I have been fencing foil for around 1.5 years and started competing this January. I started fencing in Y14, aged out of it, and this season I'm fencing cadet, junior and div2/3. Even though cadet and junior events in my region have the exact same people, my performance in juniors is significantly worse than cadet, especially in pools. I'm still unrated, but in cadet I've beaten Es and Ds, but I can never replicate the same result in juniors. How do I get through this??

Hey friends! I'll be visiting Long Island for a few days in mid December, likely Thursday or Friday through Sunday. Any recommendations for a friendly club that I could swing by for an Epee open fencing session? Also, think it'd be worth it to travel with my weapons? A large part of me thinks it would be easier to just bring my whites/mask and use loaners at the club. Thank you!

I made this for my local club with lots of inter-weapon-rivalry. Enjoy!

Good Morning, Guys!
Actually am in Salvador reffing at Epee Junior World Cup, so no time really to raise prices and also, we have no received any goods from Ukraine at new costs, yet.
So prices on EBay remain for a few days, https://www.ebay.com/usr/unic.fencing.america

Threre are about 7 new items on - will detail them soon.
Clubs are still welcomed to contact us for old costs.
Thanks so much everyone for a terrific October, it was our largest month in retail and wholesale so far; we had a goal of shipping 1,000 blades in total and have exceeded it.
Sent shipments to Fencing Post, Alliance, Absolute, BG and Triplette, so they should be in stock.
Also, thanks to seven of you who visited us during AFM SYC, it was terrific to put a face to the name.
Wishes of wonderful weekend, Bogdan,

Thoughts?

Let's be real. You can be trash on the piste and you'll still get the attention if you look good.

I am gradually losing size and my used uniform will soon become a safety issue and is slowly becoming very baggy.

Assuming that one got cash to spend for that extra bling, which European brand offers the prettiest protective gear? Performance be damned!

I wish Adidas was still around...

Hi guys, I’m a beginner ambidextrous sabre fencer.

Currently I’m facing a little predicament. I’m currently fencing with my left hand, and I’m quite comfortable and faster with the footwork than when I’m on my right. However, I found that my right hand is stronger and faster than my left (found parry and riposte more comfortable). I heard that left handed fencers have an advantage, so what are you guys recommendations for my situation? Thanks.

Happy Fencing Friday, an /r/Fencing tradition.

Welcome back to our weekly ask anything megathread where you can feel free to ask whatever is on your mind without fear of being called a moron just for asking. Be sure to check out all the previous megathreads as well as our sidebar FAQ.

I would think mindset is mostly for learning/training, but if a specific mindset is good for bouting, maybe that’s why the Olympic Teams are better than me (/s).

Is it physical ability? Being faster and having more stamina give obvious advantages.

Is it smart and quick decisions? Maybe where I would retreat, the world champion would step past the opponent’s blade for a counterattack opportunity and get a point where most wouldn’t dare try.

Is it instinct/experience? Having an absolute grasp of RoW (in Foil/Saber) or knowing the perfect distance makes everything else that follows easier.

If it is a combination, what is the most prominent? Also, if the most extreme skill gap is different when comparing a world champion to a completely new fencer versus a more experienced D rank fencer or a seasoned B rank fencer, what is the change?

What do you think it is? Thanks!

I saw a video of this happening in sabre but it's also happened to me in epee when aiming for a toe touch - is there a rule against stepping on your opponent's blade?

(18 m) I recently just started learning fencing through a private coach alongside a friend. After a while I decided to commit to foil, mostly because I preferred the stabbing motions so not Sabre, and I disliked how slow Epee was.

I'm aware that it's gonna be a rough path because I'm currently just learning the basics, but all I know now is fencing has ignited a passion inside me that I had lost before

I've been looking to buy my own mask for foil I am new to tge sport and been using loner gear and I haven't used machines yet. this just had me a bit confused because the equipment sites don't really make it very clear.

Context: As a right handed foilist my problem is getting repeatedly hit on my right hand fingers (the three supporting ones). This always happened to me, but recently much more frequently.

Now I don't know what to do, because it's beginning to affect my motivation. Usually I can take a few hits, no problem, a bit of tape works wonders, but now it's like a constant pain and some hits leave cuts that even bleed. I'm trying to find solutions, but they all have a downside. Any ideas would be welcome.

