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Fencing? - A Brief Introduction
Intro |
Fencing Bouts |
Training |
Social |
Weapons Categories
Fencing means different things to different people. For some it is just fun, and the chance to have some exercise,
meet friends and take part in the social life of a club or Salle d'Armes. Others take it very seriously, spending long
hours training, and taking part in competitions most weekends. Ages can be anywhere from under ten to over eighty - it
is a lifelong sport for men and women, where an experienced seventy- year old is almost certain to beat a beginner of
twenty. Clubs can be found all over the World - it is one of the largest sports worldwide in terms of participation. Modern
fencing's rules were formalised in France, and its governing body, the Federation Internationale d'Escrime (FIE), is based
in Lausanne. The FIE is responsible for standards and for the competition rules used at every level, from Schoolgirls and
Schoolboys Championships to the Olympic Games.
In fencing competitions a fencer meets many different opponents. In individual competitions, the winner of a bout is the
person who first reaches a set number of 'hits', usually five or fifteen. In team events, the hits scored in the individual
bouts are accumulated, and the winning team is the first to reach a set total, typically forty-five. So if one member of a
team is having a bad day and allowing the other side accumulate hits, the others can make up the deficit.
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Fencing Bouts
Fencing bouts take place on a long narrow strip, or 'piste', 14 metres long and 1.5 metres wide. A fencer who goes off the
piste during a bout may have a hit awarded against him or her. A bout is controlled by a Referee. An electronic apparatus is
used to detect when a fencer makes a hit, and the referee then decides whether a score should be awarded. Bouts are timed, and
if time runs out, the fencer who is leading is awarded the victory.
So what is it like to take part in a fencing bout? You are there on the piste, you test the electronic apparatus, salute your
opponent and put on your mask (which protects your head and face). Your friends and team-mates may be shouting encouragement, but
when the Referee says 'Allez', they all fade away. It is just you and someone you may never have met who is trying to hit you while
you are trying to hit him or her. You have to focus, to be very aware of what he or she is doing, any patterns in movement, any
predictability you can exploit, any timing you can use to advantage, any psychological weakness. You move back and forth on the
piste, testing your opponent out. Things happen suddenly and very quickly. Maybe your opponent gets the first few hits - you learn,
stop leaving that opening, and fight back. Never mind the past, it's the next hit, it's now that you are focussed on. Then the fight
has ended. Maybe you have won. Maybe you have lost. No matter - it's the next fight that counts.
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Training
You want to improve, to be as good as you can, so you get lessons from a fencing coach, and you practise, practise, practise. You
have to be able to move smoothly and suddenly, with no indication to your opponent of what's going to happen. You practise footwork,
legs bent all the time, until you can switch smoothly from retreating to advancing, and lunge forward with no forewarning. The coach
helps you learn how to do this and how to control the weapon. It becomes an extension of your hand, a sensor which can detect what's
happening and react without conscious effort. Less is more - you eliminate unnecessary movements, learn to react as quickly as possible.
You do fitness training to build up stamina. Any tiredness in a bout and your reflexes will be off by a few hundredths of a second,
enough to cost you the fight. You develop mental stamina, an ability to stay focussed and keep fighting back, no matter how badly things
are going. You do very little actual fencing in a training session, other than the lesson with the coach - if you do, it will usually be
to try to perfect some move in combat conditions, this time winning doesn't matter. You go to competitions, lower standard ones first,
moving up as you gain competitive experience and start getting results. Fencing is an Olympic sport - there are no limits to how far
you can go.
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Social
Or maybe for you fencing is not so serious. Certainly you train, get lessons from a coach, practise footwork and blade control, but
mostly you want to have some friendly bouts and some fun. That also is fine. Once you have reached a reasonable standard, you can drop
into a fencing club anywhere in the world, fencers are always keen to have someone new to fence against. However, the more you develop
your skills, and the less you depend on raw speed and agility, the easier it is keep fencing as you get older. Skilled fencers can continue
to enjoy fencing into their eighties.
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Weapon Categories
Fencers often specialise in just one of the three different weapons used in fencing, the foil, epee, and sabre. The weapons differ in
the way they are used to score hits - in foil and epee, only a thrust with the point of the weapon counts, whereas in sabre a hit can also
be made by the side of the blade. A hit must arrive on the correct target area. In foil, this is the trunk of the body, the limbs and head
are 'off target'. In epee, the target is the whole body, while in sabre the target is everything from the waist up. The timing of the hit
which scores is also different. In epee, it is simply whichever hit arrives first, but in foil and sabre it is the hit made by the action
that started first. In these two weapons the Referee determines which action had 'right of way', i.e. started first. More information on
the weapons can be found here
Many beginning fencers start with foil, learning various attacks, and various defensive parries to defend and counterattacking ripostes.
and when you join a club, you may find yourself doing foil initially, and then switching to one of the other weapons if you wish.
No matter which weapon you choose, there is an endless amount to learn, and also lifelong opportunities to meet and compete with all kinds
of people, strike up enduring friendships, and have a lot of fun.
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