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Equipment Care & Maintenance

Most personal fencing equipment requires little maintenance, but equipment owned and used by groups or clubs should be inspected regularly and repaired or discarded so as to prevent unsafe equipment from being used by inexperienced fencers.

It is important to stress to fencers that each competitor is individually responsible for his or her personal equipment. If it fails to pass a control, it is the fencer who will suffer the consequences, not the coach or technician, regardless of who made the original error. If the equipment was unsafe because of a defect, it is the fencer, not the coach, who risks injury. Therefore, each fencer must be trained to inspect his or her own equipment prior to each competition, and to either make the necessary repairs and adjustments, or to ensure that someone else does. This routine need not be incompatible with the fencer's pre-competition psychological "warm up". On the contrary, if taught correctly it will become an integral part of it. The personal equipment inspection will increase the fencer's confidence in his own equipment, and the regular routine helps to put him or her into a positive frame of mind while waiting for each round of competition to start.

FENCING WHITES

Fencing whites should be checked, especially in the arm and underarm areas for loose or torn seams, or other damage, and re-stitched or patched. If a particular jacket or plastron shows repeated damage, it is too worn for further service and should be discarded. This is particularly true of synthetic materials, which begin to break down after repeated exposures to bleach, detergents, and ultra-violet light.

The F.I.E. and equipment manufacturers have recently introduced the use of Kevlar into the linings of fencing breeches, plastrons, and jackets in an attempt to increase the degree of protection from broken blades. This fibre is many times stronger than nylon, and is used in a number of hi-tech applications, including the manufacture of body-armour for police officers, reinforced plastics for aircraft, and reinforcements for high performance tires. If correctly cared for, jackets lined with Kevlar do indeed afford extra protection, but much of its strength is lost if it is very wet, or exposed petroleum products or ultra-violet light. The manufacturers' instructions for use, storage and washing should therefore be obtained when Kevlar whites are purchased, and should be followed carefully.

See Regulations for Competition, Articles 16, 17, and 21.

MASKS

Masks should be frequently inspected for damage to the mesh in the face/frontal area, and for damage to the bib. Often bibs come loose when the stitching holding them to the mask mesh disintegrates. This is a serious hazard, and such masks should never be used, even in practice. Fortunately, this can be repaired with a large needle and sailmakers' thread or twine. Minor damage to bibs can be repaired with adhesive tape (use several thicknesses) on a short term basis, but leather or canvas patches should be used for permanent repairs.

Sabre masks carry extra protection in the form of a leather band around the crown of the mask. This protects the mask itself from metal fatigue from repeated blows from sabre blades, and also protects the back of the wearer's head from "wrap around" hits, where the end of the attacker's blade bends around the rim of the mask and strikes the unprotected area at the back of the head. An ordinary mask can be converted to sabre use by adding such protection, and non-reinforced masks should never be used for sabre fencing, even in practice. Unless a mask is subjected to heavy competition use, it will generally outlast the leather reinforcement. To replace it, obtain a piece of the heaviest leather available, cut it to the desired shape, soak it in water for a few minutes (this makes it flexible), and attach it to the mask with rivets. Usually installing these rivets will deform the mesh underneath, which makes the mask unsafe (and illegal) for later use without the leather protector.

Masks used for electric sabre fencing must not have any insulating surface because they are valid target. This means that the rim surrounding the face area must be made of either lame material or solid metal, generally steel. This must be kept clean (to avoid false non-valid hits) and should be inspected frequently for jagged or rough spots that could cause injury. The bib of the electric sabre mask must also be made of lame material similar to that used for making metallic plastrons. The mask is connected to the metallic plastron by a short wire equipped with an alligator clip which attaches to the plastron collar. This should be periodically checked for conductivity in the same way as for bodywires.

The mesh of masks used for electric foil fencing should be completely coated with an insulating material. This is usually done by dipping the mask into molten plastic after it is shaped. This is to prevent the mesh from becoming valid target in the event that it comes into contact with any part of the metallic plastron during fencing. Occasionally electrical contact will occur when perspiration (which is an excellent electrical conductor) coats the material of the bib, touching the plastron and mesh at the same time as a hit lands on the mesh. The regulations permit fencing with uninsulated masks, except at sanctioned F.I.E. events, but if a touch on an uninsulated mask is recorded by the apparatus, it cannot be annulled

Regulations for Competitions, Articles 722 (4) - (5) require insulated masks for A-grade competitions. Articles 722 (6) and 231 (2) - (4) provide that touches that land off-target but register as valid can be annulled, but not in the case of an uninsulated foil mask. Extension of the valid target can also occur where perspiration soaks into the cloth jacket in the areas adjacent to the metallic plastron. Plastrons are made up with a plastic edge beading that is intended to maintain an insulated barrier, but these occasionally become worn, especially in the area where the bodywire clip is attached.

