Teaching Blind 

 Men to Fence 



IX FRANCE, the only 

 country where fencing can 

 be said to flourish, a new 

 system for teaching the use 

 of the foil to blind men has 

 sprung up. Its originator, 

 Georges Dubois, has a 

 method whereby the student 

 is taught to rely upon the 

 sense of touch only. In all 

 fencing 

 methods 

 the sense 

 of sight 

 is not 



wholly relied upon. 

 Professor Dubois 

 emphasizes touch 

 and eliminates sight 

 altogether. 



Soldiers, blinded 

 in war, have now an 

 opportunity of be- 

 coming skilled in the 

 use of that ancient 

 weapon, the small- 



The white strips on the 

 ground enable the stu- 

 dent to assume his 

 position 



himself "on guard." 

 In the circle is 

 shown Professor 

 Dubois placing the 

 pommel, or end of 

 the handle, against 

 the student's wrist. 

 If the pommel is in 

 the center of the 

 wrist, the blade is 

 in line with the arm. 

 The blind students 

 practice "binding," 

 by twisting their blades over 

 their opponent'sand thrusting 

 at the same time. This play is 

 mainly for thrusting under the 

 slioulder, accomplished by 

 twisting the foil. 



Blind students are taught the 



feeling of an opponent's sword 



by means of iron rods 



Makmg a successful thrust is the test of a 

 blind man's training 



sword. A blind man's one advantage 

 is his ability to concentrate his attention 

 without being distracted by seeing the 

 action of others. This is of great value 

 in modern fencing where a single "touch" 

 anywhere on the body means that the 

 bout is over. Intense alertness is requis- 

 ite from the moment the fencer puts 



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