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I tried Olympic fencing for the first time in better than fifteen years last night. My oldest by is 11 and wants so bad to fence, but as we all know, the magic age in the SCA is 14. So when we saw that the local YMCA offered beginning fencing, we thought we'd give it a try.
We had fun, but let me tell you: after fifteen years of trying to cut the Olympic style out of my fencing, I actually had a hard time with some of it. I cannot do a beat-parry to save my life. Every time I tried, I wound up using a parry 4. And while I managed to avoid using angles, I did more than my fair share of tip-cuts.
The one thing I did right was that I didn't go in bragging about how great of a fencer I am. Yes, I am rather good when it comes to SCA fencing, but like I said, it's been over fifteen years since I did any Olympic fencing.
And last night reaffirmed that SCA and Olympic fencing are two completely different beasts. There are things that work in Olympic that don't in the SCA, and vice versa. I used to think that the biggest difference was the movement. Olympic movement is designed specifically for a 1.5m x 14.5m strip. There is no circling, just back and forth. Now, after reexperiencing Olympic, I think the biggest difference is the attacks. Leaving saber aside (easily done, since it most resembles armored fighting), there is one attack in Olympic: the thrust. That's it. Now, while we still have the thrust in the SCA, we also have draw cuts, push cuts, and (depending on the kingdom) tip cuts. That gives us a fudge factor that isn't present in Olympic.
Actually, now that I think about it, it's the fudge factor that's the biggest difference. Okay, maybe we should call it variety instead of fudge factor. In Olympic, you are fencing on a strip that is always the same size, on the same terrain against an opponent with the same length sword who can only thrust. Compare that to the SCA, where you are fencing in a list that can vary in size, on terrain that can vary, against an opponent whose weapons can vary in shape, number, and size, and who can attack with at least three different types of attacks.
It's that variety - and the generalization in style that it requires - that is the difference between Olympic and SCA fencing. One's not better than the other, they're just different.