Damage to the frontal area of any mask cannot be repaired, and such masks should immediately be destroyed to prevent their subsequent use in either competition or practice. It is not acceptable to mark such masks with paint, or in any manner that would permit subsequent use16. It is probably not advisable to routinely test masks with the pressure gauge, since this test contributes to metal fatigue (especially if improperly applied), and most masks are regularly tested at competitions in any event. Each fencer should be trained to visually inspect his mask prior to using it at the beginning of each practice or competition, however, and club masks should be inspected as frequently as possible. Fencers should also be trained to check their own masks during bouts if any severe impacts are sustained.

METALLIC FOIL AND SABRE PLASTRONS

Metallic plastrons are an expensive part of foil fencing, and more recently, sabre fencing, and everything possible should be done to increase their life-span. Apart from the odd tear inflicted by a particularly hard hit, most wear is caused by a mixture of metal fatigue in the lame strands and corrosion. These can be minimised by storing the plastron on a hangar in a dry place. Do not use a metallic plastron at all unless it is required for electronic scoring, and use an old one for practice bouts, if possible. Store it away from wet fencing whites or other sources of moisture, and avoid or minimise folding as much as possible. A recent innovation has been the introduction of plastrons made up of stainless-steel lame fibres, which are more corrosion-resistant and therefore last longer. These plastrons are more expensive, but the increased life-span appears to justify the cost.

Wear or damage to metallic plastrons that causes "dead spots" can usually be repaired simply by covering the damaged area with fresh lame material, and a supply of this material should be maintained for this purpose. Metallic plastrons that are too worn for use in competitions can still be used for practice purposes, but should clearly be marked so as to prevent their use during competition by mistake. To check the overall resistance of a worn jacket, test (using scoring apparatus) by placing a foil point at the areas most likely to be worn out, and at the point of the jacket farthest away from the bodywire connection (opposite shoulder). A marginal jacket can often be made acceptable by folding the material under at the bodywire connection, so that the alligator clip makes contact with the lame fabric on both sides (inside and out)

Plastrons should also be inspected for damage to the interior insulation and plastic edging. These are intended to maintain an insulation barrier between the metallic target and parts of the cloth jacket that can become soaked with perspiration. Since perspiration is an excellent conductor of electricity, the valid target area can be extended onto adjacent areas as the current that indicates a valid touch is conducted back to the plastron and hence to the apparatus, via the perspiration. Where the interior lining is damaged, the wearer can also get electrical shocks through damp clothing. The voltage and amperages are too small to be dangerous, but can be uncomfortable and distracting, especially in competition.

Regulations for Competitions, Article 27 (7).

The specifications for metallic foil plastrons are found in the Regulations for Competitions, Articles 216 and 722. The specifications for sabre plastrons are similar, except that these are cut to the waist, front and back, and the lame surface includes both arms. Currently the gauntlet, or sleeve portion of the glove must also be covered with lame. The unarmed hand and the hand portion of the sword arm are not covered.

NOTE ON F. I. E. - CERTIFIED EQUIPMENT

The use of maraging-steel blades, stainless steel masks, and Kevlar-lined fencing whites is now mandatory for all F.I.E. sanctioned A grade competitions. Some national federations (notably the Federal Rep. of Germany) have extended this requirement to lesser competitions and even practice sessions. Coaches taking athletes abroad should therefore check up on local regulations and ensure that their fencers' equipment comply with them. F.I.E. certification is indicated by a stamp or label affixed in a prominent place containing the "F.I.E." initials, the manufacturer's name, and the date of manufacture. When purchasing whites or masks, the merchandise should be dated for the current year, as they will become subject to inspection or disqualification after a fixed period.

SAFETY PROCEDURES

Fencing injuries may be caused by unsafe equipment, but they may also be caused by perfectly sound equipment in the hands of persons who are ignorant of, or disregard, basic commonsense and safety procedures. Foils, epees, and sabres are weapons and must be treated as such. They should be stored in secure areas, and in such a way that they will only be in use by beginners when competent supervision is present. Only qualified coaches or senior fencers should have access to the club's equipment, and they must be made to understand that they are responsible for supervising beginners if they release any equipment to them.

Beginners should be taught at the beginning of the first introductory session how to dress, how to carry a foil, and not to handle weapons at all unless masks are worn. They must also be supervised until the coach is satisfied that these rules are being obeyed faithfully. Senior fencers must be aware of the fact that they set an example for the beginners, and also that they should intervene immediately if they observe an unsafe situation. Fencing is extremely safe when compared with many other sports, but the basic nature of fencing assures great public attention when even a minor injury occurs. It is the obligation of every fencer to himself and the sport to ensure that safety rules are obeyed.