WHAT IS FENCING
Fencing, the art of swordsmanship, has been practiced for centuries. First, it was to
train for deadly combat—the duel. Now it is for Olympic gold. Through fencing you can
acquire the reflexes of a boxer, the legs of a high-jumper and the concentration of a
tournament chess player. The sport develops agility, strength, speed and cunning.
And because of the speed of its action, fencing is considered the fastest martial sport.
The sport of fencing is fast and athletic, a far cry from the choreographed bouts you see on film
or on the stage. Instead of swinging from a chandelier or leaping from balconies, you will see two
fencers performing an intense dance on a 2X14 strip. The movement is so fast the
touches are scored electrically.
The modern sport of fencing has three different events: foil, epee and saber. Each has a slightly
different history, target area and rules. Foil and saber were developed more as training weapons,
while epee is a descendant of weapons used in duels. Just as you would imagine, the goal in all
three weapons is to hit the opponent on the valid target without being hit.
Although the motions of fencing are complex and the variations endless, the actions of a bout fall
into several basic categories. Either fencer may initiate an offensive action and force the opponent
to defend. The fencer first beginning an offensive action is called the attacker. Movement that
blocks an attack is referred to as a parry, and the return action after the parry is referred to as a
riposte. The fencer attacking into an opponent who has begun to attack has executed what is
referred to as a counterattack.
As in other sports, fencers have different personalities. Some prefer initiating offensive actions
while others prefer to wait and respond to the opponent’s initiative. The cleverest fencers learn to
draw their opponents into traps, fooling the opponent into thinking that he or she is vulnerable
and drawing a predictable response which can then be exploited.
Similar to boxing, success in fencing depends largely on a fencer’s ability to manipulate distance.
The fencer needs to stay far enough away to avoid being hit, while at the same time get close
enough to hit when the opponent is least prepared to defend. Much of the movement on the strip
is done to set up the proper distance and timing for the final hit. Although the blade work seems
complex to the newcomer, the goal is simple. The preparatory blade work is an attempt to get the
opponent to respond—opening up a part of the target area that can be hit. For example, the
attacker feints (pretends to be attacking) towards one part of the target. When the opponent tries
to parry this attack, the attacker deceives the parry and hits on another part of the target.