A Study of Modern and Classical Fencing
Fencing is a method of personal expression and release. It is ultimatly a way of life for some. Nevertheless, this noble lifestyle is dying out. There are those who would convince others that classical fencing is a way of the past. In its place they would promote a sport that uses the same equipment and yet, is so different, that one cannot think of it in the same light. The controversy between these two poses the question "is Olympic fencing better than classical?"; A question that will require some research.
According to information from the web document "The Worlds oldest Modern Sport," fencing as we know it was developed by the Egyptians sometime around 1200 BC.
"The earliest depiction of a fencing match is a relief in the temple of Medin at Habu, near Luxor in Egypt, built by Ramses III about 1190 BC. This relief depicts a practice bout or match, because the sword points are covered and the swordsmen are parrying with shields strapped to their left arms and are wearing masks (tied to their wigs), large bibs, and padding over their ears" (Beumont).
Swordsmanship, as a pastime and in single combat and war, was also practiced widely by the ancient Persians, Babylonians, Greeks, and Romans, as well as by some Germanic tribes. They used protective tips on their weapons and even a crude form of facial protection. This is depicted on a carving in Egypt, along with the fact that judges were used to score and oversee the matches. The author of "A History of Fencing" wrote that the Roman and Greek civilizations continued the fencing tradition with short swords. This continued until the fall of Rome in 476 AD. The barbarians who defeated Rome used crude heavy swords, which could break the lighter short swords. These massive weapons rendered smaller swords ineffective, and suppressed fencing for the time ("A history...").
An entry in "A Timeline of Fencing History" states that it wasn't until the 14th century AD that fencing made a comeback. Suprisingly it was the invention of gunpowder that marked the return of fencing swords. Gunpowder made heavy armor and swords obsolete ("The Worlds..."). Mobility became more important because firearms rendered the protection previously available through armor ineffective. Many officers and "gentlemen" then adopted the light rapier as a sidearm. Fencing quickly became the rage of the ages.
Due to the sudden increase in the popularity of fencing, fencing guilds, such as the Marxbruder in Germany, sprang up across Europe ("A Timeline.
Japanese sword history spans several centuries. It is commonly divided into five major periods, the Jokoto and Koto periods or the ancient swords, pre-650 A.D, and the old swords from post-650 A.D. until 1596 A.D. when the Shinto...
Up until the collapse of the Bronze Age, warfare was ruled by a chariot elite, who used their mobile platforms to better their enemies, either as battle taxis or as mobile archery platforms.2 These tactics were effective and utilized the weapons of their time effectively. However, it was around the time of the Bronze Age collapse that the slashing sword came into popularity. This weapon gave infantry an advantage over their restricted opponents, who could only stab with their pointed weapons. Coupled with the javelins ability to cripple horses and stop chariots, this new sword enabled less experienced warriors to fight more effectively.2 A swarm of infantry equipped with these weapons could therefore defeat a typical Bronze Age army of soldiers and chariots with relative
In Hitler’s Nazi-state Jewish athletes and other raced athletes were banned from German sports club, and they instead had to flock to separate Jewish associations. These associations weren’t nice inside or adequate for the amount of people in them, compared for the well-funded German associations. With all the hostility and judgement passed Mayer and Owens, they still were able to prove that sports and the idea of right and wrong do occasionally mix. These athletes proved Hitler and all of the Nazi-supporters wrong, and that the Olympic Flag stood for sport sport alone, clear of political obstacles, and without distinction with regard to the color, race, or creed.(Kieran)
Ewens A (2002). The nature and purpose of leadership. In E Hawkins, C Thornton (Eds). Six
Mlls, D. Q. (2005). Leadership How to Lead, How to Live. Boston: Harvad Business School Press.
