Maneuver and strike
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. Continue reading
The Soviet Olympic champion in fencing died from a rapier shot in the eye. After his death, organs were stolen
Fencing is the most romantic sport reminiscent of the times of musketeers and dueling with swords. Now there is not much left of the fleur of Paris and D’Artagnan, and PR specialists in international federations are constantly thinking how to change this. Of course, masks prevent people from being associated with superheroes. The mesh surface closes the eyes of the rivals, and because of this creates the impression of a fake battle.
How can one enjoy a beauty and a cup, a happy blade when you have special armor? Surely advertisers and television several times approached the judges and the technical committee and asked to soften the protection of the masks – to make them transparent, to loosen security controls for the sake of an attractive picture and new revenues. And probably every time they heard: “Have you forgotten about Smirnov?” Continue reading
HISTORY OF FENCING IN THE MIDDLE CENTURIES
In the Middle Ages, the possession of knives was the privilege of chivalry. In the wars of that time, the battle was decided by a clash of cavalry. Sometimes the battle was replaced by martial arts of two representatives of hostile armies. Tacitus3 in the work “Germany” describes the struggle of two opponents, the outcome of which decided the victory of the armies.
The religious savagery of the Middle Ages gave rise to another form of martial art – the “court of God.” It was a duel, which took place by order of the court, if one of the litigants disputed the justice of the verdict. The winner of the “court of God” was recognized as the winner of the court case. Continue reading