About Fencing

Fencing is a modern derivation of the ancient art of sword fighting. The weapons have evolved into lightweight, blunt tipped, non-lethal versions, but the goal is the same: to hit your opponent and avoid being hit yourself. In modern fencing, two opponents square off and bout under the control of a director (referee). The first to score a predetermined number of touches (or hits) against his or her opponent is declared the winner.
Fencing is a sport that appeals to men and women of all sizes, shapes and ages. Brute strength is not required. Points are scored by skill, finesse and out thinking your opponent.
Because of the nature of fencing, safety is the paramount concern. All fencers are required to wear steel mesh masks, gloves, chest protectors and padded jackets. Compared to other “contact” sports, fencing is is quite safe. While the objective is to touch your opponent with a weapon, injuries are very rare.

What weapons are used?
In modern fencing there are 3 weapons - foil, epee and sabre. Each has it’s own rules and own techniques.

Foil
Foil is a fast lightweight weapon with a rectangular blade and a relatively small bell guard. It is a thrusting weapon, meaning points are scored with the tip only. The blade is flexible and bends easily on contact. The valid target area is the torso. Head, arms and legs are considered “off-target”. Studying foil, the student learns hand, arm, footwork and blade control, which is the basis of all modern fencing. Though sometimes described a training or beginner’s weapon, foil is by far the most popular weapon among advanced fencers.

Epee (pronounced Eh-pay)
The epee could be described as “a foil on steroids”. Derived from a French dueling sword, it has a heavier, triangular, grooved blade and a large bell guard,. As in foil, epee is a tip-scoring weapon. The valid target area is the entire body. Epee fencing tends to be a little slower and more cautious than foil, but nevertheless, epee is quite intense. 

Sabre
The sabre is a lightweight weapon with a hybrid blade. It starts out triangular at the guard, and tapers to a thin rectangular blade. The guard is curved to cover the hand. The sabre is derived from a cavalry sword but its origins trace back to the Turkish scimitar. It is essentially a slashing weapon but points are scored both by slashing hits and with the tip. Valid target area in saber is anything from the waist up, including the arms and head. Sabre is said to be the fastest weapon and arguably the most flamboyant. Most of the fencing choreography seen on stage or in movies is based on sabre techniques.