In the broadest possible sense, fencing is the art and science of armed combat involving cutting, stabbing or bludgeoning weapons directly manipulated by hand, rather than shot or thrown (in other words, swords, knives, pikes, bayonets, batons, clubs, etc. In contemporary common usage, fencing tends to refer specifically to European schools of swordsmanship and to the modern Olympic sport that has evolved out of them.
From the Middle English fense, c. 1330, ultimately deriving from the Latin defendere "ward off, protect," from de- "from, away" + fendere "to strike, push". (1)
First used in writing as a verb in reference to swordsmanship by Shakespeare, in The Merry Wives of Windsor (1598): "Alas sir, I cannot fence."(2)
Fencing can be traced at least as far back as Ancient Egypt. The earliest known depiction of a fencing bout, complete with practice weapons, safety equipment, and judges, is a relief in a temple near Luxor built by Ramesses III around 1190 BC. The Greeks and Romans had systems of martial arts and military training that included swordsmanship, and fencing-schools and professional champions were known throughout medieval Europe. The earliest surviving record of Western techniques of fencing is the manuscript known as MS I.33, which was created in southern Germany c. 1300 and today resides at the Royal Armories in Leeds. Throughout the Middle Ages, masters continued to teach systems for using the sword (together with other weapons and grappling) to noble and non-noble alike. The wearing of the sword with civilian dress (a custom that had begun in the late fifteenth century on the Iberian Peninsula) gradually gave rise to a new system of civilian swordsmanship based more on the thrust than on the cut, with the aim being to keep the adversary at a distance with the point, and slay him there. This gave rise to sixteenth- and seventeenth-century systems of using the rapier and the seventeenth and eighteenth century smallsword. Though swords ceased to be an article of everyday dress after the French Revolution, they continued to be used in warfare and to resolve disputes of honor in formal duels through the nineteenth century and into the twentieth.
Though agonistic competition in fencing is as old as the art itself, the modern sport of fencing originated in the first Olympic Games in 1896. The first few years of fencing as a sport were chaotic, with important rule disagreements among schools of fencing from different countries, notably the representatives of the French and Italian schools. This state of affairs ended in 1913, with the foundation of the Fédération Internationale d'Escrime (FIE) in Paris. The stated purpose of the FIE is to codify and regulate the practice of the sport of fencing, particularly for the purpose of international competition. The foundation of the FIE is a convenient breaking point between the classical and the modern traditions of fencing.
There are many autonomous directions in contemporary fencing:
Sport fencing, also known as Olympic fencing, is the sort of fencing seen in most competitions (including the Olympic Games). It is conducted according to the rules laid down by the FIE (the international governing body), which are roughly based on a set of conventions developed in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries to govern the practice of fencing as a martial art and a gentlemanly accomplishment. Due to technical developments and ideological disagreements, the details are subject to frequent revisions and amendments. Sport fencing is what this article is predominantly about.
Classical fencing is differentiated from sport fencing as being closer (in various degrees) to swordplay as a martial art. Those who call themselves classical fencers may advocate the modern sport's return to what they see as more authentic practices. In some quarters, this debate has been extremely bitter and has resulted in a virtual schism between the mainstream fencing community and a group of traditionalists who want to reinstate the "classical fencing" of the late 19th and early 20th century.
Historical Fencing is a type of historical martial arts reconstruction based on the surviving texts and traditions. Predictably, historical fencers study an extremely wide array of weapons from different regions and periods. They may work with bucklers, daggers, polearms, bludgeoning weapons etc.
Academic Fencing, or mensur, is a German student tradition. The combat, which uses a type of cutting saber known as the schlager, uses sharpened blades and takes place between members of different fraternities in accordance with a strictly delineated set of conventions, using special protective gear. The ultimate goal is the development of personal character, to show coolness and proper deportment in the face of a sharp blade.
The weapons
In both its modern and its classical guise, fencing consists of three different weapons: foil épée and sabre. These three weapons had become standard by the late nineteenth century and all are represented at Olympic-level competition. Additionally, in classical academies, one will often find historical fencing weapons, such as canne, bâton, main-gauche or rapier and dagger, being taught.
Foil used to be the first weapon taught to beginners, because the techniques of foil teach, in abstract form, the fundamentals of fencing. Additionally, in the past, women were only allowed to fence foil, and the lightness of the weapon made it easier to handle for children. Today, while it is still advisable to gain at least a fundamental grasp of foil before proceeding with either of the other two weapons, fencers, especially those who intend to fence sabre, often begin with any of the three weapons.
While the weapons fencers use differ in size and purpose some basic parts of the weapon remain constant throughout the disciplines. The pommel, a weighted piece of metal at the end of the handle, holds the blade and handle together and provides a counter-balance to the weight of the blade. The grip is also somewhat universal, though several styles exist, and most are inappropriate for sabre fencing. The other parts of the weapons - the blades, guards, and electric components - are differentiated enough that they cannot legally be swapped between weapons of different types.
