Fencing

[khiemtran]

Liem's education in the Archaic Arts continues, with weekly fencing lessons.



They started out just trying to poke each other with coloured vests and special foils that beeped whenever they hit something - sort of like laser-tag with swords. But since then they've gradually advanced to learning the different positions and how to lunge.



Today, at the end of the class, they played a game where two opposing teams lined up with a fencing glove in the middle of the floor between them. When the coach called out a number, one player from each side had to try to either get the glove back to their side without being tagged or to tag the other player. When they started out, the first player to reach the glove grabbed it each time - and promptly got tagged. After this happened three or four times, the boys suddenly started getting cagey and waiting for their opponent to try to grab the glove first. Except for one of the bigger boys who couldn't resist and kept grabbing the glove and getting tagged each time. "Patience young padawan!" the smaller boys shouted...

Comments

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

Oh yaaaayyyy! I'm all for kids learning the archaic arts--if there had been fencing near us, I would *gladly* have enrolled my kids, and they would gladly have gone. What fun!

Have you ever done fencing? I did it for a mere half-semester at college, but I really loved it.

If you all come to western Massachusetts one day, I'll take you to the New England Falconry Center, and Liem can have a session with a falcon. Then he'll truly be a young prince :-)

[khiemtran.livejournal.com]

That sounds like fun!

I've never tried fencing, but my best friend at school used to do it.

[carl-allery.livejournal.com]

Looks great fun. I watched some of the fencing from the Olympics and was very impressed. Even if he doesn't take it to a higher level, who wouldn't want to play with swords? At Liem's age, my Saturday mornings were filled with Errol Flynn and Burt Lancaster on the tv. :) I ended up getting my archaic weapons fix from archery though, where I can indulge my creative bent making arrows and bowstrings.

[khiemtran.livejournal.com]

Archery is something else we might try later - there's a good bowman club down the coast that one of my friend's kids go to.