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From: rivero@kovacs.UUCP (Michael Foster Rivero)
Newsgroups: net.physics
Subject: bending foils
Message-ID: <208@kovacs.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 23-Mar-85 18:37:25 EST
Article-I.D.: kovacs.208
Posted: Sat Mar 23 18:37:25 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 28-Mar-85 06:16:28 EST
Organization: Robt Abel & Assoc, Hollywood
Lines: 39

----------------------


	Re: The bend in fencing foils.


>Sometimes it's necessary to bend the blade of a foil back to its proper
>shape.  Our instructor said the best way to do this is by stepping on the
>blade, then bending the blade and drawing it rapidly between your
>shoe and the floor several times. (Kind of hard to explain without pictures,
>sorry about that!)  She said the reason for doing it this way is to
>warm up the blade so that it doesn't break.
>
>The question: is the temperature change large enough to have this effect on
>a steel blade?  It does get quite warm, but certainly the change is on the
>order of tens of degrees.
>
>If the temperature change is insignificant, then why bend the blade this
>particular way? (Apparently just about everyone learns this technique;
>there must be *some* advantage!)



	  The whole idea of a foil is  that  it  is  not  supposed  to
	really hurt your opponent, which it is why it bends so easily.
	But, if the foil is perfectly streight, it is  still  possible
	to  actually  run someone through with it ( as happened in the
	Moscow Summer Olympics).  If the thrust is directly along  the
	line  of  a  streight  blade, there is no lateral component to
	bend the blade and take the force away from the  tip.  Bending
	the  blade  gaurentees that any strike with the tip will force
	the center of the blade to increase  its  curve,  and  prevent
	bloodshed!


	P.S. Yes, fencing scars DO help your lovelife !!!!!


					Michael Rivero