This undated French postcard features a ‘salle de jeux et d’escrime’ gym and fencing salle of the Pensionnat de l’Ecole Moyenne de l’Etat in Visé. In the foreground, a pair of boys practices the kicks of la boxe française or savate. Another pair, in the background, is engaging in the boxing aspects of that game.
To the left, a pair of boys poses with fencing sabers, while behind them, two older boys are taking a picture-perfect en guarde position with foils. Other boys, seated, are waiting for their turn holding fencing foils.
This is remarkable and such a special and dreamy sepia tone. Again it seems more like a dream sequence.
Savate kicks ass, its no Muay Thai, but it kicks ass
Another great old fencing photo. Puulaahi, you’ve got good taste; do you happen to actually fence?
Training in Ninjutsu at the moment, but I have always wanted to learn to fence.
Can you imagine this happening now?
Fencing is a sport. Today, if you see people prancing around with their fucking arms in the air like in this photo (which at that time was normal), they are 1) Theatrical fencers and/or 2) Idiots.
Fencing is also a martial art used to settle disputes of honor or was.
3) Newbies, 4) Someone who’s being warned for covering target area(or just nearly got their off hand whacked/stabbed).
God damn I want to do fencing.
…but I know I’d only be disappointed about it not being what we see in those olden photographs.