>There might be some restriction of tactics and movement, but,
>well...for some lots of the basics I suspect Olympian fencing is very
>servicable.

I tried to watch fencing (I think it was epee) during the last Olympics, and just couldn't get excited about it. I guess I'm spoiled from watching Rose Duels in my mind's eye... :)

Then again, I don't have any combat skill as such myself. I've done a lot of wargaming and studied quite a bit of military history--enough to have been a pretty dangerous company-to-battalion level commander in my Battletech days--but being a fat guy with a known vulnerability to neck injuries doesn't encourage a martial lifestyle. :)