Olympic fencing.....

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

I always figured the mask was to protect the face from the pointy end of the sword.

*shrugs*

Not the point. How did they figure out how to mask your face and make it like a "two way mirror"? In other words, how did they cover their face from the rival so they could not see their eyes, but also allow the user to see through the mask? Same principle as when police do a lineup and the suspect cant see the accuser. 

I just find it neat they way they do that.

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A football helmet isn't going to protect your face from a thin sword-like thing being poked at you.  There has to be something else for that sport.

Those masks are new.

NOT THE POINT! Damn it. I wasn't talking about preventing injury. The point of the coloring of the masks in this case is to prevent your rival from reading your eyes, it isn't just about protection. It is the same principle as to why poker players wear sun glasses. You don't want your rival to read your eyes to assess your next move.

You mentioned sunglasses. It's the same principle (although the mechanics are different). Simply because your opponent can't see into your face mask doesn't mean you can't see out of it.



A fencing mask is not solid, it's a mesh of metal wires. It doesn't make a difference if the wires are painted or not - you're not looking through the wires, you're looking through the holes in the mesh. It's no more difficult to see out of a painted mask than an unpainted one.

Boru