History of Fencing Equipment

Fencing is a sport of armed combat that uses swordlike weapons. The weapons can only be wielded by hand; they cannot be thrown or propelled by other means. The sport has been in existence for centuries and has been popularized with its introduction into the Olympics.

  1. History of Fencing

    • Teaching the sport of fencing has been documented since the 12th century in Europe. Fencing included wielding a sword and small shield (buckler) and was mostly taught to knights and rich nobles for showmanship rather than combat techniques.

    Evolution of Fencing Weaponry

    • Fencing used to include a wide variety of weapons, including longswords, knives, rapiers, batons, bayonets, longsticks, spadroons, and other similar weapons. Modern fencing has reduced the repertoire to three main weapons for competitive fencing---mostly thanks to the Olympics---the foil, the épée and the sabre.

    Foil

    • Fleurets, or foils, were originally used as practice swords to train soldiers for combat but became favored in fencing over the heavier and more dangerous rapiers. In modern fencing, the foils are electric, with a push button on the end of the weapon to alert a scoring machine of all contacts with the weapon.

    Epee

    • A group of French fencing students invented the épée in the late 19th century. They wanted to create a heavier weapon than the foil that would make combat a bit closer to an actual duel. The épée is almost identical to the foil in shape, except that the end has a point d'arrêt---a three-pronged device that catches clothing instead of piercing the skin---at the end.

    Sabre

    • Sabres are cutting as well as thrusting weapons, meaning that fencers can score points with the sides of the blade as well as the tip. There is a great debate about the origins of the sabre, but it is widely believed that sabre fencing was invented in the 19th century by Italian and Hungarian fencers to encompass all the striking surfaces of a sword.

    Fencing Mask

    • La Boesserie invented the fencing mask in 1780 to protect the head and face from accidental contact. The current mask includes protection around the neck as well, and some have a see-through visor in the front.