Public:What is fencing
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What is fencing?
Fencing is the art and sport of swordplay. Its origins trace back to ancient times, but modern fencing has its roots in the Renaissance. The weapons of modern fencing were all in use by the late 19th century. Although fencing has been an event in every modern Olympiad (since 1896), competitive fencing was not solidly established until about 1920 when the Federation Internationale d'Escrime (FIE), the international governing body of fencing, was created in order to foster international competition.
Rules were codified for three weapons: foil, épée, and sabre. Fencing was, after centuries as a martial art bathed in hundreds of thousands of bloody duels in Europe, a sport with rules. Dueling with sharp weapons was unheard of after about 1935 (although there were a very small number of duels fought in the years right after World War II), except for the sub-culture of German mensur duels, which still continue in certain German university fraternities to this day.
During the 20th century, rule changes caused unintended consequences. Competitive fencing shifted from visual judging to machine judging using electrified (low voltage) weapons—first in épée in the 1930s, then in foil in the 1950s, and finally in sabre in the 1990s. As with any game, competitors will fence to fit the framework of the rules. In the case of fencing, this had serious side effects for sabre and foil and a more moderate impact on épée.
Today, electrically scored foil and sabre fencing has changed so much from the modern fencing of the 1930s, 40s, and 50s as to be an entirely different game. Electrical scoring has not dramatically changed épée fencing, but the replacement of one-touch épée with multi-touch competition has certainly changed the character of épée fencing. These forms of fencing are those practiced by the U.S. Fencing Association and the Federation Internationale d'Escrime.
However, non-electric (standard) foil and sabre is still alive and well—and slowly growing in popularity—and one-touch épée is undergoing a modest revival as well. We teach standard foil and sabre fencing (using the rules of the American Fencing League), as well as electrical épée fencing (both AFL one-touch and USFA multi-touch), using classical teaching methodology combined with applicable modern sports teaching techniques.
None of the "weapons" we use are sharp, nor are they dangerous when used properly with modern protective equipment. In and of themselves, they are no more dangerous than other sports "tools" like baseball bats, golf clubs, or lacrosse sticks. And fencing is statistically safer than virtually all other high school varsity sports, including cheerleading.
Foil
- Main article: Foil
Foils were originally developed as training weapons and were never designed for combat. Today, foil is a subtle and deeply interesting sport of fluid motion. The target area is the torso. Touches must be delivered with the point of the foil to be valid.
Foil fencing is "conventional", meaning that it is subject to strict rules of right of way as to when one may attack and when one should defend. These conventions extend back four centuries and continue to make foil a fascinating pursuit today.
The goal of standard foil fencing is to score touches on the opponent's valid target area within the context of the right of way.
Épée
- Main article: Épée
The épée is a nineteenth-century weapon that was designed specifically for dueling—it was ideal for so-called "first-blood duels" where the object was to simply draw blood. Nowadays, épée is an easy-to-understand (but tactically deep) form of fencing that is closest thing to 19th-century dueling practices under one-touch rules and a highly athletic game of nerves under multi-touch rules. The target area for épée is the entire body, head to toe. Touches must be delivered with the point to be valid.
Épée fencing is "unconventional", meaning that there are no rules as to when one may attack and when one should defend. Of the three weapons, it is the one closest to actual combat. Taller fencers and those with very long arms have a distinct advantage in épée.
Sabre
- Main article: Sabre
The modern sporting sabre was developed in the early 20th century to replace the heavier dueling sabre for use in competition and in the salle (the older design resulted in a heavy-handed and often brutal sport that was prone to injury). Today, sabre fencing is a very fast and exciting form of fencing that in some ways most closely resembles the American stereotype of swordplay.
The target area for sabre is everything above the waist, including the head, arms, and hands. Touches may be delivered in any of three ways: with a thrust utilizing the point, with a cut utilizing the leading edge of the blade, or with a counter-cut utilizing the last one-third of the back edge of the blade.
Sabre fencing, like foil, is "conventional", meaning that it is subject to strict rules as to when one may attack and when one should defend. The combination of conventionality and three different modes of attack make sabre a fast and complex activity.
The goal of sabre fencing is, as in foil fencing, to score touches on the opponent's valid target area within the context of the right of way.
Who fences?
People of all ages, from children to people well past retirement age, fence.
People of all different races and socio-economic backgrounds fence.
You can, too!
Fencing is excellent exercise for both body and mind. As an individual sport, it allows students to progress at their own pace. So, people with physical limitations often find that fencing is a great activity for them, as do natural athletes.
Visit us anytime and see for yourself what fencing is all about.
