1. at Hingham Community Ctr., 781 749 9786 Beginners' Foil - next class begins Thursday Feb. 1
2. at parish house of Old Ship Church, 107 Main St. Sabre - semiprivate instruction, each Wed 5:15 to 6:15
Plymouth
1. at Community Ctr., Court & Brewster Sts., 508 747 5803 Beginners' Foil - next class begins Monday Feb. 5
2. same location SabreK - for 8 - 10 yr olds - each Mon. 6 to 7 pm; next class begins as soon as 6 students sign up.
Note: Special Excercise class: SabreM is designed for the mature adult, based on Sabre rules, partly choreographed, with the motto: "subtract 10 years from age, add them to life". Begins as soon as 6 participants sign up.
We are all aware of the difficulties in teaching fencing to kids in the 8 thru 10 ½ year age group. Not only is their attention span limited, they are generally awkward, have much less motor control than the magic 10 ½-12 year age group, and all too many seem to be affected by ADD. Their arms are also too short even for the 30” weapons. Moreover, they have vivid imagination, which they must act out.
I searched for a long time for a means to attract and retain this age group for the sport and art of fencing. Four years ago I believed I’d found it. The past four years have proven I was right.
First, I decided that to accommodate to the status of their motor control, the weapon must be the Sabre, as it involves whole arm movement, not finger nor finessed wrist control. I explored the 30” metal weapon and found it wanting – it is too long, the ratio between the weapon length and the forearm length being far larger than the ratio for adolescents and ‘teens. It is also too heavy for them. The foam “weapon” being touted as the answer to this problem is actually a bad joke. I obtained one and even the kids refused to take it seriously. Stiffening the blade by inserting a metal rod into the center of the foam did not cure the problem.
So I designed my own weapon. I am delighted to inform anyone who’d care to listen, that it works!
Obviously it is in the category of an educational development, not a replacement for traditional fencing weapons. I named it the KSabre (US Patent Pending). Designed to teach Sabre Fencing to the 8 – 10 ½ age group using FIE/USFA Sabre rules, this “weapon” is much more suited to the physique and imagination, capabilities and habits of this age group, and is much safer than metal. Much safer when inevitably they will play with their weapon and show off without the other kids wearing masks. I would like to recommend its adoption to all salles that teach this age group.
The KSabre’s plastic blade is 20" long, the grip is 6" long (suitable for both child and adult), the guard is 6 1/4"-6 1/2" at its widest, the blade is 1 1/8" wide x 1/2" thick, and the whole weapon weighs 200 gr. Blade color is gray. Blade is somewhat curved to resemble a cutlass. Please see the attached images.
Suggested retail price is US$25 each. Our quantity sale price is $20 each, starting with 1 dozen.
As said, the weapon is quite safe, especially when used along with masks. When broken it ceases to function completely - as it breaks at the juncture between the blade and the hilt. However, breakage history has been almost nil: ~5% after over 20 weeks of use, and all the rest survived some 40 weeks at the hands of the 8-10 year olds!
As we teach it, SabreK is a kids’ first course in Fencing. We limit participation solely to 8 - 10 1/2 year olds (plus one sparring partner per home). We usually require the partner to be present at the classes so that they can learn enough to do home-training-work with the kids in between lessons (i.e. necessitating two equipment sets per household). Our SabreK courses consist of two consecutive sets of 10 hours, 1 hr per week, followed by "other hand" training lasting 10 weeks, one hour per week, generating ambidexterity. To graduate to metal Sabres, the student MUST demonstrate proficiency, responsibility, maturity, and absence of problems such as would endanger self or others. With very very few exceptions, we also require the student transitioning to metal, to be at least 9 1/2 yrs old.
To reduce costs to the families, the kids wear gardening gloves (with cuffs) on both hands, and street jackets worn zipper on back (to make it "different"). As said, the rules of SabreK are identical to Sabre (dry), per the USFA/FIE rules.
Please contact us.
Thank you,
Harry A. Shamir Instructor & Head Coach, SaEF Fencing Clubs e: fencing_SaEF@comcast.net, tel: (USA+) 508 747 5803.
PS: We would welcome feedback from Sabre Coaches and Instructors.
WARNINGS & USER INSTRUCTIONS for KSabres (and any other Fencing “weapon”)
WARNING: a KSabre is not a toy. It is a tool designed solely for the instruction, practice, and practise of the art of Sabre Fencing, according to all the rules of this Martial Arts Discipline, as explained in the Rules book of the United States Fencing Association (USFA) and FIE (Federation Internationale d”Escrime).
The KSabre is to be wielded only against opponents suitably protected by Fencing mask, gloves on both hands, and protective double sleeved jacket.
Usage in any other manner may lead to severe injury and even death.
USER INSTRUCTIONS: The KSabre is to be used only for the instruction, practice, and practise of the martial art of non-electrical Sabre Fencing, solely according to the rules of the USFA and FIE.
