This is a great article about some of the last truly martial sensibilities of fencing.

READ THE ARTICLE AND OTHER VERY THOUGHTFUL ESSAYS ON SWORDSMANSHIP

Here are the Rules he’s referring to:  MODERN RAPIER RULES DUEL WIELD

Hilt Design by Lancet Fencing™

Blade by Brandt Noel and Lancet Fencing™

Photography: Dan Coha

This is fully serviceable. The blade can be easily switched out to a premium Del Tin Practice Blade.

One of Modern Rapiers most important and distinctive rules is the Stopping Hit. According to Lancet Fencings Modern Rapier Rules, a stopping hit is a hit that is the Marker hit in a Subsequent Refrain.  It is designed, among other things, to integrate aspects of Olympic sport Epee into Modern Rapier but it is ideologically included to represent and make an allusion to the stopping power of an unyielding steel blade.  A stopping hit is that hit that forestalls the forward progress of the point or edge of the opponents blade. In Modern Rapier Sport, the electric epee blades we use, often yield/flex, allowing a subsequent hit through; therefore the rule to disallow subsequent hits if the Marker Hit (the first hit) lands on stopping target.
The best way to understand the concept of the stopping hit is to put away your electric epee blades and pick up a blade like a ZWA Musketeer blade or the Del Tin FISAS triangular blade. The FISAS blade is quite long like some long Rapiers and the Musketeer blade comes in 2 lengths 35” and 40” depending on how you would like to fence. Immediately you’ll notice the weight difference but the most important factor is the blades unyielding qualities. These blades are extremely durable and, though flexible enough to fence safely, they are firm enough to demonstrate the way a well-placed point can forestall an opponents’ aggression.
Affixing an archery blunt to the front of a blade makes it more difficult to place a point firmly on the arm but once one does and the line is maintained, allowing the opponents momentum to make the blade flex, one will notice that once the opponent experiences the resistive impulse (or opposing force) of your blade, they will find it difficult, if not impossible, to deliver a subsequent hit. Hits like this, utilizing techniques with or without opposition truly are the subject of Moliere’s’ famous quotation “The essence of fencing is to give, but by no means to receive.” This effect is so evident that one might easily come to the conclusion that all of fencing is held within the proper application of it.

Modern Rapier™  is as simple to direct as it is to play. An official directing Modern Rapier™ There are very few instances/hit combinations a director can choose from to describe what happened and to award a touch no matter what the combination or outcome of a Refrain (see rules for definition).

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TEMPOMETER_V2

SMALL SWORD:
The last form of the rapier. It usually has a triangular blade which can only be used for thrusting, and the advantage of which consists in its lightness. The hilt is simple, the guards consisting of an elliptical plate, or two shells, and a light finger guard. The small sword first appeared in the end of the 17th century and continued in use as long as swords were warn as a part of the civilian dress. (Castle 239). Fig.730.

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One of the improvements we have made to the fencing scoring system is the concept of a persistent defense. In Modern Rapier hits are viewed as a part of what we call a Refrain….

Refrain: A sequence of hits beginning with the marker (The first hit) and ending when the director calls halt.

That is to say that action does not stop with the first hit but continues and it is up to the fencer to make sure by body movement and distance that he/she is not hit “Subsequently”

Subsequent: A hit occurring in the second beat/tempo of a Refrain.

For example lets look at the fencing “attack parry riposte remise” scenario. Using fencers A & B We’ll use the foil term “attack” to break down some of the logic of the following instance. We are not in the habit of officially using the word attack in the way a foil director may since Modern Rapier does not try to determine what is an attack prior to any hit occurring.

Director: “Fence”
A: Fencer [A] makes an attack.
B: Fencer [B] parries the attack.
A: [A] has the option to counter parry or remise.
There are many tactical reasons why a fencer may remise and many reasons to take the counter parry but in this instance let us assume that fencer [A] is the brutish insensate sort of fencer that doesn’t know when he/she has been parried and insists on striking the opponent at all costs.
B: Let us also assume that fencer [B], out of the many options available to him performs a simple reposte. And strikes fencer [A] square in the chest. (Marker)
A: Remarkably, fencer [A] subsequently (1 tempo later) manages to put his/her point back in line and hit fencer [B] Smack in the flank.
Director: “Halt” The subsequent window of opportunity has passed so the Director calls Halt.

In foil, Fencer [B] would be awarded a touch. (If you don’t know why you should not be fencing foil.)

In Epee, fencer [A] will be locked out and so fencer [B] will still be rewarded with a touch.

In Modern Rapier both fencers are considered negligent of their self-defense. And as such neither fencer is awarded a touch. This is called “Subsequent hits to equal target”

The purpose of this is not to reward a fencer for a stylistic preference and/or negligent action. Fencer A completely ignored his/her opponents’ blade after having been parried and so was struck in the chest.
Fencer B must not have parried at the right distance at the right moment and with sufficient force to put A’s blade far enough out of line. Nor did he/she take steps by interposing /displacing his or her body to ensure the failure of A’s remise. The success in having done so is called “Persistent defense” and is valuable, not only in terms of the game but also teaches an excellent lesson in defense.

The allowance of post first strike hits educates the fencer to be aware of all events and dangers around them instead of letting the attacker mindlessly remise after having been parried hoping that the opponent has missed the riposte or mindlessly reposting being protected by right of way. Lancet places the responsibility on both fencers.

Right now, the human brain does the best job at differentiating tempo but in the future we envision a scoring box without a cut off time so that the director may make the call as to what was in time or out of it.

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Lancet Fencing™

This is an entire captioned Lancet Fencing bout aka Modern Rapier between Bakhyt Abdikulov and Phillip Karnezis. You can get a good Idea of the mechanics of a bout by studying the captions in this clip. Phillip is a 25yr fencing veteran and Bakyhit is a 3 time World Cup champion and also Phillips Coach.

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The viewer will notice that we use an electric scoring system in this bout but Lancet Fencing is not an exclusively electric sport.  Here is an excerpt from the Lancet Fencing rules downloadable on this site:

“The Weapon:

Electric: The Lancet is used for scoring. It is an epee with French or pistol grip modified with a pommel and a 4 lbs. pressure spring in place of the standard 750g spring. Instead of a body cord we plug an audio hit registering device (beeper:) into the 3-prong socket*.

Customizing is allowed to fit the fencer’s technique. Overall length of the weapon has yet to be quantified. The simplest lancet is a French Epee with a 4lbs pressure spring in the barrel.The 4lbs spring works to minimize incidental hits. It is not intended to make one hit harder, however, fencers in competition and practice hit with more than 4lbs of force every day all the time.

Dry: All manner of dry fencing weapons including historical replica rapier blades if preferred are usable within the system. Hits are to be judged by significant bending of the blade upon the opponent’s target.

* Lack of a proper wireless scoring device forces us to use a Mini 2 long tone epee beeper. It is preferable to locate beepers with 2 different tones so that simultaneous hits are audibly polyphonic. Wireless Epee scoring systems are not recommended because of the epee cut off time.”

It is our hope that all Swordsmen and women, who love fencing,  will approach these rules with an open mind and give us educated feedback. Enjoy.

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These are excerpts from a Modern Rapier bout between Joe Inzerillo and Phillip Karnezis at the former CAAFC. It features two weapon designs, the: V-1 (Visconti- 1) and the DS-1 (Dos Santos-1) They are Lancets with quillons sport handles Pummels and custom 4lbs pressure springs in the Epee Barrels.

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