>>5154758I know this is old as fuck, but I'm the guy he replied to. What I meant to say is that the basics are the same, of course. but there are small details and habits ingrained in the sport which would not be beneficial in an actual fight. I'm no great fencer, but I've done some swung an epee and foil around in my time. There are a few things that could screw with a fencer in a real fight:
1)Point system. Once someone scores, it's time out. It doesn't take into account that in a real fight, many wounds wouldn't down an opponent immediately. I personally enjoyed some success because I was faster. I left myself open for a counter attack, but it was fine because I scored before he could hit me. In a real fight, I'd be just as dead as the other guy.
2)Right of way. Again, a saber or foil fencer will have a habit of leaving themselves open when they have the right of way, because they know they'll come out on top. It makes for an interesting sport, but has nothing to do with real swordfighting.
3) How points are awarded. Even a tiny nick that wouldn't necessarily even cut through clothing counts as a point. Heck, I made a point of going for the leg or arm, because those were the easiest places to hit fast, but with an actual sword I wouldn't have done much damage at all.
What I'm trying to say, in a nutshell, when you're not fighting to kill, all the skills that are meant to actually kill the opponent are kind of phased out.