sabre hits

Zebee Johnstone

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Oct 22, 2001, 11:43:15 PM10/22/01

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So, how would you describe the best way to make a sabre cut?

can it be described?

How would you describe the way to hit hard enough but not too hard?

What is it that you do and can you describe it - angle of hand and
blade? Wrist motion? Aiming point? Followthrough or lack of?

Zebee

--
Zebee Johnstone (ze...@zip.com.au)
Proud holder of aus.motorcycles Poser Permit #1.
Motorcycles are like peanuts - who can stop at just one?

HMS Lion

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Oct 23, 2001, 9:16:48 AM10/23/01

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Making a good saber cut is easy, IF you have a good grip.
The correct way to grip a saber is in the fingers, NOT in the palm of the
hand. Foilists frequently try to hold a saber with the grip across the palm,
as though it were a foil. BAD! NO! The fingers and finger-side of the palm
should touch the grip, not the wrist-side of the palm.
The hand should be loose, as well.

Now, with the saber properly held, punch the hand straight at the target and
close the hand. Let the wrist go limp for follow-through. Recover.

Closing the hand powers the cut. No further power is required. Letting the
wrist go limp gives the cut a full range of motion. The resulting cut is
quick, light, and precisely controlled.

Drill: Come on-guard without a sword. Hold the sword hand about 1/2 closed.
Extend, close the hand, loosen the grip, recover the arm to a good guard.
Repeat until my (not your) arm gets tired.

Hope this helps.

V/R:
Mike McDaniel

Dirk Goldgar

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Oct 23, 2001, 2:46:09 PM10/23/01

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"HMS Lion" <hms...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20011023091648...@mb-mv.aol.com...

> Repeat until my (not your) arm gets tired.

Oh, I like that one!
--

Dirk Goldgar

(to reply via e-mail, remove NOSPAM from address)

Amy & Joseph Kormann

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Oct 23, 2001, 9:02:34 PM10/23/01

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HMS Lion wrote:
>
> Making a good saber cut is easy, IF you have a good grip.
> The correct way to grip a saber is in the fingers, NOT in the palm of the
> hand. Foilists frequently try to hold a saber with the grip across the palm,
> as though it were a foil. BAD! NO! The fingers and finger-side of the palm
> should touch the grip, not the wrist-side of the palm.
> The hand should be loose, as well.

> V/R:
> Mike McDaniel

Yeah, us Foil-folk have a habit of *poking* our opponents instead of
*hitting* our opponents. Don't want those actions to get too confused.

Something fun to try: get an experienced sabreist (large ego, small
cranium, strong arm) and an experienced foilist (larger ego, mid-sized
cranium, fast arm). The foilist will manage to keep the sabreist at bay
by treating the sabre like a foil - pesky distance thing. After about 5
touches, the sabreist will figure out what's happening and with a hearty
*thwack* parry the foilist and score their touch.

At this time, the foilist says, "That was fun" and goes to play with the
epee crowd.

-Joseph

Roman Pavlov

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Oct 24, 2001, 10:32:23 AM10/24/01

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>
> Something fun to try: get an experienced sabreist (large ego, small
> cranium, strong arm) and an experienced foilist (larger ego, mid-sized
> cranium, fast arm).

So what an experienced epeeist would look like :) ?

RP.

Amy & Joseph Kormann

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Oct 24, 2001, 9:01:14 PM10/24/01

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I could say that I've never seen one but that might be stretching
things...

How about, immense ego, small cranium, fast lunge.

-Joseph