History of Fencing

According to author Richard Cohen, fencing was first depicted on a relief in the Temple of Madinat Habu where the men in the drawing on the wall are "clearly not dueling - they appear to be wearing masks, padded over the ears and tied to their wigs, and the tips of their weapons have been covered. There are judges on either side holding feathered wands, and the score is being kept on a piece of papyrus."¹

Fencing slowly evolved over time, and is cited by some to have the bloodiest history of any other Olympic or recreational sport. Although the sword was believed to have first appeared between 1500 and 1100 B.C. in Minoan Crete and Celtic Britain² its initial use in sport was the matter of dueling. A close resemblance of modern day fencing was seen in the Roman empire during the age of the Gladiators. Romans and Gladiators would practice thrusting from a distance in order to avoid being hit themselves. Throughout England, dueling became a way of life. One could challenge any he pleased on the streets at any time. Out of utter horror of the amount of blood shed upon the streets of England and the safety of citizens, rules were established to try to hone the feuds fought by sword. As time progressed, rules changed, styles were adapted, and the modern sport of fencing began to emerge.

Fencing, by simple definition, is the art of engaging self-defense by use of a foil, épée, or sabre. It is a civil duel between two individuals with a preceding referee, or judge, determining the actions of attack and defense and awarding points. Though not as bloody as its earlier predecessors, modern fencing still entails the same simple design and characteristics.

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Weapons of Fencing

There are three primary weapons that are used in modern day fencing; the foil, the épée, and the sabre. Below are the definitions and a short description of the styles of each of these three weapons.

Foil - The most basic and rudimentary weapon of all three. The Foil is the most common weapon used by beginning fencers. The foil can be recognized by the small, rounded bell guard at the end of the slender, almost square-shaped blade. Foil follows the basic methods of declaring an attack (offense), refusing the attack (defense), and a specified target area, the torso between the waist and neck and between the shoulders. A good measure of target area is by looking at the fencing jacket worn by an opponent. If one were to cut off the arms of the jacket at the shoulder seams and around where the mask bib rests, then tie a belt around the defender's waist, this would be optimal target area.

Épée - The épée is commonly referred to as a game of physical chess by those who fence this weapon. A broader, stiffer blade than that of a foil allows one to either avoid being hit or force their way through an opponent's defense, and the larger bell allows for better guard against attacks. The style of fencing épée is based upon the style of European classical fencing, where the first fencer to draw his (women were not allowed to fence until later) opponent's blood was declared the victor. Because of this rule, in épée, the entire body is the target area, but the most optimal range to hit would be the closest part of the body to the offender (i.e. the defender's weapon arm/hand). Unlike sabre or foil, there is no right-of-way (declaration of attack) in épée, allowing both parties to earn a point if a simultaneous hit were to occur within a certain time limit.

Sabre - The most aggressive form of fencing, sabre offers those who fence it a taste into true sword combat. Sabre follows foil in the sense that one must first declare their intentions to attack (most notably by extending the arm) before scoring a point, but unlike the thrusting of foil or épée it is a hacking and slashing motion of the blade. The slightly longer blade gives for longer reaches and the curved knuckle guard helps keep the fencer's hand protected from an attack. One will need this protection since target area for sabre is any area higher than the waist, including the head and arms.

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Methods of Fencing

Methods of fencing can be described in a simple, humorous term: stick the pointy end in the other person....oh, and don't get hit. Very simple, right? There are, however, a few rules that must be followed.

In weapons such as foil and sabre one must follow the right-of-way procedure. Right-of-way means that one of the two opponents has declared his or her intention on attacking. In 99% of these cases, it is stated with the extension of the weapon arm either before or during an advance, and most notably before the lunge or strike. If one has declared right-of-way, the opponent does not have the right to score a point, even if their point lands on target area first. They must first remove the attacker's right to attack. This is done with a parry, or a tap of the blade. Now, the one who was the opponent can declare right-of-way to attack. Both sides may perform this exchange as many times as it takes for one of them to score a touch, or hit. Foil and sabre also have a specified target area. As mentioned earlier, foil's target area is the torso, excluding the arms and head. Sabre's target area is any area above the waist, including the arms and head of the opponent. In both foil and sabre, only one fencer can score a point at a time, and if one fencer were to hit the other one in an area outside of the target area, no point is awarded. There are two noticeable differences between foil and sabre fencing. The first is the manner of scoring a point. With foil you thrust at the opponent whereas in sabre you cut towards the opponent. This leads to the second difference; in foil you score a point only when the tip of your weapon comes in contact, and in sabre you may hit your opponent with any side of your weapon, but majority of the time you will want to cut towards your opponent with the cutting edge of the blade (located facing away from the fencer while they are standing en garde (at ready position) .

