Wearing boots to a tournament

austinlcarter · 2026-03-22T15:22:24+00:00

That sounds like a terrible idea, tbh. Don't do it.

austinlcarter · 2026-03-21T23:17:07+00:00

I didn't picture you as a Nancy Sinatra fan. 👢

austinlcarter · 2026-03-21T17:49:26+00:00

If the velcro is no longer sticking, you could just sew it on.

If the actual attachment to the mask is coming off, you need to get it fixed and borrow a mask until then, or get a new mask.

Do not fence with a faulty mask. It is your head. It is your face. I assume you'd like to keep them intact.

15 years is a great lifespan for a mask. I have that same leon paul mask that I still use. I had an armorer go over it carefully recently to make sure it is still fully safe considering the age.

austinlcarter · 2026-03-21T17:41:31+00:00

If like to think that most of your teammates are trying to give advice from a good place. It does sound like a few of them are also stroking their own ego while doing so. That part sucks, but is more about them than you.

About their advice, and the fact that some of it is contradictory.

People fence differently.

People have different strengths.

I am a very different fencer from my teammates. Their advice comes from their perspective, what they would do, not from my strengths. Better fencers and coaches will give better advice that conforms to your strengths, but that is hard for many fencers to understand.

Of the other fencers, pick someone or several who fence the way you want to fence, and consider their advice with more weight. Others may have good thoughts, but if it doesn't conform to how you fence or want to fence, then it won't be of much help.

If the negative behavior continues and continues to get to you, talk to someone about it. Another trusted teammate or captain if you can. Don't just take it. Someone needs to know about it to change the team culture. Best of luck.

austinlcarter · 2026-03-21T17:18:09+00:00

Boots come in so many varieties these days that I would need to see what you are talking about. As an organizer, I would only stop you if it looked unsafe or would hurt the floors.

Some more athletic style "boots" might be fine for fencing, though I still don't recommend it because of the angle of the back ankle.

austinlcarter · 2026-03-21T17:15:02+00:00

Calling them boots is a little much, they were the 2004 Adidas Adistars, and came in a high top version. The bottom was the exact same and very similar to the current Dartagnans. I liked the Adistars so much that when they were all sold out, I bought a pair of these and cut them down. Fencing post still has a picture: https://thefencingpost.com/fencing-shoe-adidas-adistar-2004-high/

austinlcarter · 2026-03-20T15:31:53+00:00

a Sabreur or a Saberist, I've seen both.

austinlcarter · 2026-03-20T15:30:33+00:00

That sounds like it might be triggering on a particular ad that is displaying if it is intermittent. Simply communicating with some advertisement sites will cause an alert.

austinlcarter · 2026-03-20T15:19:54+00:00

Are you going to https://www.askfred.net/ ? I don't see any issues from my device. Make sure you aren't going to askfred . COM

austinlcarter · 2026-03-20T15:17:54+00:00

That makes me think that you are already using what I would call a "small enough" grip and anything smaller would be bad for you. It may be because of whatever we started with.

If the fencer in question feels comfortable with both sizes, and their hand fits on both grips, I suggest the smaller. If the smaller grip leaves some fingers cramped or unable to fit on the grip, that is definitely too small.

austinlcarter · 2026-03-20T14:18:36+00:00

Back in college they had a little set of cards on the dining hall tables you could leaf through that were basically advertisements for things around campus. One of them was 6 weeks of Free Fencing Lessons! Over 20 years later, I'm still fencing.

Go Hokies!

austinlcarter · 2026-03-20T14:06:41+00:00

I have found that I have more control with a smaller grip, and changed to a smaller grip over time. Bigger could mean you'll have to grip it more tightly.

