Product Review: From Fencing.Net Reviews
...My club has probably about 50 of these things now and has used them extensively for the past three or four years with our new fencers of all ages. We use the plastic weapons for many of the games where we would once have used gloves - like glove tag. The problem with gloves is that the kids want to wind up their arms to hit, rather than just extending. It's much more difficult to do with these, and the reasons not to wind up are a bit clearer - suddenly your weapon isn't anywhere near the target if you're winding up.
Another advantage of using these weapons is that they provide a better way to hold out the "real" weapons as bait to keep the kids coming. It takes our students at least two months to earn the right to use steel, and sometimes several years. These weapons provide them with a tool to use before then.
Most of our work using these weapons involves footwork/distance games. They are, however, stiff enough that we have sometimes used them for bladework (at satellite programs where we're already carrying too much gear, for instance).
For adults, the weight isn't really an issue, but for our youngest kids, having this lighter version of a weapon is a good way to work up to a dry foil. Same for the plastic masks that come with them. It really makes a big difference for the smallest kids...
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