Troper Fencing Academy

^^^ Yeah.

^^ No hand-to-hand attacks, no grappling, dunno if disarms are allowed but probably not. No pommel-strikes. No cutting. Real steel rapiers had cutting edges, so rapiers weren't only thrusting weapons as classical fencing teaches.

Also, to be fair, we've ragged on kendo for exactly the same reasons. Both kendo and classical fencing are certainly real sports. But they're not martial arts, which makes all the difference.

edited 13th Jul '11 7:53:18 AM by MadassAlex

I'm not saying it's bad, I'm just saying it doesn't really fit in with stuff like what Alex does.

And I tend to get insane amounts of crap for even having looked at a katana without spitting on it, so...

edited 13th Jul '11 7:52:53 AM by Blackmoon

@Blackmoon: Then if they wanted to talk about martial arts, make a thread for martial arts. Don't make a thread about "fencing" then talk smack about fencing for not being a martial art.

edited 13th Jul '11 7:53:55 AM by DrunkGirlfriend

"Troper Fencing Academy" sounds better than "Tropers Dicking Around With Swords," I guess.

Kenjutsu = filthy weeaboo fighting art for girly men

In European longsword, we GRIP OUR OWN BLADES WITH BARE HANDS YEEEEEEAAAAAH

(This thread has gotten a little out of hand, hasn't it? xD)

Also, "fencing" is all swordsmanship. That's the literal definition of the phrase. Using the word to only refer to a sport based on actual martial fencing is a bad modern habit. Kenjutsu is fencing. German longsword is fencing. Chinese jian is fencing. Spanish rapier is fencing. It's all fencing.

edited 13th Jul '11 7:56:21 AM by MadassAlex

@Blackmoon: Yeah, but it still pisses me off that people dismiss fencing because KENJITSU IS WAI BETTAR and YOU CAN'T KILL PEOPLE WITH A FOIL, because they're completely ignoring that western fencing is an incredibly diverse field with multiple styles and multiple schools of thought.

And maybe I have a chip on my shoulder because I'm used to people dismissing kenjutsu as "WEEABOO FANFAG BULLSHIT" and "AN INFERIOR SWORD-ART".

Also, I never ragged on fencing in the OP, or ever. I only ever said it wasn't a martial art, which is true and nothing against it. If you've taken that as an insult, then that's your interpretation of the phrase.

Swords interest me.

Question. I was blasted for drawing a character who had a sword in a back handed style, saying it would be impossible to use. I pointed out it wasn't a style that was supposed to be easy to use, and instead show how set the guy was in his ways, refusing to change, even to improve.

The person replied that they would just die immediately, and it was a stupid idea.

Yeah, he was kind of a douche.

So, I am here to ask if he was a correct douche or a wrong douche!

@AHR: Well, what kind of sword was it?

He was a correct douche.

Being a douche is rarely very good, but I understand why he was upset.

Reverse-grip doesn't work and comes across as a modern fad.

It doesn't work because a sword needs to be able to both strike and defend. In reverse-grip, high strikes (the most natural and powerful ones) are too complex to make use of and defending on your "off-side" (left if you're a righty, ect.) is extremely difficult. Some simple footwork can render a reverse-gripper completely harmless without even being struck at.

edited 13th Jul '11 8:03:16 AM by MadassAlex

No idea. Don't know many swords .

Uhm...a one handed sword?

At the moment, he just has a wooden fencing sword thingy, and I was planning on doing research for a right and proper sword when the time came.

Damn. Well, it's not like he's supposed to be a good fighter. I based it off of my tales of playing tennis, where people would occasionally hold tennis rackets in awkward manners, not used to playing it properly, and ending up only barely hitting the balls, or missing completely. Then I figured that if you really put your mind to it, you could probably get good at a completely awkward pose, even if you still sucked, by comparison to just holding it properly.

I have him breaking stance rules as well, which is something I know a tad better, having experience in that.

edited 13th Jul '11 8:06:50 AM by MrAHR

I meant more that, for the purposes of fiction, if it were a single-edged sword, it'd be feasible, but inadvisable in any way. If it were a double-edged sword, that character is a retard. XD

edited 13th Jul '11 8:05:24 AM by Blackmoon

I am a retard in the language of swordiness, but how so? I mean, is it because he could stab himself? Because the way I assumed it would work, it doesn't seem like he'd stab himself much. Just have to move awkwardly to hit and block.

With a reverse-grip, your resistance to incoming strikes is kinda pathetic. So a solid blow or push could make his own sword cut his flesh.

If you block, you have a sword-edge pressed up against the inside of your arm. If the other guy applies force, congrats, he just made you cut your own arm open.

Reverse grip is sometimes used for finishing thrusts with two hands, though, just because of the power you can put behind that kind of attack.

But it's no good for general fencing.

When I LARPed, sometimes I'd dual-wield with a reverse-grip in my off-hand, just as a makeshift shield that I could also injure people with.

But outside of such a blatantly ridiculous, amateurish environment, I wouldn't advise it.

Blackmoon, you're terrible.

You just put the idea of LAR Ping with actual sword skills into my head.

It does not work, to my eternal dismay. The rules for "safety" are so formalized that a lot of our techniques go to waste. For instance, no punching people. Or pommeling. Or aiming for the head.

I mean, come on.

Alex: *_* That works perfectly like you wouldn't believe. The character doesn't understand the point in resistance, being a naturally sturdy tough person, thus resulting in a complete lack of sturdyness and toughness.

Ok, so, that's why that position is bad, the other two are similar?

^^ ... no going for the head? ;_;

edited 13th Jul '11 8:13:16 AM by MadassAlex

The other two give you zero power.

EDIT@Alex: Yeah! We weren't allowed to hit each other in the head on purpose. Or the throat. Unless it was by an arrow.

Which I discovered, with several arrows to the face.

And an axe, once, by accident, which was unbelievably painful for padded foam.

edited 13th Jul '11 8:13:50 AM by Blackmoon

—mimics poses—

So they do. Excellent.

Yeah, there's effectively zero reason to reverse-grip with anything larger than a very short sword or large dagger. I'd recommend making him a dualy-user if you wanted to keep the backhand thing going with a long dagger in one hand and a normally-held single-handed sword in the other.

^^ I would take a foam axe to face for the opportunity to give one.

edited 13th Jul '11 8:16:00 AM by MadassAlex