Quote:
Christian Moses wrote:
What's interesting about the changes that happened with electric scoring methods in fencing (to me at least) is that while it is true that they moved the sport further from its combative past, one could make the argument that it was still in keeping with the spirit of the sport. It's my understanding that for a rather long time while dueling was still a relatively common way to "settle it" there were laws in place that said that you could still be held accountable for the death of your opponent should you kill them in a duel. Now, if they just happened to die of an infection from the giant puncture wound you put in their arm, well that's no one's fault but God's. As a result, the *art* of dueling changed with the rule change to "first blood" contests. Dueling swords became long and square to punch a big hole in someone, but not be enough to kill them outright. Fencing the *sport* really traces its ancestry to this kind of dueling rather than battlefield combatives. Putting the pressure sensor on the end certainly encouraged the dreaded 'whip' point (and as someone who fenced for a time in HS, the only thing worse than having someone tap you from behind with one of these was to get hit by a bad attempt, ouch...), but one could argue that this may have even counted in a first blood duel.
It at least seems a more logical continuation of an idea than the slapping point scoring *strikes* that one sees in kendo relative to the slicing cuts that one finds in the older arts that it claims as its cultural heritage.
Apologies for the continued thread-drift.  |
Hi Chris,
Genie would certainly agree with you. Her feeling is along the lines that sure, the physical techniques have changed, but internal essentials of guts, bravery, conditioning, sensitivity, etc are still there so it's still a martial art even though the deadly consequences have been removed, it's still combat and the competitors certainly treat it that way.
Ushiro Sensei, and others, would disagree with this. He goes on at length in his book about the difference between Sport and Budo. O-Sensei would have been in total agreement with his point of view I am sure, which is why most styles of Aikido do not have comperition.
Yanagi Ryu, as an example, is old school as well. They don't use iaito in their training despite the obvious safety advantage because it changes the level of mental tension which should accompany being a fraction of an inch from injury or death.
Anyway, this debate has been going on for a long time and won't be resolevd at any point that I can anticipate...