This post presents the basic fundamentals of fencing to alleviate some of the confusion about the sport.
Many people go into fencing knowing very little of what the sport requires, most gaining what knowledge they have from watching movies in which the actors fight with "skinny swords". Contrary to popular belief, fencing is so much more than just flinging around blades trying to stab each other - the sport has diverse equipment, specialized terms, and various rules that are imperative to know if you're going to fence.
- What Is Fencing?
"Fencing is an organised sport involving the use of the sword - épée, foil, or sabre - for attack and defense according to set movements and rules." [1]
With the development of gunpowder in the 14th century, armor became useless when faced with an onslaught of musket balls, so the practice of skillful swordplay became increasingly popular. It wasn't until the late 19th century that the act of dueling was developed into a sport, appearing in the Olympics for the first time in 1896. [2]
- Blade types
Foil
Blade - approx. 35 in. in length, weighs less than 1 lb, blade is flexible and rectangular, and
points are only scored with the tip of the blade.
Target area - only the torso from shoulders to groin, front and back. [3]points are only scored with the tip of the blade.
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| Foil blade. © 2013 with permission from Elizabeth Kensinger |
Épée
Blade - approx. 35 in., weighs approx. 27 oz (heaviest blade), blade is stiffer and has a larger guard to protect the hand. Points are scored with the tip of the blade.
Target area - entire body. [3] |
| Epee blade. © 2013 with permission from Elizabeth Kensinger |
Sabre
Blade - approx. 35 in., weighs less than 1 lb, similar to the foil. Points can be scored from
both point, and side of the blade.
Target area - from the bend of the hips to the top of the head, front and back. [3]both point, and side of the blade.
 |
| Sabre blade. © 2013 with permission from Elizabeth Kensinger |
I'll go more into the equipment used and a deeper history of the sport and blade types in my next posts, so stay tuned!
Sources
1. Fencing. britanica.com. Retrieved 2013-10-24.
2. Fencing Equipment and History. Olympic.org. Retrieved 2013-10-24.
3. The Cutting Edge. thecuttingedge.s5.com. Retrieved 2013-10-24.
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ReplyDeleteHey Megan, I have a lot of questions this time. Do you have any fencing mentors or people you really admire in the sport? Have you done any other physical activities and if so how would you compare them? Are there any fencing studios in Richardson and if so are you going to talk about private lessons? Do you ever have anyone from a fencing studio talk to or instruct the group?
ReplyDeleteThere used to be a fencing studio next to my house, but it closed downed. I almost signed up for lessons a few times, but never did. Who are the instructors in the fencing club? Are there different practice times depending on which weapon you use?
Did you know a few of the people in the fencing club also participate in the swing dance group on campus?
That is a lot of questions - ok let's do this.
ReplyDeleteI don't really have 'mentors', but the older people in our club who have been doing fencing for a few years now teach us, and they're all pretty amazing so much admiration goes to them.
I used to do competitive swimming for the majority of my life and never actually enjoyed it, so partaking in a sport I actually want, and can't wait to do is a new experience, and I feel like fencing is actually helping me get stronger, physically and mentally, where swimming never has.
You know, I have no idea if there are fencing studios in Richardson, I may have heard about one, but have no idea where it is. I feel like the people teaching in the club are good enough to where I would only look into private lessons if I wanted to compete seriously, and considering I'm not a competitive person, that probably won't be any time soon.
I think the club does try to get people from studios in whenever they can, but of course that costs money, and those willing to instruct on their own time are hard to find. I think it has been done at some point, though.
The majority of the instructors at the club have been fencing for 4+ years I think, there's one guy who's been doing it for about 13. As far as it being just a club on campus it's pretty efficient and has it's own equipment so you don't have to go off and spend $200 on all of that.
There are three different practice times - Monday and Thursday nights from 10 - 12 p.m. are for everyone, beginners and veterans alike. Then there's an extra practice session for more experienced people on Saturdays from 3 - 5 p.m. They also just got permission to allow students to come in and use the equipment whenever they want, as long as they take care of it and only practice in specific areas.
All weapons are used at all practice times, they just split us into groups, so if you wanted to try all the weapons you could just migrate around.
I did know some of them participate in the swing dance group, and I have considered stopping by at some point too, if not to just embarrass myself.
Hope that answered everything!