A New Fencing Mask
Item
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Title
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A New Fencing Mask
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Date
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October 1940
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volume
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5
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issue
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5
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page start
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10
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page end
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10
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list of authors
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James Montague
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content
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en
A NEW FENCING MASK
It is difficult for the modern fencer to conceive that it was not until the middle of the 19th century that fencing masks were used. Devotees of the “aristocrat of sports” stubbornly refused to wear any sort of protection for the face, as it was considered very ungentlemanly and unsportsmanlike to hit an opponent in the face! None the less, accidents did occur, and it was precious little consolation for a fencer with six inches of steel piercing his eye or entering his mouth to feel that his opponent was decidedly below him in the social scale.
Finally masks were universally adopted.
It must be acknowledged that all fencers are handicapped by reduced vision when wearing a mask, even in the best of lighting. It has been estimated that there is about 40% loss of light, and since a mask is an indispensable safety factor in a fencer’s equipment, the only recourse so far has been to accept as unavoidable the loss of clear vision.
However, the inventive mind of America looks upon any obstacle to progress as merely a challenge which must be accepted, and now comes along what appears to be the solution of the problem of how to improve the fencer’s vision.
Dr. Canute Hansen of the Department of Hygiene of City College has designed a mask which he terms the “Clear-Vision Fencing Mask” consisting of two eye pieces of non-shatterable glass set into the face of the standard type of mask. This has been given a thorough trial for a period extending over six months. I have used it both for lessons and bouts in foil and sabre and it has given every satisfaction. The improvement in vision is very marked, there being no loss of light as with the usual type of mask and over extended periods the eye-strain is very considerably reduced.
The visual area determined by the glass eyepieces is sufficient for all purposes, training, bouts and teaching, and the rapid movements of blades are very much easier to see than with the ordinary mask.
For foil and sabre play the non-shatterable glass in my opinion presents no hazards; no foil or sabre thrust, I am convinced, could have any effect on the glass.
During the months I have used the mask I have had no sense of insecurity, and in my opinion the “Clear Vision” type of mask should prove a valuable asset to a fencer’s equipment saving much eyestrain and adding to the effectiveness of his fencing.
JAMES MONTAGUE,
Fencing Coach,
City College of New York.
