Book excerpt: This book teaches the NEW saber! It has been more than 75 years since an English-language book devoted to saber last appeared. Those were the days of men-only, visually judged saber, and the US didn't stand a chance. Since then, saber has been revolutionized. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics: the U.S. women swept the individual saber medals and took bronze as a team; the U.S. men took team silver. The fencing was not just electronically scored the referees watched the slow-motion video replay to decide close calls. The world of saber has changed, and it needs this book! Modern Saber Fencing is the first book to explain and teach the new saber from the ground up. It illustrates the new techniques with over 75 photo illustrations. It shows the technical and tactical adjustments that transformed classical saber. It explains how to train for the new saber. PLUS it presents the scientific research that underlies the latest training methods.