GB2281867A - Fencing sword: fencing jacket - Google Patents

Abstract

A sword for use in fencing has its blade portion made of a lightweight strong material such as fibre-reinforced plastic and Kevlar (RTM). The blade may be releasably attached to the handle to allow blade changes after breakage. A fencing jacket is physically marked with the target areas and their value. <IMAGE>

Description

SMALLSWORD - PATENT RPPLICATIO.

l. Title - "BIWLLSWOE7D", 2. Field - This invention relates to Lbe spoi L ci FENCING.

3. History - In this afield it is already known that a).There exists a fencing weapon called a FOIL, which is one of three weapons used in the sport of FENCING.

b).The FOIL referred to in a)., is currently supplied/manufactured by various companies/persons in the following form :- blade: of metal, and basically rectangular in section, varying in length (from guard to tip) between 850mum and 870mm, and at the tip of the blade a rubber button over the point; guard: circular (diameter not exceeding l00mm), slightly dished and made of metal; cushion/pad, of plastic/foam/other material/composite; handle, or grip: either straight (so-called FRENCH), or pistol type (socalled CROSSE or ORTHOPAEDIC), of plastic/metal/metl alloy (ORTHOPAEDIC is of the latter two only), with various or no coverings.These handles/grips are attached to the blade (at that part known as the TANG of the blade) by a threaded, weighted, POMMEL NUT, or threaded, non-weighted, BARREL NUT, respectively. Ihe blade, and that part of it to which is fitted the handle, or grip, is formed from one continuous length of tempered steel, ie. it cannot be dismantled into two or more component parts.

4. However, the FOIL described in 3a). and 3b). above has disadvantages, in that :a).For a young, or disabled person, or one of slight stature, it is so heavy/cumbersome/unwieldy, that it cannot be manipulated properly, or used to full advantage, or for any length of time, when employed in either a competitive or training/coaching situation, in the sport of FENCING.

b).If/when a foil blade breaks, (and this occurs not infrequently), during a competetive bout between two fencers, that part of the blade which remains held by the fencer becomes a potentially lethal weapon, capable of inflicting horrendous injuries on the other one of the two fencers in the continuing momentum of the one with the broken blade. This has happened in the past, and fencers have actually been killed.

c).When a foil blade breaks, it cannot be re-used, and has to be discarded.

This is inconvenient and expensive.

5. Statement of invention - SKALLSWORD was created as a result of the inventor's desire to produce/manufacture a fencing weapon that a).Was of such a WEIGHT as to render it more easily used/manipulated/ carried by persons of the category described in 4a)., whilst fencing competetively, training, or coaching.

b).Was of such a LENGTH as to render it more easily directed towards an opponent, or target, by those above and in the same situations.

c).Had a BLADE made of such a material as would be adequately flexible in use, yet not inflict serious injury in the event that it might break during use.

d).Had a BLADE that was attached to the handle/grip, as opposed to being an integral part of the latter, so that in the event of the blade breaking, it could be replaced easily, quickly and economically.

e).Had a circular GUARD of such a diameter as to facilitate the parrying of an opponent's blade and provide greater protection to the user's hand whilst so doing.

6. Description (to be read in conjunction with drawing no.l) a).The BLADE - 780mm in length, from guard to tip (could be increased upRto 870mm, depending on ability of fencer); made from glassfibre or kevlarg or a composite of these two, or similar, materials; be either circular or rectangular in section and either hollow, or partially hollow; be approximately 8mm in width at the guard end,tapering to approximately 3mm at the tip; the tip covered by a rubber/plastic button at least the same size as that on a conventional blade, if not larger; the wider end to be hollow for a minimum length of approximately l00mm, to receive a connecting rod.

b).The GONEECTOR (connecting blade to handle/grip) - 6mm diameter metal/alloy threaded rod, approximately 175-200mm in length; inserted approximately l00mm into blade,at wider end (screwed into the blade, after being coated with a proprietory locking/seizing compound); a lock nut threaded on, up to the wider end of the blade, and a metal/alloy washer (approximately 12mm diameter) slipped over, to rest against the lock nut; the guard is then slid over the connector, to rest against the washer, and another, larger metal/alloy washer (approximately 30mm diameter) is slid on, to rest against the guard; this is followed by the cushion, the handle/grip, aud barrel nut.

c).The GUARD - circular; approximately 150am in diameter; bowl-shaped, and dished to approximately 50mm; made of semi-rigid/rigid plastic; a centrally-drilled hole of 6mm diameter to enable it to pass over/along the connector.

d).The CUSHION - circular; approximately l00mm in diameter, and 5mm thick; made of plastic-covered foam, or felt, or similar material.

e).The HANDLE, or GRIP - of the pistol, or orthopaedic type referred to in 3b)., modified to achieve a reduction in weight over the original; made of either rigid plastic or metal alloy.

f).The securing BARREL NUT - as used on the standard weapon.

