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From: jlg@lanl.UUCP (jlg)
Newsgroups: net.physics
Subject: Re: Orphaned Response
Message-ID: <23888@lanl.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 29-Mar-85 17:40:00 EST
Article-I.D.: lanl.23888
Posted: Fri Mar 29 17:40:00 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 14-Apr-85 02:48:35 EST
References: <208@kovacs.UUCP>
Organization: Hewlett-Packard
Lines: 23

> 	  The whole idea of a foil is  that  it  is  not  supposed  to
> 	really hurt your opponent, which it is why it bends so easily.
> 	But, if the foil is perfectly streight, it is  still  possible
> 	to  actually  run someone through with it ( as happened in the
> 	Moscow Summer Olympics).  If the thrust is directly along  the
> 	line  of  a  streight  blade, there is no lateral component to
> 	bend the blade and take the force away from the  tip.  Bending
> 	the  blade  gaurentees that any strike with the tip will force
> 	the center of the blade to increase  its  curve,  and  prevent
> 	bloodshed!


The original idea of a foil was to kill your opponent!  Foils didn't always
have that little nub on the end to prevent injury.  A foil was invented as
a thrusting weapon so only its point was sharp.  The bending properties of
the foil were designed so that the foil would bend within the opponent's
body and do damage to more organs than if it just went straight through the
opponent.

By the way, the reason that you step on a foil to remove bends is because
it's quick and it works.  No other explanation is required.

J. Giles