets of information to enhance your water IQ, optimize your water balance, and help you feel & perform better.

• You don’t have to drink plain water to get adequate water into your body. All fluids count, as do foods that have a high water. For example, oatmeal is 84% water; low fat milk, 90%; coffee, 99.5%; lettuce, 96%; tomato, 95%; broccoli, 89%; low fat vanilla yogurt, 79%; and ice cream, 60% water.

• Water is the solvent for biochemical reactions. Your body cannot function without sufficient water, as noted by the fact that athletes die from dehydration.

• Your body needs water to moisten food (saliva), digest food (gastric secretions), transport nutrients to and from cells (blood), discard waste (urine), and dissipate heat (sweat). Water is a major component of the cells in muscles and organs; about 60% of a young male’s body weight is water, as is about 50% of a young woman’s body weight.

• Different body parts have different water contents. For example, blood is approximately 93% water, muscle is about 73% water, and body fat is about 10% water. Water constantly moves between the inside and the outside of cells. About 4% to 10% of your body-water gets replaced every day with “fresh” water.

• Note: Bioelectrical impedance (BIA) methods of measuring body fat actually measure body water. From that, a formula estimates the ratio of water to muscle and fat. Hence, if you use a Tanita Scale or Omron device, be sure to maintain adequate hydration. If you are dehydrated, you’ll end up with an inaccurate (higher) estimate of body fatness.

•Your body produces about 8 to 16 oz. (250-500 ml) water per day during normal metabolic processes. During a marathon, a runner’s muscles can produce that much water over 2 to 3 hours. When muscles burn glycogen, they simultaneously release about 2.5 units water for each one unit of muscle glycogen; this helps protect against dehydration.

• Coffee is a popular source of water. Although once thought to have a diuretic effect, current research indicates coffee (in amounts normally consumed) hydrates as well as water over a 24-hour period. That is, after drinking coffee, you may urinate sooner, but you will not urinate more than you consume. Army research on caffeine and dehydration confirms coffee is an acceptable source of fluids for athletes, even during exercise in the heat. Hence, coffee and other caffeinated beverages such as tea or cola count towards your water intake.

• An increased concentration of particles in your blood triggers the sensation of thirst. If you are a 150-pound athlete, you’ll start to feel thirsty once you’ve lost about 1.5 to 3 pounds of sweat (1% to 2% of your body weight). Sweat loss of more than 10% body weight is life threatening.

• Body water absorbs heat from the working muscles and sweat dissipates the heat. That is, the evaporation of a liter (about 36 ounces) of sweat from the skin represents loss of about 580 calories. Sweat keeps you from overheating during exercise and in hot environments.

• To determine how much water you lose when you sweat, weigh yourself (with little or no clothing) before and after an hour of hard exercise with no fluid intake. The change in body weight reflects water (sweat) loss. A one-pound drop in weight equates to loss of 16 ounces of sweat. A two-pound drop equates to 32 ounces—that’s one quart. Drink accordingly during your workouts to prevent that loss!

• When you sweat, you lose water from both inside and outside the cells. The water outside the cells is rich in sodium, an electrolyte that works in balance with potassium, an electrolyte inside the cells. Sweat contains about 7 times more sodium than potassium; hence sodium is the more important electrolyte to replace during extended exercise.

• Most athletes who lose more than 2% of their body weight  (3 lbs for a 150-pound athlete) lose both their mental edge and their ability to perform optimally in hot weather. Yet, during cold weather, you are less likely to experience reduced performance, even at 3% dehydration. Three to 5% dehydration does not seem to affect muscle strength or performance during short intense bouts of anaerobic exercise, such as weight lifting.  But distance runners slow their pace by ~2% for each percent body weight lost by dehydration. That means, if you weigh 150 pounds and lose 3 pounds sweat (2% dehydration), your 8-minute mile slows to an 8:19 pace. That’s preventable!

• Adequate fluid intake can reduce problems with constipation and urinary tract infections. There is no scientific validation of theories that excessive water intake will improve weight loss, remove toxins, or improve skin tone.

• Should you plan to drink “eight glasses of water a day”? No scientific evidence supports that rule, so you can simply drink in response to thirst. You can also monitor the volume of your urine. If your urine is scanty, dark, and smelly, you should drink more! If you have not urinated during your work or school day (8:00 a.m.- 3:00 p.m.), you are severely underhydrated.

• Is bottled water better for you than tap water? Doubtful. According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, nearly half of bottled waters come from municipal water supplies—not from the mountain streams pictured on the labels. This suggests standard municipal tap water is high quality.

Rather than spend money on bottled water, turn on your tap! This will help stop the flood of 95 million plastic water bottles that get discarded each day, of which only 20% get recycled. Drink plenty of water—but think “green.”

Nancy Clark, MS, RD, CSSD (Board Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics) counsels both casual and competitive athletes at her office in Newton, MA (617-795-1875). Her Sports Nutrition Guidebook and food guides for new runners, marathoners, and soccer players offer additional information. They are available at www.nancyclarkrd.com and www.sportsnutritionworkshop.com.

References:

Armstrong, L., A. Pumerantz, M. Roti, et al. 2005. Fluid, electrolyte, and renal indices of hydration during 11 days of controlled caffeine consumption. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab 15:252-265

Koslo, J. “Water, hydration and health: What dietetics practitioners need to know” in SCAN’s Pulse, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 2012 31:1 (Winter)

National Academy of Sciences. Institute of Medicine. Food and Nutrition Board.

Dietary Reference Intakes for Water. http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/DRI//DRI_Water/73-185.pdf

Wilmore, J and D. Costill. Physiology of Sport and Exercise, Human Kinetics, 1994.

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