7. ADVANTAGES - the advantages of the invented weapon SMALLSWORD, over the standard, conventional FOIL, are as stated as the inventor's aspirations in item 5., which, it is hoped, will be attained through this invention.

7. ADVANTAGES/CLAIMS - the advantages of the invented weapon SWALLSWORD, over the standard, conventional FOIL, are as stated as the inventor's aspirations in item 5., which, it is hoped, will be attained through this invention.

That is:- The weapon SMALLSWORD, as opposed to FOIL, is a). Shorter and lighter in weight. thus rendering it ore manipulative.

b). Constructed of such materials as will not cause injury to fencers in the event of an accident.

c). Constructed of such materials and in such a manner as will render it less expensive to manufacture (and therefore purchase), and more readily repaired and easily maintained.

1. Title - "SIGLLSWORD".

2. Field - This invention relates to the sport of FENCING.

3. History - The rules of fencing are long established. Competitive fencing takes place on a PISTE, which is a 21D wide by i4m long combat area,marked out on the floor/ground, and with a centre line and two other lines, 2m either side of the former, marked out also.

The target is the trunk of the body (see drg. no.2 for definition of "trunk"), ie. head, arms and hands are specifically excluded - the back of the trunk is also included in the target. this target (front only) is divided into imaginary quarters, known as fencing lines, and which are called: in the high line, SIXTE and QUARTE (relating to the fencer's weapon arm side and other arm side respectively), and in the low line, OCTAVE and SEPTIME (directly below sixte and quarte respectively).

The fencers wear protective clothing, eg: a mask, Jacket, glove, breeches, socks and shoes. These are made from various materials, and, with the exception of the wire part of the mask, are white in colour, with no markings.

When fencing, the two fencers stand 2m back from either side of the centre line on the piste, facing each other. They then attempt to hit each other on the target area, with the point of the foil.

The principal convention in foil is that once an attack has been initiated, the fencer who is being attacked must parry his* opponent's blade (make contact with his opponent's blade with his own blade and deflect it from the target area) before he, in turn, can make a counter attack, called a RIPOSTE. If the fencer who is attacked fails to parry, and instead extends his weapon towards the attacker, then any hit scored on target by such an action is discounted, even though it may arrive ahead of the other attack, in time.

Each bout is fenced to the first to score 5 hits over a period of 6 minutes. Bach hit has to be on target to count. If there is a tie when time runs out, the first to score the next hit wins the bout. If there is no tie when time runs out, then the winner is the fencer with the greatest number of hits.

* for "his", also read "her", throughout.

A PRESIDENT oversees the bout, rules on the validity of hits, and generally ensures that the fencers adhere to the rules of the game. He is assisted in this by 4 JUDGES, 2 on either side of each fencer.

There are various, established, methods of attack, and preliminaries to an attack, some of which have easily understood names, and some of which do not. In the latter category are the following: Blade movements. Body Movements.

FROISSEMENT FLECHE.

DEROBEMENT. BALESTRA.

PRISE DE FER. REPRISE.

RERISE. CORPS-A-CORPS.

REDOUBLENENT.

TROXPENENT.

CROISE.

4. However, all that has been described above has disadvantages, in that it (ie. the conventions, terminology, lack of precise target markings etc.) tends to confuse a young child, or even an older child or adult, coming to the sport for the first time, and is often seen to be the main reason for a beginner giving up at an early stage.

5. Statement of invention - SMALLSWORD came about as a result of the inventor's desire to promote the sport of fencing, particularly amongst the 9-12 year old age group (or any newcomers to the sport), by simplifying, and removing obscurities from, the existing rules and conventions, with a view to making the early, learning stages of fencing more readily understood and more enjoyable in participation. The game of SMALLSWORD is intended to be an INTRODUCTION to the sport of fencing, although it could well develop into a popular and established sport in its own right, particularly amongst youngsters.

6. Description: a).The TARGET - The upper part of the trunk of the body, the lower limit being defined by a straight line drawn across the top of the hips; head, arms and hands excluded (see drg. no.3); the back of the trunk is also excluded from the target area.

b).The FENCING LINES, or QUARTERS - ONE, TWO, THREE and FOUR (for sixte, quarte, octave and septime respectively* - see drg. no.3) c).The PROTECTIVE CLOTHING - Basically, a JACKET, NASK and GLOVE, all as used in conventional foil fencing, except that the jacket is visibly divided into the four quarters mentioned above, either by applied black tape or printed line; each quarter to be colour coded, and the number of each quarter over marked. Either the jacket to be marked in this fashion, or a separate OVERVEST, of cotton or similar material to be so marked.

d).The PISTE - Now to be called the COURT; reduced in length from 14::: to l0m, and in width from 2m to 1.5m; marked/lined as for conventional foil.

