So you think you have surpassed the novice level, huh? Well, this is just the beginning…
At some point in your life, you may be curious enough to enter a tournament. “So what happens in a tournament,” you wonder. Well, there are poules, direct elimination rounds a.k.a. DE rounds, bouts…Confused already?
Tournaments may be confusing at first but in time, you will get the hang of it. Here is some helpful links that will help you understand more about tournaments.
Summary of how a tournament works (pretty brief summary): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fencing#Competition_formats
At the beginning of each tournament, you will be assigned to a poule. The number of fencers in each poule really depend on the number of fencers competing in your weapon. For the poule you are assigned in, you will eventually fence everyone in that particular poule. After all poules are done and over, everyone’s results will determine how you place in the tournament. If you did poorly in your poule, no worries, the tournament isn’t over just yet. Poules are there to determine your place or “skill level” right before the direct elimination (DE) rounds begin; however, during DE rounds, if you lose, you’ll be eliminated from the tournament.
More glossary of fencing terms (more advanced) (because you can’t get enough of it): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_fencing
So you think you’re ready to purchase more fencing equipment. If you don’t know where to look or how to start, you could check out the list of fencing equipment manufacturers and vendors in the links section. We have a general list of fencing vendors you might want to check out. Starter kits are a good investment if you think you will be fencing long-term. If you are interested in fencing competitively, a FIE mask and uniform (in particular, a jacket) might be a good investment.
If you already own some fencing equipment, now is the time to think about taking care of it.
Equipment Care:
Rust is very evil. It can leave unwelcoming marks on your whites, kind of like The Mark of the Beast minus the transformation. Luckily, there are ways of taking care of your weapon and mask:
1. To prevent rust: do not store your weapon and mask near or with your recently used (sweaty) jacket, breeches, lame, plastron or shoes. If you do this, you will notice rust forming on your equipment. Do not shove your jackets inside of your mask. Remember: rust is BAD news. Another way of minimizing rust on your weapons and mask is to buy a fencing bag with 2 different compartments to separate clothing from weapons and masks. You could also let your bag air dry when you get home by unzipping it and separating wet garments from your weapons and mask.
2. Buy PVC pipes: this is to minimize the amount of rusting and to protect your blades in case something wet touches it. You can buy PVC pipes in Home Depot, Rona or other home improvement stores. Try purchasing PVC pipes that are wide enough for the blade to comfortably fit in. Anything that is much bigger than what is needed will just take up more space in your fencing bag (not to mention making your bag seem slightly heavier). You can also buy the appropriate-fitting PVC caps that will go along with your PVC pipes. From experience, one PVC pipe cost about $2-3 dollars. Caps cost very little, maybe less than a dollar each. It’s really cheap and if you cut it up to 90-91 cm each (maximum length for a foil or epee is 90 cm), you can make up to 3 pipes to store your weapons in. The PVC caps can be glued (rubber glue works too) onto one end of the pipe to minimize moisture from entering the insides.
3. Removing rust off blades: if you find rust has already accumulated on your weapon, you can sand it off with steel wool (the ones used for dishwashing is good). Fencing equipment vendors such as Leon Paul also sell abrasive block cleaner to wipe rust off of blades. Rust removal creams that are used for polishing car parts also works in my experience. But remember to use a cloth when applying the cream and to use another clean cloth to thoroughly polish it (until it leaves no marks) and to get rid of excess cream or the blade may leave marks on your opponent’s jacket. If you don't want to use any abrasive material to rub against the blade, you can try acetone (or nail polish remover liquid chemical, you can find this in local stores like Shopper's Drug Mart or London Drugs). I came across this by accident when I removed super glue from my electric blade. If you rub acetone onto the rust with a cloth, it will move the rust.
4. Waxing your blades: polishing your blades with wax can minimize rusting. This is because wax/oil and water do not mix. You can use wax or oil to coat your blade. If you’re going cheap, Vaseline works but you just need to make sure all the gel has been completely wiped off the blade with a clean cloth or else your fencing opponent won’t be very pleased with having gel wiped onto his/her fencing jacket. Car wax works well and I hear gun polishing oil works just as well. Remember to polish your blades cleanly and remove any excess cream/wax/oil. You should wax your blades at least once a month.
Washing your fencing jacket, breeches and plastron on a weekly basis in the washing machine is okay (I suppose set on “hand wash” is ideal), gloves are okay too although I'm told you should hand wash them instead. Read the labels carefully please. They will tell you how to wash your fencing gear. You should air dry them afterward instead of putting them in the dryer. They may shrink, depending on the material.
Washing lamé jackets and masks:
The bib of your mask can be washed. Some fencers have even tried putting their mask into a dish washing machine. It works. If you don't want to do that, you can just submerge the bib of your mask under soapy water and massage/stretch the bib for a bit (dishwasher soap works to get rid of the build up of sweat and oil).
Your lamé jacket can also be washed. Thank goodness. Rust can also form on your lamé jacket so it is recommended that you wash it once rust is visible. There is a way of washing your lamé jacket and mask. DO NOT put your lamé jacket into the washing machine. They can damage (or even break) the metallic threads of the lamé! Hand-wash only!!