The modern foil is a light weapon, with a tapered, flexible, quadrangular blade, that scores only with the point. "Electric" foils, used in modern sport fencing, have a button on the end which much be depressed with a force of at least 4.90 newtons (500 grams-force) to register a hit.
The valid target area at foil is limited to only the trunk of the body, where the vitals are located. A touch which lands on an invalid target stops the bout, but no point is scored.
In addition to simply thrusting the point of the weapon at the opponent, a fencer may score a foil touch by "flicking" or "whipping" the blade towards the opponent, bypassing most classical parries and hitting on the back or shoulders. This technique is an unintended result of the foil rules, and is controversial as it is very far removed from traditional, classical style fencing, but it is still perfectly legal. To circumvent the flick, in 2005 the FIE changed the "depression timing" of the tip. This caused most "flick touches" to be no longer detected by the scoring machines, thus favoring more classical, straight thrusts.
Foil is one of the two weapons, the other being sabre, that use the rules of "right of way".
The épée is the heaviest of the three weapons (approaching the weight of an actual court sword). It has a comparatively stiff blade with a V-shaped or approximately traingular cross-section, and a large round guard which offers much more protection to the wrist than the foil guard.
The épée was developed in the late 19th century by a group of French fencers who wanted a sporting weapon which gave a closer approximation of an actual duel. Like the foil, the épée is a thrusting weapon: to score a valid hit the fencer must fix the point of his weapon on his opponent's target. However, épée lacks the foil's most artificial conventions: the restricted target area and the priority rules. In épée, a hit can be scored by landing a hit anywhere on the opponent's body. The fencer whose hit lands first receives the point, irrespective of what happened in the preceding phrase. If two hits arrive simultaneously (within 40 milliseconds of each other), a double hit is recorded, and both fencers get a point (except for in modern pentathalon one-hit épée , where both fencers immediately suffer a "double loss").
In order for the scoring apparatus to register a hit, the push-button on the end of the weapon must remain fully depressed for 2-10 milliseconds. To register, the hit must arrive with a force of at least 7.35 newtons (750 grams) - a slightly higher threshold than the foil's 4.9 newtons (500 grams). All hits register as valid, unless they land on a grounded metal surface, such as a part of the opponent's weapon, in which case they do not register at all. At large events, grounded conductive pistes are often used in order to prevent the registration of hits against the floor. At smaller events and in club fencing, it is generally the responsibility of the referee to watch out for floor hits. These often happen by accident, when an épéeist tries to hit the opponent's foot and misses. In such cases, they are simply ignored. However, deliberate hits against the floor are treated as "dishonest fencing" and penalized accordingly (see "The Practice of Fencing" below).
In the pre-electric era, épéeist used a point d'arret, a three-pronged point with small protruding spikes, which would snag on the opponent's clothing or mask, helping the referee to see the hits. The spikes caused épée fencing to be a notoriously painful affair, and épéeist could be easily recognized by the tears in their jacket sleeves. These days, the adherents of the point d'arret are few and far between, and non-electric weapons are generally fitted with foil-style rubber buttons.
Épée fencing tends to be more conservative in style than the other weapons, and the game tends to be somewhat slower and more contemplative.
The sabre is the "cutting" weapon, with a curved guard and a triangular blade. However, in modern electric scoring, a touch with any part of the sabre, point, flat or edge, as long as it is on target, will register a hit.
The target area in sabre is everything from the waist up, except for the hands.
Like foil, sabre fencing uses right of way rules. However, the definition of an "attack" is different for the two weapons, and as a result the right of way rules in the different weapons distinguish them significantly. Sabre right of way rewards very fast fencing (on offense and defense), and so sabre fencing tends to be more aggressive in style than the other weapons.
Unlike in foil and épée, the forward crossover has been disallowed, as before both fencers could simply run and jump at each other at the start of a touch. Today, some sabre fencers use a "flying lunge", or "flunge", to produce a similar result without crossing over, but much of sabre fencing stays entirely on the ground.
Phone: (203)-980-0459
email: info@elitejkd.net
Current Events What is Jeet Kune Do? About The Instructors Elite JKD's Programs Certification Elite JKD's Family Tree Home
Intensive Personal Training Programs Elite Fighting Programs Learn JKD In Your Own Home Law Enforcement Programs Seminars & Workshops
Elite Jeet Kune Do LLC is an organization dedicated to the exploration/teaching of realistic street self-defense. Elite JKD was formed by renowned instructor
Eric Wnek | Voice: 203-980-0459 | © 2006 elitejkd.net, All Rights Reserved | Please contact webmaster with any questions webmaster@progressivetacticalsystems.com