XFGL FAQ
Q. Why is it eXtreme Fencing? Isn't the extreme thing overdone?
A. It started as a joke, extreme rhymes with escrime. Then, as we tried
to come up with a name that wouldn't sound boring and history geek
oriented, extreme escrime kept popping up. As a compromise to wider
understandability, this became eXtreme Fencing.
Q. Why do you (mis)translate "Hangen" or "Hengen" as execution? I
thought it meant a guard where the point hangs down lower than the hilt.
A1. First of all, Pflug, which is one of the hengen, has its point
aimed upward and higher than the hilt. It does not hang down.
A2. If you consult a Middle High German (mittelhochdeutsch) dictionary,
you will find that hangen/hengen/henger often equates to henken/henker.
Henker means executioner, henken means to execute.
An examination of hengen/henken in MHG and other old Germanic languages
is here
on Google Books.
Q. Why no medieval costumes?
A. We're trying to present it as a form of fencing which can be enjoyed
by moderns without shelling out thousands on armour and/or old style
clothing. We use modern clothing and safety equipment throughout.
Q. Why the modern soundtrack?
A. Because we're modern fencers who like modern music. The
soundtrack is all original and was arranged, played and recorded by the
producers, both of whom were teenagers in the 80's. We also thought
that a more aggressive sound suited the content better than some
pseudo-medieval chanting or harping would.
Q. What's the project's goal?
A. To show a modern, safe, way to practice Liechtenauer's art, tempered
by some Meyer-ish fechtschule aspects, which will be accessible to
moderns who may otherwise dismiss the art as some quaint medievalist
re-enactment thing.
Q. Why do you call it a sport?
A. Because any physical art, when applied in a competitive context is,
to all intents and purposes, a sport. Yes, it's a martial art but even
martial arts, as competitive sports, are sports. Think boxing, Olympic
wrestling, Judo, etc.
Q. Where was it filmed?
A. In and around the quad of St. Michael's college, Centre for Medieval
Studies, University of Toronto.
Q. Is this an AEMMA video?
A. No, not really. German swordplay arts are not taught at AEMMA. The
fencers and production crew are current and former members of AEMMA but
that is the only aspect of the academy's involvement. This is an
independent project.
Q. Did you deliberately tone down on the medievalist aspect of the art?
A. Yes. No disrespect to medievalists but restricting our market focus
on medievalists would seriously restrict our visibility. We want to
make this art more accessible to the wider martial arts and fencing
communities. We do acknowledge the history but we minimized the
medievalist image.
Q. What is your target audience?
A. Anyone who is interested in swordplay, fencing or other martial arts.
MWR, May 2009