Fencing History
The earliest records of Sword fighting as a sport date are from Egypt around 1200BC.
Pictures have been found showing sporting bouts with masks, protective weapon tips, and judges.
Modern Fencing is more like the un-armoured forms of Duelling than the combat sports such as jousting that were popular in Europe in the Middle Ages.
The first known manual containing real fencing techniques was published in Spain in 1471.
During the 16th Century the French and Italian schools began to formalise different Fencing styles and moves.
In 1553 the Italian Fencing master Agrippa defined the four fencing positions: prime, seconde, tierce and quatre.
By the 18th Century the rapier had evolved into a shorter lighter weapon, which became known in France as the small sword. Like the rapier, the small sword also had an edge, but it was only used to prevent the opponent from grabbing the blade rather than the cutting movements sometimes used in Rapier duelling. The development of the small sword, and its light weight, led to the French school based on defence with the sword, subtle movements and complex attacks. For training, the French schools added a leather safety tip that resembled a flower bud. The small sword became known in French as “le fleuret”. (the foil is still called “le fleuret” in French). The French school of small sword fencing still forms the basis of most modern Fencing Theory, especially Foil Fencing.
By the mid 19th Century, duelling was in decline as a means of settling disputes. Emphasis shifted to defeating the opponent without necessarily killing him. Less fatal forms evolved using the duelling sword, or epee de terrain, an un-edged variant of the small sword. As early as 1573, the use of the Epee without a dagger was being advocated, with the publication of the first French Fencing Treatise. This form of duelling still forms the basis of modern epee fencing.
Cutting swords were used in blood-sports such as backsword prize-fights as far back as the 17th century. Italian masters formalized sabre fencing into a non-fatal sporting/training form with metal weapons in the late 19th century. Hungarian masters developed a new school of sabre fencing that emphasized finger control over arm strength, and they dominated sabre fencing for most of the 20th century.
The first American fencing school was founded in 1874. The sport was introduced by immigrant French and Italian Fencing Masters. The FIE (Fédération Internationale d’Escrime = International Fencing Federation) was founded in 1913.
Men’s Foil and Sabre fencing was part of the first modern Olympic Games in 1896. Epee Fencing was then introduced in 1900. Epee bouts were electrified in the 1936 games, foil in 1956, and sabre in 1988. Fencing was, until recently, the only Olympic sport in which professionals were allowed to compete. Women's foil competitions were introduced at the 1924 Olympic Games, and Women's epee was contested for the first time in 1996, although it has been part of the World Championships since 1989. Women's sabre made its first appearance in the 1998 World Championships as a demonstration sport.
Fencing is also one of the five events of the Modern Pentathlon, which has been an Olympic Sport since 1912. The event was first conceived to be a test of the skills taught at military academies of the time. The idea behind the competition was that a military courier would set out on horseback to carry a message. Along the way he had to fight a duel with epees, use a pistol, swim across a river and then run to reach his goal. Since the first Olympic Modern Pentathlon, most of the five events have changed. The Fencing event however has remained virtually the same, with a single hit deciding each bout. The other major change since 1912 is that the Modern Pentathlon event has also been shortened from five days to a single day.
There are some differences between classical and modern Fencing. Classical Fencing is essentially duelling with sharp blades. Some purists consider Classical Fencing to be the “real” fencing as it continues the traditions of the French and Italian schools that predominated before electric Fencing was introduced. This means that, apart from the danger and related psychological factors, the primary technical difference between Classical and Modern Fencing is that the Classical duellist can win with only a single good touch. This means that a Classical duel may be won through luck as well as skill.
Modern Fencing on the other hand, apart from using electric weapons, is much more mobile and athletic, as the Fencer has to hit their opponent a total of 15 times in order to win the bout.
Modern Fencing therefore requires more technical and tactical depth.
Nowadays, Fencing is far more than just a sport, the ancient symbol of power and glory has evolved into an art form.
Foil
Historically the Foil was used as the practice weapon for the rapier or small sword. Its French name (le fleuret) comes from the fact its protective tip resembled a flower bud. The foil has a flexible rectangular blade of maximum length 110 cm (approx 35") and a total weight of less than 500g (less than 1lb). Foils may be used with French, Italian or Orthopaedic Grips. The Foil is a purely 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 origins of this date from the 16th Century when Fencing masters encouraged their pupils to concentrate on this area. This was because a hit on the arms or legs would not disable an opponent enough to prevent them coming back to kill the pupil. The regulation clothing for Foil fencing includes a Lame (a vest made of a conductive metallic fabric) which allows a valid touch to be registered. Foil fencers wear a body cord inside their jackets which connects the foil via a cable reel to the signaling unit.
Epee
The epee is a thrusting weapon that has evolved from the dueling sword. Its blade is triangular in cross-section and less flexible than a foil blade, but also about 110cm (approx 35") long. The total weight of an epee is max. 750g (approx 27oz). The epee guard is larger than a foil guard in order to protect the hand from a valid hit.A valid hit requires a pressure of 750grams. This is equal to the amount of force necessary to break human skin. Historically, honour was done in a duel when the first blood was drawn. Unlike foil fencing, a touch is registered by the spring loaded tip of the Epee, rather than the target area. This is why no lame (conductive vest) is needed in Epee Fencing. In Epee Fencing, the whole body is valid as a 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 hands and feet are a speciality of Epee Fencing.
Sabre
Sabre Fencing can be traced back to the 1680s. The weapon was traditionally used as a slashing cavalry sword. Hungarian Hussars (light horsemen) brought sabres to Western Europe. During the 19th century Hungarian Fencing Masters revolutionised the art of Sabre Fencing by placing a greater emphasis on finger control rather than arm strength. The word "sabre" comes from the Hungarian and means "Single edged cutting weapon". Weighing less than 500 grams (1lb) the sabre is extremely light and very flexible. The weapon consists of a grip, guard and blade, whose cross section is triangular. Nowadays, the sabre blade is entirely straight, but sometimes can be slightly curved at the tip, or has a button-like thickening (within the regulations The Sabre is unique among modern fencing weapons, as it is a cutting as well as thrusting weapon. This means that hits are not only registered with the tip, but also the cutting edge of the sabre blade. Another peculiarity of Sabre Fencing is that an off-target hit doesn't mean the end of the bout. The valid target area is just the upper body to the waist, but including the arms and head - simulating the target area of a person on a horse. (Any hit below this saddle line would hit the horse) The target area is protected using a vest made of conductive fabric. There are also special conductive sabre masks which are used because the head is also part of the valid target area (unlike with foil and epee).
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© 2005-2007 Alex Miller