The Pentathlon was the name for the five events in Greek gymnastics: running, jumping, wrestling, discus throwing, and javelin throwing which began with the 18th Olympiad. In the wrestling event, wrestlers were anointed with oil, dusted with powder, and forbidden to bite or gouge one another. Wrestling was looked upon as a weapon-free military exercise. Since there was no weapons wrestlers that competed used their weight and strength as an advantage especially since there were no weight categories. The Javelin was thrown in the same form back in ancient times as it is thrown today. The first recorded Olympic Games had one event, a race, called the stade which is a measure of the distance of the length of the track. By 724 B.C. a two-length race was added and by 700 B.C. there were longer distance races. By 720 B.C., men participated naked, except in the foot race in armor that weighed between fifty to sixty pounds. The outfit included a helmet, greaves, and a shield that helped young men build speed and stamina in preparation for war. The Pentathlon included three running events such as the Stade, the Diaulos, and the Dolichos. The Stade was a 200 yard foot race, was the first and only Olympic event for 13 Games. The dolichos was a variable length foot race averaging twenty stades or four thousand yards for the fifteenth Olympiad. The Diaulos was a four hundred yard foot race that was instituted for the next Olympic Games. The discus was considered by ancient Greeks, an event of rhythm, precision, and finesse of a competitor to throw the discus was as important as his strength. The discus was made of stone, iron, bronze, or lead, and was shaped like a flying saucer. The Sizes were different for the boys' division, since the boys were not expected to throw the same weighted discus as the men. The athletes who competed in the jump event used lead or stone jump weights called halteres shaped like telephone receivers to increase ...
Leadership at times can be a complex topic to delve into and may appear to be a simple and graspable concept for a certain few. Leadership skills are not simply acquired through position, seniority, pay scale, or the amount of titles an individual holds but is a characteristic acquired or is an innate trait for the fortunate few who possess it. Leadership can be misconstrued with management; a manager “manages” the daily operations of a company’s work while a leader envisions, influences, and empowers the individuals around them.
Romans who made it famous. A surviving feature of the Roman games was when a
Gardner, J. (1990). The Nature and Tasks of Leadership. In J. T. McMahon (Ed.), Leadership Classics (pp. 171-175). Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press.
There tend to be a variety of concepts regarding how, as well as what should undergo consideration when developing leadership in individuals. Scholars have different suggestions on the kind of approaches that should get observed during the practice. As a result, this paper seeks to unravel various forms of leadership approaches, as well as suggesting the best theory that should be in use when creating a perfect leader. Additionally, the work will establish ways of determining the effectiveness of a leadership program.
The life of a gladiator could be a grueling life unless you were the best and never lost. Gladiators fought in events known as gladiatorial games. The first gladiatorial games were recorded in 310 BCE. The first Gladiatorial games were not held in the huge coliseums we see today. Instead they were most likely held to entertain a powerful person or ruler. Gladiatorial combat originated as a religious event to honor the dead, victory of an important battle, a sacrifice to the gods, or to honor the death of someone in a high standing position. The first Roman Gladiatorial games were held in 246 BCE to honor Marcus and Decimus Brutus. ("Life of a Gladiator") These games started an era of gladiatorial events that would last for nearly a century to come.
The history of volleyball goes back to the year of 1895. The game was invented by a man by the name of William G. Morgan, at a YMCA in Massachusetts (NCVA). Morgan was an instructor at the YMCA (Young Men’s Christian Association) when he created the game of volleyball (NCVA).
Komives, S., Lucas, N., & McMahon, T. (2007). Exploring Leadership (2nd ed.). Sans Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
“Sports are for fun, but they also offer benefits and lessons that carry over into all aspects of life”. This well-known anonymous quotation conveys the message that sport is the game which has some rules and custom. It is not only for fun and entertainment, but there are also some benefits of playing sports and which gives some important lessons for life. Every kind of physical sports is healthy because it involves running, jumping, stretching, mind skills and much more. There are so many sports available in the world nowadays, but we can categorize them by the numbers of players, the three main categories are individual sport, dual sport and team sport.
Bennis, W. & Nanus, B. (1985). Leaders: The Strategies for taking charge. New York: Harper Row.