Sport: Fighting: Fencing
Xtreme Fencing   (0)  [vote for, against]
Full contact fencing swords

My innovation is to adapt the old spring-loaded dagger (as used by actors and found in novelty stores) to serious athletic competition.

Basically, we're looking at a "sword" constructed out of twin fibreglass rods, separated by a 5 mm gap, equipped with a handguard and a spring-loaded handle. The sword tip would be rounded and lightly padded.

When attacking with a successful cut or strike, the rods compress on impact; when the attack is a thrust, the springs compress. By re-absorbing, say, sixty % of the attacking energy back into the sword itself, this would allow full-contact sword fighting with minimal armour (fencing mask, knee and elbow pads, etc.)
-- HappyZenWolf, Jun 05 2004

I don't follow this one at all. Why twin fiberglass rods?
-- bristolz, Jun 05 2004


Why not just beat eachother with the foils normally? It stings a bit, but if you do it enough your opponent will surrender. Or go for the real Xtreme extreme and use authentic claymores and fight to the death.
-- Salmon v2, Jun 05 2004


Each "blade" is made of two fibreglass rods with a 5 mm. gap between them. The inherent flexibility of the fibreglass and the "bending room" created by the gap cause the blades to compress on impact, absorbing energy back into themselves rather than transmitting it all into the hapless opponent.

I should have mentioned that I was visualising long two-handed swords (think "Lord of the Rings" rather than modern sport fencing foils).
-- HappyZenWolf, Jun 06 2004


If you want the real thing, go to a fraternity in Germany or Austria, "schlagende verbindung" . It doesn't get any more extreme (except in the movies). They use real weapons with just a little leather wrapping around the neck for protection and safety goggles.
-- kbecker, Jun 06 2004



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