Link-Touting

[liadnan]

For those interested, Gez has an interview with Dave McKean about Mirrormask on Film Focus plus a review. And as a result finds himself on Gaiman's journal. The git.

Stayed up way too late watching The Actors on Channel 4 last night. With a bottle of Glenmorangie. Plus I have horrible fencing bruises all over my body. Ughughugh.

Comments

[gmh.livejournal.com]

Fencing bruises?

Which weapon?

[liadnan]

Epee. My first outing with anything but a foil. Against a left-hander. Who is by all accounts extremely good.

[gmh.livejournal.com]

Hm. I might know of him - which club?

Epee's my second weapon, though - when I'm truly happy with the way I fence foil, I might start doing more epee.

(Which could be a long time, if it happens at all.)

On the subject of bruises, though; I tend to think less of a fencer who leaves you hurting afterwards.

As a pacifist and generally non-violent type, I feel a bit uneasy about the idea of hurting people while fencing - even by accident - so from the start, I've always tried to hit people with the minimum amount of force needed to score a hit with an electric box.

It's been very useful; since it has forced me to work on precise distance judgement; so you learn pretty much *exactly* how far you can lunge; and if you're tall and/or gangly, it means that you can advance within striking distance without alerting your opponent.

There are few things quite as satisfying as landing a valid point on your opponent that they don't even feel - you touch them, the light goes on, they turn and look at the box, look at you, and go "How the hell ...?" (or similar words). It's a big psychological boost as well; worth a couple of points on the piste.

Sometimes, you will hit people harder than you meant (I used to fence a woman who often parried my low quarte lunge into her leg; and she bruised very easily) - but someone who bruises you simply because they don't pull or control their lunges is using physical force in what *should* be a precision sport; you can often catch them with a timed prime or secunde parry-riposte.

Aggression is fine within limits; but injuring your opponent is careless and bad sportsmanship; and it flies in the face of what fencing is meant to be.

Overly physical fencers also do themselves no favours, since there is a good technical response to all of the usual brute-force moves that will leave the oaf looking thoroughly foolish.

[rparvaaz.livejournal.com]

Somehow fencing fits my mental image of you rather well. :)

[nicnac.livejournal.com]

Did you read the cast list for Stardust? Looks like it has every chance of being excellent. Not too sure about Sienna Miller, though.

[liadnan]

Regent Fencing Club, usually called simply Jersey Fencing Club.

I take all your points, but to be fair to him I think much of it was down to my lack of experience and that (as he said to me before when I was fencing someone else) my opponents couldn't predict as well as they would with someone who knew what they were doing.

I've been doing foil since September and will probably continue to concentrate on that for a bit, but the main instructor seems to think I'm possibly better suited physically to epee.

[liadnan]

I haven't looked at it yet, no. To be honest I don't know that much about the project at present.

[talvalin.livejournal.com]

I attended a press screening last Monday and failed to secure an interview with McKean. Good interview and a good review. Some of the phrases used seemed frighteningly similar to some that I've used in the past that that has got to be coincidence. Unsettling all the same you understand. :)

[liadnan]

Well, it made me want to see it.
I'm sure you and Simon have been in the same pub at the same time before now. He happens by here from time to time as well.

[gmh.livejournal.com]

I take all your points, but to be fair to him I think much of it was down to my lack of experience

Fair enough; new fencers do tend to be a bit more experimental in what they try, and can end up impaling themselves by accident sometimes.

I've been doing foil since September and will probably continue to concentrate on that for a bit, but the main instructor seems to think I'm possibly better suited physically to epee.

I would beg to differ (respectfully) with the main instructor.

There's a bit of a semi-mythical (http://www.pallos.nl/cgi-bin/index.cgi?submenu=FencingFun&content=Fun2) stereotype with regards to weapons; foil is for beginners, sabreurs are all short and stocky whereas epeeists are all tall and skinny.

I'm a foillist, and have been for five years now; but I'm tall and thin; by that logic, I should have gone onto epee as soon as possible.

Foil is the best starter weapon - this is certainly true, as you learn the rules of priority (as per sabre), but you also learn the awareness of attack line and sentiment du fer of a point weapon.

It is, however, a fine weapon in its own regard; I prefer foil to the other two; as the rule of priority makes for a much more flowing style of fight than epee; the fact that you can't simply stick an arm out and score a point means you have to deal with your opponent's attacks as well as producing your own.

I find epee and sabre to be too monosyllabic; a point tends to be scored fairly quickly and simply - whereas foillists swap parry and counterparry much more frequently, and you tend to get far more actual fencing done per point.

This is, of course, just my humble opinion. I would say, though:

1. Don't rush onto epee or sabre just because someone tells you that you should outgrow the foil.

2. Fence with the weapon whose style you feel most natural with. There are some formidable tall sabreurs and short epeeists; and the beauty of fencing is that there is no one characteristic or tactic that will give you an advantage over an opponent who can counter it.

(For example, I've seen a short woman thrash a tall man with a foil; simply by keeping him defensive and on the back foot at all times; since tall fencers tend to try and use their longer reach, they're less comfortable dealing with the close stuff, and an aggressive close-range attack will force them backwards, usually to their discomfort.)

[gmh.livejournal.com]

We saw it at the ICA last Saturday with happydisciple and sierra_le_oli.

It's wonderful. Go and see it.

[liadnan]

Interesting points, which I shall take note of. (When I get back to England I must have a talk with you about where would be a good place to carry on with this)

.. I have been thrashed by a small woman with a foil. (A good friend of mine via law as well as a member of the club: I knew she fenced at Cambridge, I didn't realise just how good she was...

[gmh.livejournal.com]

It's one of the things I love about fencing, and I make a point of telling it to nervous beginners at the clubs I fence at - no matter how large or small or fast or slow you are, there are tactics that can help you and those that can be used against you.

There is no overriding advantage or handicap in gender, age or speed.

I'm tall, left-handed and quite quick; but I don't like fighting on my back foot, and I have a natural inclination to defence over attack (a decided disadvantage in foil, as the rules favour the attacker).

If I'm fencing a beginner, I will usually tell them what I do and don't like to fence; and encourage them to try the things I don't like facing - it helps them develop their tactical repertoire, and I get more practice at dealing with my weak points.

There's a great feeling to be had in being beaten for the first time by someone you've helped through the basic tactics and techniques; or watching someone take what you tell them and use it to build their own style.

I'll gladly confab with you about fencing though; as you've probably noticed, I can talk about fencing for hours.

[liadnan]

Very happy to listen to anything you have to say... though since it's 12.15 I should probably make a stab at doing some substantive work now.

[(Anonymous)]

I have horrible fencing bruises all over my body

You see, I envisioned you with a whole load of knocked-off videos under your not-quite-big-enough coat.

you and Simon have been in the same pub at the same time before

Blimey. And me so rarely in a pub.

Simon

[talvalin.livejournal.com]

Can I just say that I'm deeply envious that you got to see V For Vendetta two weeks ago? :P