e).The RULES - The attack-then-parry convention referred to in 3. is dispensed with, ie. simultaneous attacks are permitted, but will prove unhelpful in scoring (see f.); a player stepping out of/over the boundaries of the court (either side or back) is penalised (see f.); body contact results in a warning on the first occasion, a penalty on the second and subsequent occasions - if the contact occurs as a result of simultaneous actions from both players, then both are warned and penalised (see f.); a player deliberately presenting to his opponent a part of his body that is not included in the target area, or otherwise obscures part of the valid target area, is penalised as for body contact; the bout is stopped if/when any of the above occurs, and the players resume their respective positions as they were before the occurrence; the players are placed in/assume the ON GUARD position on the court at the beginning of each bout and after a valid hit (not simultaneous), as for conventional foil.

f).The ,SCORiNG - Each bout is fenced to the first player to score TEN POINTS; a time limit of FIVE MINUTES can be stipulated prior to play commencing, if so desired; a hit has the value assigned to it on the target area, ie. ONE, TWO, THREE or FOUR and the score accumulates accordingly; the winning player has to score EXACTLY ten points - eg. if the score lies at, say, 8 - 4, the player with 8 has to score a single 2, or two l's - if he scores 3 or 4, it is discounted and play continues; if a time limit is imposed before play commences, and there is a tie at the end of the time period, play continues until one player is ahead by at least ONE point, ie.

the first player to score anywhere on target wins the bout.

* These relative values may yet be changed.

g).The CONTROL of the game - There will obviously be free play amongst the fencers/players at training/coaching occasions, but at a competitive level (say, to amass points with a view to achieving a GRADE in a club, or school situation) each bout will have to be controlled/overseen by others, to ensure fair play and record the score from valid hits; those carrying out these functions will be called PRESIDENT and JUDGES, as in conventional foil; the PRESIDENT is positioned on one side of the players, and the TWO JUDGES on the other; the proceedure of presiding and Judging will be as for conventional foil.

h).The game TERXINOLOGY - It is hoped that SMALLSWORD, apart from becoming a popular sport with young people, will act as a stepping stone for those who wish to progress to fencing any/all of the other weapons (FOIL, EPEE and SABRE) in the manner that is currently recognised throughout Europe, and which is governed by the rules of the F.I.E (Federation Internationale d'Escrime); some of the TERXINOLOGY employed at this, more advanced, level, is not particularly relevant to SMALLSWORD, so can be ignored; that which is relevant and is perhaps seen to be somewhat esoteric Dr obscures, however, is amended/simplified as follows: Blade Movements. Body Movements.

Current. Smallsword. Current. Smallsword CROISE CROSS BALESTRA JUIB DEROBENENT EVASION CORPS-A-CORPS CONTACT FROISSENENT GRAZE FLECHE RUE PRISE DE FER BLADETAKE REPRISE REPEAT REDOUBLENENT REDOUBLE REKISE REPLACE TROXFXENT DECEPTION * That terminology which it is considered unnecessary to alter will remain in use, but is not referred to here.

7. ADVANTAGES/CLAIS - The avantages of the game SXALLSWORD, over the current method(s) of fencing FOIL and the rules/conventions governing the sport of fencing as they relate to FOIL, are as stated as the inventor's aspirations in items 5., and 6h)., which, it is to be hoped, will be attained by this invention That is:- The game SMALLSWORD, when played with the weapon of the same name, has the advantage over FOIL fencing in that it is much less complex, and, for someone taking up the sport of FENCING for the first time, is far easier to understand.

Claims (7)

1. A fencing weapon, to be used in the game of the same name ( described elsewhere ), or in the sport of fencing, constructed so as to enable it to be handled / manipulated easily by young or physically disadvantaged persons.

2. A fencing weapon, as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the blade is made of a very flexible, lightweight material, that obviates potential physical distress when used by young or physically disadvantaged persons.

3. A weapon, as claimed in Claim l, wherein the blade, as claimed in Claim 2, does not, by the nature of its composition, present the possibility of potential injury to the users and / or participants in the game of Smallsword or the sport of fencing.

4. A fencing weapon, as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the assembly of the various component parts is such as to enable the blade, as claimed in Claim 2 and Claim 3, to be removed and replaced both easily and speedily in the event of breakage.

5. A fencing game/sport comprising the use of a weapon of the same name (described elsewhere) and a colour and number coded overvest or jacket.

6. A fencing game/sport as claimed in Claim 5 that can be either a preliminary introduction for young, or physically disadvantaged, people to the (currently) recognised and established sport of fencing, or a game/sport in its own right.

7. A fencing game/sport as claimed in Claim 5 and Claim 6 wherein the simplicity of the rules, bright colouring of the target and safety of the equipment encourage participation in the sport of fencing, in general, from an early age.