MUSKETERS GAMES – ARTISTIC FENCING
Do you think the musketeers now live only in books, and the pirates only saber in the Pirates of the Caribbean? I assure you, the romance of a cloak and a sword is now inherent not only to naive dreamers. Perhaps in your childhood you played Zorro, a noble masked avenger? Or dreamed of defeating a dozen enemies alone? Or, perhaps, you wanted, to show off in front of a beautiful lady, to let go of your rivals, to win a duel? If you answered “yes” to at least one question, welcome to the world of art fencing.
Story
The appearance in the 16th century of light long-blade weapons, which could always be carried with you, aroused a strong temptation to use them anyway. The dueling affliction claimed more lives than civil wars. The art of owning weapons has become not only a guarantee of survival, but also a way of life. Epee – the patroness, intercessor, judge and seducer – resolved any conflicts.
The duel of fencers always aroused keen interest among the audience, completely absorbing their attention, which was often used by pocket thieves. Here’s how Theophile Gauthier describes in Captain Fracassus a similar case:
“There was a noise at the other end of the bridge, and the crowd rushed there. It turned out that the shoulder straps fought on rapiers …
They shouted: “Hit, hit!” – and frantically attacked each other. They fought two against two and seemed to blaze on each other with indomitable hatred, removing the swords of the seconds trying to separate them.
In fact, this quarrel was aimed at causing a crowd of people, so that pickpockets would be easier to wield in the crowd. Indeed, not one curious man intervened in the hustle and bustle with a tightly packed wallet, but got out of the crush, wasting, without knowing it, all his money.
And the shoulder-straps, who did not even think of quarreling, but, on the contrary, sang among themselves, hastened to reconcile, shook their hands with a noble gesture and announced that their honor was satisfied. This, however, did not require much effort – their honor was never distinguished by sensitivity. ”
Years passed, and gradually fencing lost the status of a vital skill. However, it has survived to this day as a sport. True, it has noticeably lost in entertainment, having acquired bulky masks and a full set of electronic equipment. The art of applying and not getting injections yourself almost lost its charm, turning into an academic sport and obscure to the uninitiated.
There is now a decline in interest in sports fencing around the world. Its convention is growing more and more complicated, the rules are becoming more complicated. The casual viewer simply does not understand the meaning and logic of the fights. The spectacular battle on the blades faded into the background, having the ability to excite hearts only in adventure films.
But the love of a beautiful sight and romance gave rise to a new kind of fencing: not tough conditional combat, but staged and spectacular. A new sport – artistic fencing allows you to demonstrate the possession of different blade weapons in all its variety. These performances with swords are interesting to many, but especially to children and adolescents. Indeed, knightly and musketeer adventures, thank God, still excite youthful souls.
In 2008, art fencing in Russia officially became the new discipline of sports fencing. For more than 15 years, international tournaments have been held in Europe. From the last open German championship, Russian athletes returned with six gold medals in eight categories.
rules
“Why do you need the cord at the back?”
– So that the coach could pull him off at the right time …
Old fencing joke
The new fencing discipline is a theater according to sports rules. Any art fencing tournament takes place in the form of a series of plot costumed fights. Each performance is a performance with its own plot. Fencing battle is learned and rehearsed, like cues in a theatrical play. In art fencing, face to face are not opponents, but partners.
The fundamental difference between art fencing and sports combat is the prohibition of improvisation for participants in fights. The staged battle heroes have no goal of defeating the enemy, as is the case in a sports duel.
On the stage, all movements with weapons and movements of fighters are learned as gymnastic or dance combinations. Each participant knows the partner’s future maneuvers. All tactics of the fight and tricks for its image are thought out by the trainer and athletes, then they are embodied in pre-selected actions, and in training they are honed by repeated repetitions.
Here is an example of the beginning of the duel.
However, how to determine the winner when the athletes do not have the goal of injecting an opponent?
As in other difficult coordination sports, in art fencing, athletes facing the competition venue are faced with the task of scoring the maximum possible number of points.
