I (24m) am a 6’6" tall fencer (historical fencing on rapiers). And I think that short fencers actually have an advantage over tall fencers.

Yes, tall fencers do have longer arms, but this is compensated by the fact that short fencers are usually quicker and dodge easier. Plus, if a tall fencer aims at the top of a short one, the upper body (or head/neck) is easier to remove from the attack line than the belly. The belly is simply the center of mass and therefore harder to deflect. Plus, the belly is a bigger target compared to upper body parts. And plus, if we’re talking about real blades, the belly is also soft and easy to pierce. And a tall guy is usually bigger than a short one, so he’s a bigger target - and then there’s his juicy belly right on a convenient line of shots for a short fencer.

So I think that a short fencer has more chances and auxiliary factors to stab a tall fencer in the belly than a tall fencer has to stab a short one in the neck, for example.

  • AmidFuror@fedia.io
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    3 months ago

    This poster only posts about his belly being vulnerable to stabbing due to his being tall. Once it was a flippant remark a coworker made. This time it’s because he is a fencer.

    It seems to be his obsession and his posts are disingenuous at best.

  • dragontamer@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    that short fencers are usually quicker and dodge easier.

    Lulz.

    No. It’s that shorter fencers must doge quicker to compete.

    In my days in College, as a 5’9" average guy, I wasn’t much faster than anyone else. And without any reach I couldn’t keep up vs the taller people either.

    Just being shorter doesn’t make you faster.

    And a tall guy is usually bigger than a short one, so he’s a bigger target - and then there’s his juicy belly right on a convenient line of shots for a short fencer.

    Just gain some flexibility and squat down deeper. The good tall fencers could hit me in my belly consistently despite me being shorter.

    And while squatting down, your tall legs are longer anyway so you can lunge deeper when you do this maneuver. We shorter fencers cannot.

  • Deestan@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    Having fenced rapier and kendo, I say no.

    The bigger guys win. In rapier, reach is king. In kendo, reach plus knocking your opponent off balance is a major advantage.

    You focus too much on belly wounds. In general.

  • Neuromancer49@midwest.social
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    3 months ago

    Nah. Fenced epee for a bit in a college club. Height advantage was pretty great. I guess it just depends on the weapon.

    • dragontamer@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      Foil here. Tall people suck to fight against. Skilled tall people were straight up impossible.

      And I at least have right-of-way to deal with tall people. Eepee don’t got that, its all stupid hand-jabs or foot-jabs (as far as I can tell as a Foil-ist, lol).

  • SanguinePar@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    I know nothing about fencing, but I’m 6’6" and I agree with the general point that people overstress the benefits of height and undersell (or underestimate) the disadvantages. That could be in sport, or life generally tbh.

  • clockwork_octopus@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    I’ll admit I completely missed your parentheses and thought you were talking about the builders of fences, and I was a little confused for a second.

    I know nothing about either kinds of fencing, but what you say sounds right

  • trxxruraxvr@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    It depends on the type of weapon and armor used. I did longsword fencing for a couple of years and i think there long arms are a bigger advantage. But i can see you being right for fencing with rapiers.