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October 13, 2007
Gramps &
Kids – bonding by fencing (© on terminology and article)
The natural inclination of grandparents to have
a bond with grandchildren is universal. We achieve this by many means, including
brief custody periods, story telling, and other activities. Somehow the idea
of doing something physical with them does not enter our minds. Let’s consider
this possibility.
How about putting to good use the almost universal
desire of kids to engage in swashbuckling? This is not as bloodcurdling as we
might think. Designed for kids aged 8 thru 10 along with grandparents (or
parents), the idea is that both kids and adults learn together the sport of Fencing.
Both age groups have lots in common: an attention span limited by nature for kids, and by out-of-shapeness for adults;
kids are generally awkward with much less motor control than older peers (especially if affected by ADHD), and oldsters are
just out of physical practice. Moreover, kids have vivid imagination, which they
must act out, and if the grandparent plays along, lo’ the magic of shared experience takes place. Amazingly, kids accept rules of the game quite easily, and are very tough on an oldster violating these
rules. This role reversal is a very
positive and constructive development for the kids’ long-term self-discipline.
The grandparent also gains personally, in that the learning of fencing is a very physical exercise that engages the
brain, with the net result that if kept up over months on an almost daily basis, the motto “take ten years off age and
add it to life” becomes actually true.
The SaEF Clubs take great pride in being the developers
of this play and exercise based bonding and sharing method. We call it SabreKM
(for Sabre for Kids & Mature adults). Originally it was two separate activities,
SabreK and SabreM, but it turned out that by having an adult learn along with the kids, the class discipline improved many,
manifold. It is also surprising that the learning difficulties for the two age
groups seem to complement each other, not mutually interfere. For the kids it
is the difficulty to repeat a motion, to rapidly generate what is miscalled “muscle memory”, which for adults
is quite easy. The adults have difficulty in coordinating motions if they are
not trained or are not natural dancers. Kids have a similar problem but it expresses
itself in different ways. In any event all difficulties are overcome with mutual
benefit in the space of a few hours. Ten hours to be precise.
We discovered that kids’ arms are too short
for the standard metal fencing “weapons” that are 30”-32” long, and that adults don’t really
need their 35” standard length for exercise training. So we designed a new weapon. I am delighted to
inform anyone who’d care to listen, that it works! For both age groups.
Obviously it is in the category of an educational
development, not a replacement for traditional fencing weapons. We named it the
KSabre (US Patent Pending). It is still designed to teach Sabre Fencing
by FIE/USFA Sabre rules. However this 20” long plastic “weapon”
is much more suited to the physique and imagination, capabilities and habits
of kids, and is much safer than metal. Much safer when inevitably they will play
with their weapon and show off without other nearby kids wearing masks.
But why Sabre in the first place? The answer is that in this variant of the sport, kids’ motor control limitations forced the focus
on the Sabre, as it involves whole arm movement, not finger nor finessed wrist control.
We explored the 30-32” metal weapon and found it wanting – it is too long, the ratio between the weapon
length and the forearm length being far larger than the ratio for adolescents and ‘teens. It is also too heavy for them. The foam “weapon”
being touted as the answer to this problem is actually a bad joke. We obtained
one and even the kids refused to take it seriously. Stiffening the blade by inserting
a metal rod into the center of the foam did not cure the problem.
As said, the KSabre is quite safe, especially
when used along with masks. When broken it ceases to function completely - as it breaks at the juncture between the
blade and the hilt. However, breakage history has been almost nil: ~5% after over 20 weeks of use, and all the rest
survived some 40 weeks at the hands of the 8-10 year olds!
To reduce costs to the families, the kids wear
gardening gloves (with cuffs) on both hands, and street jackets worn zipper on back (to make it "different"), instead of the
formal fencing paraphenelia. Adults learning with kids can use their own common sense on what to wear – though
masks are an absolute MUST!
After the initial 10 hours’ course where
the kids and adults learn together, the kids shift to a second 10 hour course, relearning exactly the same things, except
that now it is done with the other hand/foot. Hence they are taught ambidexterity. Adults are encouraged to do the same, but may elect to remain with the same hand as
before.
Beyond the initial 20 hours, the kids join the
SabreK Club, and spar among themselves during the meets. At home the adults are
more than encouraged to exercise and spar with the kids, teaching and learning at the same time.
To exercise, the adults are encouraged to form
or join a SabreM club – which the SaEF Clubs almost always offer. Better
yet, they are encouraged to meet each other privately and spar several times a week.
Some people prefer to actually not spar, rather to develop a series of well defined and choreographed moves, quite
slow, along the lines of Tai-Chi excercises.
For any further information, please contact us
at Fencing_SaEF@comcast.net or visit www.SaEF-Fencing.org , or call Harry at 508 747 5803.
Harry A. Shamir
Head Coach
South Shore
SaEF Fencing Clubs
October 13, 2007
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Fencing Is Not Dueling
By: Harry A. Shamir
Head Coach, SaEF Fencing Clubs
(USA+) 508 747 5803
rev August 8, 2007
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Fencing derives from the word “defence”
or “defense” (English or American spelling). At root it is the general system of actions and
reactions and strategies and tactics used in all types of combat between living beings, individual or groups.
