If you ’re watch the Olympics , you may have noticed that fencers are attach to a cable length , making them face more or less like they ’re on a large leash .
The cables are not there for the rubber of the competitors , nor so that they can be yoinked backward if they get too feisty . The cables , which are electric , are there because of how quick the sport is . Here is a clip of Egypt ’s Nada Hafez – contend whileseven month pregnantfor additional difficultness – to show you how fast the sport is .
With the sport being so tight - pace , it is hard to settle whether there was a hit , who hit who first , and whether they were arrive at in a licit target area . The early days of fencing material relied on honesty from competitors , who would shouttouchéafter being attain , as well as judges to determine who hit first . But that was n’t ideal .
In 1896 , a solution was reported ; a smash make out an electric circuit to alarm judge when a rival had been hit . This is where the cable amount in .
" They associate your weapon ( your enhancer , sabre , or épée ) to the reel organization . and the scoring organisation in the club or venue where you ’re fence in , " Coach Michael McTigue of the Northwest Fencing Center explained in aYouTube video . " They have a sort of hard task to do , because they need to be flexible and moving and yet out of your way ; they postulate to be reliable and yet they call for to be light . "
In different types of fencing , there are different prerequisite for contender , look on what the target is . Épée was the first case to apply the electric scoring system , as the whole body is a target , requiring only a mere setup .
" As the whole body is a objective in Epee , a non - galvanising fencing masquerade is used for competition epee fencing material , " Fencer Tipsexplains . " At your local fencing golf club , a lot of the communal masks are potential to be non - electrical mask or epee masks , regardless of your weapon of selection , as they are used for teaching purposes outside of electric fence . "
But other types of fencing have areas of the eubstance that are off object , which imply that hitting them does not count as a proper hit . For this , electrically - contributive metals are woven into fabric in the target area . In sabre fencing , fencers also wear a conductive mask .
" A sabre mask is completely conductive , making trusted that any touch modality are registered on the scoring apparatus , " Fencer Tips explains . " This is in line with the fair game orbit for sabre , which is the above - the - waistline trunk , the arms , and the header . "
It took a retentive time for the electric grading system to be amply adopted . Electric cavalry sword fence , where murder from the blade as well as the tip are allow , was not widespread until the1992 Olympic Gamesin Barcelona . But now when you look on fencing material , at least at a free-enterprise degree , you will see people competing with a metal tether .
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