Blog

[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]

One of the original sports in the Paralympic Games, wheelchair fencing involves both physical and mental skill. As a combative sport, wheelchair fencing athletes use swords to attempt to score points through series of hits on their opponent.

History of Wheelchair Fencing

Wheelchair fencing was introduced as one of the original Paralympic sports at the 1960 Paralympic Games in Rome. The sport first made an international debut in 1953 when Sir Ludwig Guttman introduced wheelchair fencing to the 1953 Stoke International Games.

In 1988, a new classification was used to allow athletes with varying disabilities greater opportunities to compete against one another. Today, there are only two classifications within the wheelchair fencing sport, and athletes are placed into divisions based on the amount of trunk movement and hand control they possess. Athletes with cerebral palsy, spinal injuries, amputations and other disabilities compete in the sport.

Rules of Wheelchair Fencing

In able-bodied fencing, athletes have 14 meters on which to move around. In the Paralympic version of sport, the athlete’s wheelchairs are fixed in a metal frame so the chairs do not move. The distance between the wheelchairs is determined by the athlete with the shorter arm.

In Paralympic competition, each bout in the first round is won by the athlete with the best of nine hits, according to the London Paralympic Games website. In the elimination rounds, the bouts are won by the athlete with the best of 15 hits.

Disciplines of Wheelchair Fencing

There are three disciplines of wheelchair fencing — epee, foil and sabre. Both men and women compete in the epee and foil disciplines, while sabre is a men-only discipline. Team events also are contested.

The three disciplines each use a different kind of sword. The epee sword is the heaviest of the three and is triangular, while the foil and sabre swords are square.

In epee wheelchair fencing, the target is anywhere above the waist of the opposing player. In foil and sabre wheelchair fencing, the target is the torso of the opposing player. In Paralympic competition, each sword, regardless of discipline, has a rounded end. The swords are usually electronic, allowing points to be counted electronically.

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]

[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]

Wheelchairs can be heavy devices to push around so in response to this, transport wheelchairs were devised to allow for portability and accessibility through all those tight spaces in daily life.

Otherwise known as a ‘transfer chair, transport wheelchairs are designed for someone else to push you around when you’re travelling from one place to another. Not everyone is capable of ‘self-propelling’ or moving themselves around in a wheelchair due to physical weakness or mental incapacity. As such, most of these wheelchairs weigh less than 15 lbs, making sure that your attendant or an orderly has an easier time pushing either your loved one or yourself around at the mall, hospital or any other locale next time you’re out. As a result of their effective and practical designs, transport chairs are sometimes more expensive than your regular wheelchair alternative. But this pales in comparison to the latest electric wheelchair designs and the expensive maintenance and repair bills that will inevitably follow their use.

You can identify an effective transport wheelchair by the following characteristics;

 

Smaller Wheels

On average, transport wheelchairs sport 8-10 inch front wheels and 12 – 15 inch rear wheels. Obviously, while the wheels themselves are smaller, the rationale is that your attendant is pushing those wheels for you whereas a self-propelled wheelchair (averaging 23 – 25 inches) would require your own arm strength to move yourself over the same distance. The wheels themselves are usually comprised of rubber or plastic and are generally considered puncture proof – the last thing you’d want is a flat or blown wheel when you’re being pushed around town.

 

Storability

My favourite aspect of a transport wheelchair is how they are all manufactured with a foldable design. Often, the transport wheelchair can be folded in half after adjusting or removing the leg rests. In this configuration, you can easily place it in the boot or against the wall when the wheelchair is not in use. While most other wheelchairs incorporate a foldable design, the transport wheelchair further benefits from its often lightweight manufacture.

 

Weight

Transport wheelchairs are categorised as lightweight and the chairs themselves usually weigh under 20 lbs. However, due to their supportive care nature, the patient weight that these convenient chairs can support ranges from 250 – 350 lbs. Even the heaviest of users can sit comfortably and feel assured that their wheelchair won’t buckle over so easily.

 

Price

While there have been reports that lightweight transport wheelchairs can be more expensive, there is little difference between these wheelchairs and the self-propelled ranges that are also readily available.

The price gap however obviously grows considerably larger when we take in to account the use of electric wheelchairs and mobility scooters.

Transport wheelchairs are ultimately for users who are clever (or fortunate) enough to have someone else do the dirty work of pushing for them. It’s either that or you may require temporarily at a hospital or other health facility before eventually leaving the premises. The smaller wheels and portable designs allow for manoeuvring through tight spaces and added control over all types of terrain.

Click the link to see for yourself how much a transport wheelchair can cost.

 

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]