French Saber Fencing c. 1880

This clip was filmed off an original French flip-book and constitutes one of the first short documentary sources on the sequence of movements actually used.

You can find more sources on fencing, dueling and swordplay throughout the ages at http://www.fencingclassics.wordpress.com

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• saber fencing
• french fencing
• fencing history
• early fencing

[MacDragard]

Is it just me, or are those sabres longer than the normal length?

[TodaysFinancialNews]

probably wooden weapons that made it easier to show in each of the 120 photographic images

[Dylan5131]

it absolutely looks like saber combat. true, it's not really like modern saber, but foil combat is thrusting only at center mass. They are using cutting blows to the head, legs, and attacking in very dynamic fashion. It's not what you'd expect to see in a modern saber tournament. This is more like what they would use on the battlefield when these weapons were still valuable to cavalrymen.

[Kunstdesfechtens]

What a wonderful piece of history! :)

[lazarus921]

I enjoyed this 12 sec. more than any video of todays fencing competitions. They fight with smth that at least resembles a real weapon. And it looks like it used to look when it wasn't just a sport.

[KOFLabsTV]

amazing time trip



[DiabolusIgnis]

@lemarc1234 Well yeah, you play sports of course. By playing, I meant like how you played as a kid with toys and such. People sometimes seem to think that sport fencing is just kid's play or some such, as they do regarding padded swordfighting. Neither of them are, and in Finland, padded swordfighting is just another sport with a national tournament even =) I guess you're French... Je parle francaise un peu ^^ C'est une langue etrangere pour moi. Was that right? xD

[lemarc1234]

@DiabolusIgnis i agree, whit you but remark that we say a hockey player or a baseball player so in that sense a sport is a playing , its a confrontation that is not to serious. fighting sports are not so much of a play even if its a sport but i dont know if olympic fencing is a real fighting sports since nobody get hurts except when accident happens.So i mean playing in that sense , my mother rongue is not enflish so maybe signification can change a little bit from a language to an other

[DiabolusIgnis]

@lemarc1234 I think sport fencing is what it's called; a sport. Of course, it has roots in fencing, but then again, so does padded swordfighting, too. But that's hardly real fencing either =) But it's not playing, IMHO.

[lemarc1234]

one thing that you have to understand is that sport fencing is practiced stuck on a trail , you cant move all the way around and make a 360 degree around youre openant. It changes things very much when you can be mobile and can use force to , parrys the sport fencing way attacks that come whit force and you will see you will get hit anyway . modern fencing is just touch and go whit to persons that cant do lateral movements, its not bad but i think sport fencing its for playing not for fighting

[Caoimhinism]

If they are wearing armor, sure. But without I'd choose French small-sword. As would most experts, I'm sure. Europeans have a very rich and well documented martial tradition.

[KnightoftheSky]

Good Lord...

The weapon certain has come a long way since then

[lockbreak12]

@ClassicHorrorDB flipbook

[ClassicHorrorDB]

How was this recorded? I thought the earliest movie was made in 1888, Roundhay Garden Scene.