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Old 12-01-2006, 04:33 AM
Anacardo Anacardo is offline
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Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: gorieslayer, Brightensbane
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Default Re: Fencing- what weapon is the most fun?

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This is kind of off topic, but I know nothing about fencing. How often do people get hurt? How bad?

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Not often, and pretty bad, sometimes, when it does happen. First of all, it doesn't hurt much to be hit by a sport fencing weapon; they're like big wire hangers, almost. You get bruises and light welts here and there, that's it. The real danger is with a broken blade. Even there, standardized protective gear is very good, and your mask is tested before every competition. The real damage comes when a broken blade goes up a sleeve or under the jacket, or when a blade goes through a crappy, untested mask. The last fatality was in Russia in the eighties, I believe, when a man was run through the eye.
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