European style Fencing is the application of the
above process to the sport descendant from late medieval duelling in Europe, as developed in France
and Italy and commonplace in all the rest of Europe. Indeed
there were local variations, such as the swordplay of Spain and Portugal,
but in the main, the French and Italian schools predominated.
Upon disenfranchisement of the nobility in the 19th
Cent, the European governments disallowed the taking of lives by private individuals, reserving that right and privilege for
themselves. Nevertheless it took another one hundred years or so for the custom to die out.
To preserve their income, the teachers of swordfighting
transformed the activity from bloody maiming and killing to a safer form, and called it a Sport. The fact
that its teachings continued for a while to be used illegally for duelling, is irrelevant.
As a result of the transformation, three so-called
“weapons” came to be used: Foil, substituting for the lethal Smallsword, Epee,
substituting for the deadly Rapier, and the sport Sabre – which was actually a completely new tool.
To replace FEAR as the major inhibitor of foolishness,
the teachers, called Maestri (sing Maestro), instituted rules of proper fencing, rules debated and constantly modified to
our own very day. It turns out one cannot replace fear by rules. One can only approximate,
and none of the existing rule systems does the job well.
Our Massachusetts South Shore SaEF Fencing Clubs
have come out lately with a set of rules we hope will be tested for close approximation of Foil duelling reality.
They are listed in the Appendix. We would appreciate comments from fencers who will have tried fencing
according to them.
The current world of fencing is divided between
the “classical” and the “sport” approaches, though there is no consensus onto what constitutes “classical”.
As for “sport” fencing, that is dictated by the French dominated FIE in Europe
and its daughter organization USFA in the US. It is the version whose refereeing
is aided by electrically determining “touches”, notwithstanding that this version of fencing has come to strongly
deviate from the past bloody reality.
Steps toward reconciliation have been taken.
For instance, in the latest Olympics in Greece, technology was used to replace the wires
connecting the fencers to the electronic scoring aides. However, much work remains to be done.
East Asian, South American, African, and all other
martial arts are also implementations of the root meaning of the word “fencing”, whether using tools (sticks,
swords, knives, etc) or not. We exclude from this conversation all ballistic tools (stones, arrows, balls,
etc). Please note it would very unsportsmanlike to pit one style against another if they deviate
much from each other’s basic techniques and rules. Of course, upon duelling instead of engaging in
sport, anything goes, but that is NOT the subject of this discussion.
All non-contact, individual-against-individual,
sport activities achieve essentially the same goals: highly refined coordination between sight and body
actions including arms, hands, legs and feet, short reaction times, understanding of an opponent’s skills and thought
patterns, implementation of psychology and deception and foiling the opponent’s deceptions, and stamina.
These goals can be translated into purely verbal implementations, expressed daily in our lives in any bout-encounter
where conflicting objectives are sought. The most obvious examples are in politics and organizations’
boardrooms. Obviously the reality is that these tend to be duels and not pure sport, hence real hurting
will ensue.
Appendix:
Objective: to better
simulate real duelling with small-swords by using the dull-tip version called "foil".
Note: an Ambi-grip is a grip holdable by either hand.
The rules (not in order of importance):
1. No right-of-way (row);
2. target area is as in current Foil rules, plus bib and mask - to
simulate near instant death due to piercing a vital area; consideration was given to exempting the touch on mask from
rule #7, but was dismissed as too complex for now;
3. Users of ambi-grips may switch hands at will;
4. If armed arm is touched and ambi-grip is used, touched
fencer MUST switch arms before continuing to use weapon;
5. Fencer using non-ambi grip may not switch arm anytime, upon being touched on weapon arm may
then not use weapon for anything and will be considered disarmed, in which case the other fencer has one tempo to make a good
touch (simulating a lethal coup-de-grace);
6.
non-armed arm may be used for parrying, but grabbing by hand is not allowed (since not all smallswords had no sharp edge,
and would have resulted in severed fingers - though in truth this rule is more because grabbing seems so unsporting);
7. reposte from fencer B that arrives within 5 seconds
of good touch by fencer A, creates "mutual death" - no points for either;
8. all bouts are 1 touch, but 5 bout series, or 10, or 15, can be performed
with previous agreement;
9.
no time limit to a bout, except an arbitrary total of 1 minute allowed for no action. (This rule is arbitrary,
and I don't like it very much due to its inevitable misuse, and difficulty to manage).
10. a "good touch" is only one that bends the weapon, simulating penetration;
anything else is a "scratch", usually not even felt in the heat of duel;
11. the strip may be 7 meters long, 3 meters wide, to allow fencers to switch positions
during a bout. (We found this to be a necessity stemming from the use of the defending arm and the increased use of body actions
to avoid being touched).
12.
catching the opponent's blade under armpit is allowed but touch must forthcome within one tempo, or bout is considered to
have transformed into a brawl - with no points allocated to either fencer.
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SaEF Fencing * 37 Dwight Ave * Plymouth * MA * 02360 * (508) 747-5803
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