Quote:
Originally Posted by Tomsdad
Epees an interesting one because it's the only one that allows leg hits to count.
Long ago I did foil (and a bit of sabre), and you were able to have as you say you leg extended quite far out relative to your torso, and it didn't matter.
|
Apparently that was one of the things which became standardized around WW II as the Olympic Games became more important. Until then, sport fencers in different countries had different traditions about whether cuts to the legs were allowed (just like some fencers recommend parrying low cuts, and others recommend withdrawing the leg and counterstriking).
Yes, in combat sports stance is determined by what targets count and which do not (and people often forget to defend against attacks which don't count in their favourite game).
GURPS Martial Arts: Gladiators has a rule for exposing one area to protect another.