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
FENCING DEVELOPMENT IN THE HISTORY OF ANCIENT PEOPLES
Materials on the history of ancient peoples make it possible to say that the possession of edged weapons occupied an important place in military training and physical education of that time. The sacred books of ancient India mention the extremely basic principles of possession of edged weapons and indicate 32 types of various weapons. The teachers and distributors of fencing were apparently Indian Brahmins (clergy). Many monuments of ancient Egypt depict figures of warriors with sticks. We must think that fencing on sticks was one of the types of military training.
The weapon consisted of a sword with a hilt, which also served to protect the hand from impact. Continue reading
HYGIENIC REQUIREMENTS FOR PLACES IN THE FENCING
Indoor facilities for fencing should primarily have sufficient floor space, cubic capacity, good ventilation and lighting. When calculating the cubic capacity, it is necessary to take into account that the pulmonary ventilation of fighters during an individual lesson and free-style fighting increases to 14.5 – 23.0 liters per minute, and the recovery period lasts for trained fencers for about 10 minutes. In Jovičkop, pulmonary ventilation remains elevated for longer. Oxygen absorption, depending on the intensity of the lesson, increases to 480.0–856.0 cm³ in 1 min. Therefore, the cubic capacity of the room per student should be considered not less than 30 m³. Ventilation devices must provide a 3-fold change in air flow, i.e. 80 – 90 m³ of air per person per hour. Continue reading
BASIC PROVISIONS AND MOVEMENT
(Basics of fencing movement technique)
Position “at attention” – statutory stoic, fencing weapon in the right or left hand.
The starting position is the position from which the transition to the fencing stand is made and in which the fighters give a greeting.
Salutation (salute) – movement with an armed hand to the opponent and the judges in greeting.
Fencing stand – the most appropriate position adopted by a fighter (or teacher) for combat or training activities. The fencing stand can vary depending on various conditions:
Common Stand – Used for training sessions.
Individually modified stance – depends on the style of combat or action. In hand-to-hand combat, a stance is used in accordance with the “to battle” position in a bayonet battle. Continue reading
PREPARING PERIOD OF TRAINING IN FENCING
General tasks of the preparatory period: a) development and strengthening of the muscular and skeletal-ligamentous systems; b) improving the activity of internal organs (respiration, blood circulation, excretion and metabolism); c) improving overall coordination and developing speed of reaction; d) general retraction of the body and development of endurance; d) the introduction and development of habits of cultural behavior and discipline.
Special tasks of this period: a) testing and improving the basic skills of fencing equipment (techniques of attack and defense movements and methods of preparing for an attack); b) verification and improvement of the technique of complex fencing techniques; c) the development of a sense of distance, time and a sense of weapons; d) the development of speed, accuracy of movements. Continue reading