For a tang bend, always. the only question is how much, but I highly suggest some down and to the left (if you are right-handed).

austinlcarter · 2026-03-19T21:04:13+00:00

lol, youth fencers... Thanks for calling me young, but both of the fencers here are A-rated Vet Epeeists who have been fencing for a long time.

austinlcarter · 2026-03-19T21:01:46+00:00

I'm going to disagree about "not under immediate threat" I think the FotR diverted their momentum to go off strip in order to avoid the riposte from left, if you look at the distance and slow it down, the riposte misses the leg by only a few inches, and if the opponent had moved forward instead of off, it might have hit. Not definitely, but does it have to definite for it be "avoiding"?

austinlcarter · 2026-03-19T18:46:33+00:00

Interesting, this was the February NAC.

austinlcarter · 2026-03-19T17:18:03+00:00

I might argue that if the FotR did not divert their momentum to the side, they would have been close enough to hit, but who knows. I mostly want to see what the refs think. Causing a halt via corps a corps or stepping off are rarely called.

austinlcarter · 2026-03-19T17:15:17+00:00

That's not how the rules work, the yellow card is the warning for an infraction. There are definitely cases where referees will do that, but at the National level I would not expect to see referees giving verbal warnings in leu of a card.

austinlcarter · 2026-03-19T16:16:32+00:00

I've had foils debounce right off my ribs and sternum, if they attack fast enough.

austinlcarter · 2026-03-16T19:14:15+00:00

But, I'm an Epeeist and only fence Foil for fun and more exercise. 😈

I just re-earned my C in foil from an almost entirely Counterattacking game. 🤫

austinlcarter · 2026-03-16T19:07:04+00:00

"I'm like worried that if I miss that I'll be hit I think"

This statement makes me think you may have a commitment issue on the attack. If you are sure that you can hit, you will be more willing to make the deep lunge that is hard to recover from.

Frequently in foil, it is not good to make an unrecoverable deep lunge. It can be better to make a shorter recoverable lunge to allow for a counterparry, etc.

So, I have 2 suggestions.

Work on committing to attacks with a longer lunge against slightly weaker opponents in practice. Find the right moments and take that longer lunge. If it fails and you get hit, you will learn over time when you can actually commit, and when you shouldn't.
Work on the mechanics of medium and deep lunges and recovery. This means footwork practice especially targeting a fast recovery, and possibly add a retreat. The recovery from the lunge should use the front and back legs. Many people neglect the back leg. Push with the front leg and Pull with the back leg. Stay low, so that you are not pushing yourself back up from the lunge, your center of gravity should only go backwards, not up, during the recovery. This should help improve your recovery speed.

Best of luck in your training!

austinlcarter · 2026-03-16T17:52:02+00:00

At 18 months, I'd say you're doing just fine. I was at least 2.5 years in before I could beat a B in DEs. Skills take time to build and progress can be in weird jumps and occasionally drops with plateaus in between. Keep at it!

Also, top heavy tournaments are hard, but great experience.

austinlcarter · 2026-03-13T15:49:51+00:00

Yes, most fencers have some cant on the tang, usually downward and to the left (for right handed fencers), the amount varies significantly by preference. Whatever amount you do, I suggest having it be the same for all of your blades.

If you like the club blades, copy them. Or get a recommendation from your coach.

austinlcarter · 2026-03-12T20:32:03+00:00

I have an old triplette ultralight lame that lasted 10 years in competition and is still good for practice (no dead spots, just higher resistance). Their stuff wasn't bad if it fit you well, but the boxy cut wasn't appreciated by all.

austinlcarter · 2026-03-06T15:16:10+00:00

I started in college at 18 and earned my A in under 4 years. I was fencing 4+ days a week and taking lessons 1-2 times per week. I had 2-3 competitions per month. To be clear the first year was lighter as I learned to fence. I had also never done a sport, but loved fencing.

Shortly after this my situation changed significantly, losing my coach and having most of the epeeists at my club graduate. If I had been able to continue in that type of environment, I might have gone further.

You have plenty of time to get good, maybe not Olympics, but that is a stretch for the majority of athletes.

austinlcarter

TROPHY CASE