Fencing Tutorial

Fencing is a sport, and a martial art, representing the modern form of sword fighting. The history fencing is a violent one, with sword fights being used to settle arguments and often ending in the death of the loser. The advancement of legal systems in many nations has led to the elimination of sword fighting; in its place we have fencing, an elegant Olympic sport.

  1. Equipment

    • Three types of regulation weapons are used in fencing: the foil, the sabre, and the Épeé. The foil is a thrusting weapon, also known as a light point weapon, and is used to essentially poke the opponent in small target areas. Fencers using the foil must follow a specific set of rules, known as right of way. The sabre follows the same rules as the foil but is a slashing weapon, used to strike across the opponent. The Épeé is a heavy, brute-force weapon without rules, and uses the opponent's entire body as the target.

      All three fencing weapons include the same basic parts: the grip, guard, blade and point. Grips are commonly made of wood, leather or plastic. The guard provides finger protection. The point of an Épeé or foil generally consists of a plastic or rubber cylinder or ball. The point of a sabre is curved to allow for the cutting techniques used.

      For safety reasons, fencers must wear protective gear while playing. This includes gloves, a protective jacket and a perforated mask. Scoring in modern fencing is typically done electronically. An electrical current runs through the fencer's weapon and indicates to the judge when a hit has been landed. Fencing without electronic scoring is known as dry fencing.

    Rules

    • Fencing is done within a narrow strip on the floor, usually at least four or five feet wide. Although there are many complex rules in fencing, the objective of the game is basically to touch the tip of your weapon to a target area on your opponent without being touched yourself. Poking your opponent will award a point, and games usually end when one player scores five points.

      Points are scored in sabre and foil fencing by scoring a hit on your opponent's target area, usually the face, arms and torso, while having the right of way. Players can gain the right of way by parrying an attack, initiating an attack or knocking the opponent's blade out of the way. In Épeé, the rules of right-of-way don't apply, and the opponent's entire body is fair game for scoring points. This makes Épeé more desirable to beginners and brute-force players who don't wish to memorize the constantly changing rules of foil and sabre.