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. Competitive fencing was not solidly established until the 1920s 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, epee, 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 scoring shifted from visual judging to machine judging using electrified (low voltage) weapons -- first in epee 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 effects as the goal was no longer to convince a jury that one had scored a successful touch, but instead to turn on a light on a machine.

Today, electrically-scored fencing has changed so much from the modern fencing of the 1930s, 40s, and 50s as to be an entirely different game. This form of fencing is that practiced by the US Fencing Association (USFA) and the FIE.

In contrast, the non-electric, or standard game, is still alive and well -- and, in fact, growing in popularity. We teach standard fencing using classical teaching methodology.

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

Foils were originally designed as training weapons in the early 1600s. They were never designed for combat. The foil weighs about one pound. It has a flexible blade with a rectangular cross-section. 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.

Epee

The ŽpŽe 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. The ŽpŽe weighs about 1.5 pounds and has a stiff triangular blade. Despite being a combat weapon, it is light enough to be used for practice as well (with a blunt tip, of course). The target area for ŽpŽe is the entire body, head to toe. Touches must be delivered with the point to be valid. 

ƒpŽe 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.

The goal of standard epee fencing is to score the first touch without being touched oneself. There is virtually no room for error.

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). The sporting sabre weighs about a pound. It has a flexible Y- or I-shaped blade and a wrap-around guard. 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.