In épée, there is no right-of-way or target area. Both fencers may make an attack at the same time, and score a point from hitting any area of their opponent. Most proficient épéeists will aim for the closest target their opponent is presenting, such as the hand, arm, or even sometimes the knee or foot. For example, let's say John and Sally are fencing. John is a more proficient fencer than Sally. Sally moves closer to John and begins to extend her arm. John quickly, but smoothly, extends his arm, using his stiff blade and large bell guard to force Sally's point off target, while his point firmly hits on the inside of Sally's elbow on her weapon hand. This is an example of counter-attack. Since épée does not follow the rules of right-of-way, John would not have to parry Sally's blade, he can start his attack, even though Sally has already started to extend her arm. The closest point on Sally's body to John's weapon tip is her arm, so he aims to hit her forearm and slides into the crook of her inner elbow, scoring a point. However, let's say that John's attack did not force Sally's point off target (or away from John's body) and Sally was able to hit John, while John's attack still hit Sally. Unlike foil and sabre, both fencers will receive a point given they hit in the set time limit as defined by USFA rules (1/25th of a second).

There are two types of fencing: electric and "dry". Electric fencing is exactly what it sounds like. All three weapons have electrical wires connected to them that either completes (foil and sabre) or disrupts (épée) a circuit, which sends a signal through a cord running on the inside of the fencing jacket to a floor box which is connected to a light box. A corresponding light appears on the light box according to whomever should be awarded the touch. In foil and sabre, in order to complete a circuit, fencers must wear conductive jackets, called a lamé. In electric fencing there is typically only one judge or official who stands opposite the scoring light box. However, in some occasions a second judge will stand behind the scoring light box to watch the first judge's blind side. This second judge serves only as an eye to the main judge and may never halt the action of a bout, only suggest that there was an off target hit or passé (past the opponent).

The other form of fencing is "dry", or non-electric, fencing. Dry fencing is usually conducted at most clubs or organizations that lack or do not wish to use full electrical equipment. Dry fencing also helps train and instruct new judges. Since there are no electrical circuits or scoring lights to tell a judge who made contact first during a simultaneous attack, most judges rely on the honesty of the fencers. If a fencer believes he or she has been touched by their opponent, they will raise their none weapon hand with one or two fingers and stamp their front foot on the ground (appel). The stamping of the foot will get the judge's attention. This may be used in various different methods, such as to tie a shoe or fix something you see wrong with your opponent like a broken weapon or unzipped jacket. Dry fencing may enlist just one judge, but is typically held using 5 judges: one main judge in the center of the strip and four on each corner of the strip watching the respective opposite side. When the five-judge system is used, a point method is used to determine if a point will be scored. Each of the four corner judges will count as one point and the main judge will count as two, as to break any ties that may occur. The main judge, however, is the only judge who has final say in all the action that occurred. Upon halting the action, the main judge will ask the four assisting judges about the action. Each judge is to only give one of four actions: a fist held in the air meaning no touch or off target, two fingers held up in the air meaning good touch, a wave of the arm out to the side of the body meaning the fencer's tip they were watching was passé, and a wave of the hand in front of the face meaning that particular judge abstains or could not see the action.

The Ball State Fencing Club practices the dry method of judging a fencing bout regularly but also use electric equipment so beginning students will have a chance to see the equipment work before going to a tournament or competition.

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Works Cited

1. Richard Cohen, By The Sword (New York: The Modern Library, 2003) p. 3.
2. R. Ewart Oakeshott, The Archaeology of Weapons (New York: Barnes & Noble, 1994) p. 25.