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About Fencing
The history
of fencing stretches back to the days of ancient
Egypt and Rome. It has developed over many centuries,
through the fast and elegant Renaissance period
and into the modern and popular sport of fencing
that we know today. Fencing has always been regarded
as more than just a sport; it is an art form and
a deeply personal, individual form of expression.
Fencing is and always has been a fundamental part
of life, from early duelling and battling to the
widely captivating movies such as Zorro and The
Princess Bride.
Fencing is about mastering the art of swordplay
and there are three types of weapon used:
The foil is the lightest of the three weapons
and was originally used by individual swordsmen
to train with before combat. It has a fairly flexible
blade with a sprung tip at the end. The Foil is
a thrusting weapon. A hit will only be registered
if its point makes contact with the opponents’
target area with the required force - 500 grams.
The valid target area in Foil Fencing is the torso
(the area from the shoulders to the groin) front
and back. It does not include the fencer's arms,
legs or head.
The epee is the heaviest of all three weapons
and is closest to actual duelling as the whole
body is valid as the target area. This is because
in later duels (from the 19th Century onwards)
the aim was no longer to kill the opponent, but
rather to disable them with crippling thrusts
to the legs or arms. To this day, hits on the
arms and feet are a speciality of Epee Fencing.
The sabre is descendent of a slashing cavalry
sword and about the same length and weight as
the foil. The Sabre is unique among modern fencing
weapons, as it is a cutting as well as thrusting
weapon. This means that hits are registered with
the cutting edge of the blade as well as the tip,
Another peculiarity of Sabre Fencing is that an
off target hit doesn't mean the end of the phrase.
The valid target area is just the upper body down
to the waist, including the arms and head - simulating
the target area of a person on a horse.
Tell
a friend about Little Musketeers!
Too old for Little Musketeers?
See
our new Duel Fitness junior and adult fencing
club.
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