My own ideas were:

1. Look for a better padded Glove (but apparently they all are mostly the same)

2. Find some sort of chain glove (but no idea if that's actually helpful against hits, or just cuts)

3. Start Saber fencing in the hopes of a better protected hand (but I like foil better)

Thanks in advance for your help

I tried upgrading my glove game and found the "AF MASTER SERIES DRY-PRO 3-W GLOVE". Very comfortable!

Then this (see below) happened after 3 practices. $79 (before shipping and tax) down the drain.

Have never seen anything like this before - I don't even think I can sew it back together, the tear is too extensive.

Have you seen anything similar?

[UPDATE]

I called AF to explain the problem and they said (more or less) "got it, email us photos and your order details and we'll look into it."

I emailed them photos of the damaged glove and I got a same-day response that they are shipping me a new one.

https://preview.redd.it/dw9kfpmxvxxd1.jpg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2fd4a4036edf7f3b9925586e1ad5bd1ec927137b

So my club only has pants in men's and teen sizes. Which do not account for people with hips. So I now need to get a pair of fencing knickers. Has anyone tried getting knickers from Amazon? I know they may not last as long or be FIE. But I only fence locally and I am a broke college student.

Hi, does anyone have any recommendations for decent socks for fencing. I have my first tournament coming up and I need a pair in my club colors. Amazon has a lot of options but I'm just not sure what to go with. I also have thicker calves so recommendations with that in mind would be greatly appreciated.

My brother is a Sabre fencer and has been fencing for 2 years now and I was wondering if there is anything I can do(like lifting or other exercises) to help him. Thank you!

A number of YouTube epee analysis videos of full matches involve the presence of either one of the fencers in the bout (e.g. Jerome Jeannet, Sergey Bida) or some expert fencer (e.g. Diego Calderon, Justin Yoo). My favorites include the Grumier analysis video with GP Fencing or the Jon Normille one with Cyrus of Chaos. I want to discover more to learn more tactical insights from them. Which specific videos are your favorites (beyond GP Fencing and Cyrus of Chaos)?

I am 14 years old and I have been wanting to fence over a year now and I am planning on joining a fencing academy next year when I’m 15. But the problem is that I don’t know how to fence. I have watched a kdrama where the main character is a fencer and because of her, I’ve been wanting to fence. I have seen the way they play but since I’m going to be 15 without no experience, I was wondering if academies will accept me?

Hi,

I'm wondering what's the current status on what masks are good / add etc for Epee.
I'm looking for a 1600 mask that can be used for both Epee fencing and some Hema (sabre / rapier). I'm torn between LP, PBT, Allstar.

- LP seems to be the most popular. The exchangeable bib seems to cool to maintain mask.
- PBT - seems to be the cheapest. Could buy two PBT masks for the price of LP.
- Allstar - seems to be sturdy. But I cannot find any more substantial differences in comparison to PBT.

What's your opinio?

Some of the reel cables at the club have started fraying and in some cases badly. The spring pack itself is fine and providing good resistance but can the frayed wire be covered in heat shrink wrap or will that be too thick to allow proper function of the reel

What blade, guard, grip do they use?

Is there any real difference between them?

Hi Everyone, I plan on purchasing the Allstar Sabre Mask and I wanted to know from the people that have used/ are using this mask, what are your thoughts and experience with this mask? Is it good?

The russians already have a shitty reputation in fencing. Why on earth would any of these federations side with Usmanov?

Credit: CyrusofChaos Instagram

https://preview.redd.it/7muduz2mknxd1.png?width=1278&format=png&auto=webp&s=7c3ce78e0638457310dfa948dbb16f003283eb31

I was just about to sit down and watch This Video that just got posted, from the Fujairah 2024 Women's Teams World Cup.

The question that suddenly came to mind was... "Hmm... as a male fencer, I wonder if there is anything that I need to bear in mind when learning from watching women fence?"

Are there perhaps differences in physique and mentality that mean that I shouldn't simply say "Oh, that was nice, I should try and do that!" Will I see things in a teams match that I perhaps can't directly apply to individuals? As an "older" fencer, should I focus on watching other old fencers?

Or is it safe to just say that that "strong fencing is strong fencing regardless of gender, age, or tournament?"