Hi SnowLeopard! I was reading what you and Moo were discussing. Personally, and I used to love watching martial arts and am a big Bruce Lee fan, I don't know if I would say Kendo is all that much like fencing except perhaps in the footwork. I've watched nearly every Musketeer movie or TV show on the air and think there's a big difference between the two, having seen the way sword fighting has been portrayed on TV. Kendo uses bamboo swords (Shinai) and protective armor (bogu). Like I said, the footwork may be similar in some aspects. Or perhaps it's just watching them using bamboo swords that throws me off. I have seen movies where sabres have been used. Now I'm talking about the type a pirate would carry which is thicker and heavier. Not the type the cavalry would use since the original Musketeers novel was set between 1625-1628 and from what I've read up on the light cavalry sabre wasn't invented until 1796. But like Moo said the sabre is more a hacking or chopping weapon. Not the style of fighting a Musketeer would use. Their blades are lighter weight but used with enough force behind the swing in a slashing downward, upward motion or lunge can be just as deadly. Plus their arms would tire more easily using a heavy sabre in place of a sword. Though you could say that the way one handles a sabre is very similar to the fighting style using a Musketeer sword, because of the way the body moves with it. I've gained most of my knowledge of fencing to use in my Musketeer stories also from Wikipedia and quite a few other sites. Fencing, and I'm sure Moo could tell you this, boils down to two main areas. Footwork and managing your weapon. Some of what I have printed out came from a fencing master who directed the sequences for the BBC show The Musketeers and that's how he breaks it down. When the Musketeers fight on their feet they use techniques that are close to the foil and epee styles - keeping their opponents at a distance with the blade. On horseback, they're closer to the slashing sabre style (lighter cavalry blade). Which as he said isn't a surprise since the sabre in fencing grew out of cavalry fighting. He said there are big differences between modern fencing and the fighting on the screen. Musketeers' duels are conducted in large, swashbuckling swipes for maximum entertainment value. Unlike the light, quick moves used in the sport. Take d'Artagnan's character. He is light on his feet and excellent at changing direction. Which is a big part of what always made his fight scenes. The following I have are the basic moves he mentioned. Offensive movies: Attack, Feint, Lunge, Beat Attack, Disengage, Continuation of Attack, Remise, Flick. Defensive moves: Parry, Circle Parry, Riposte, Counter Attack, Point In Line. These he broke down to describe each of the movements and have been very useful for me when I write fighting scenes. Though I try not to do too often as they can get somewhat involved. LOL! If you don't have those, just post here and I'll break them down for you as I no longer have the website I got them from. But Moo could probably answer that question more than me. I would have loved to have learned fencing but they never offered that in school. I actually found tons of stuff on the net pertaining to modern fencing which I printed out for my own use. But find myself sticking to the basic elements. As fencing back in the 17th century wasn't as modern as it is today making use of the many other elements now involved. Hoped some of that helped but with someone like Moo who actually took up fencing, you have someone's brain to pick right there.
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