With its mix of furious action and romantic flair, fencing has evolved
from an ancient form of combat to one of the most technical and tactical
sports of the modern era.
There are three different fencing weapons: sabre, foil and epee.
Foil
The foil was the original fencing weapon. A hit is scored when
the point of the blade contacts the opponent's torso.
To record the touch electronically, each fencer wears a sleeveless
metallic vest, the "lamé" (pronounced la-may), which defines
the target area. The electric
scoring equipment uses a coloured light to show the referee
who has been hit "on target". Hits anywhere outside the target
zone are "off target", and set off a white light. They don't score
but do stop the action.
A hit can only be scored by the fencer who has "priority".
Priority is initially taken by the fencer who begins the attacking
action.
A defender, before earning the right to score, must successfully
defeat the attack (done by retreating or by deflecting the attack
with a "parry") and responding with the reply (the riposte). This
riposte takes priority over the other fencer's original attack.
These simple actions build to complicated exchanges. After each
exchange resulting in a hit, the referee stops the action, adjudicates
to determine who had priority, and awards any point scored.
Sabre
The sabre was originally the fighting weapon of the cavalry,
and was designed for use on horseback. However, the modern fencing
sabre has a much thinner blade than a military sword. A sabre
fencer scores hits by cutting the opponent with the edge or by
thrusting with the point to score a touch. (Foil and epee use
the point only).
"Target" for sabre is all the body above the waist. As with foil,
sabre fencers wear a lamé jacket, though for sabre the jacket
is long sleeved, and connected to the mask by a wire to complete
the target area.
Again like Foil, the electric
scoring equipment uses a coloured light to show the referee
who has been hit "on target". However, unlike foil with its "off
target" white lights, hits anywhere outside the sabre target zone
are not recorded. They don't score and do not stop the action.
Sabre, like foil, has rules determining the priority of hits,
adjudicated by the referee. The attacker has the right to score.
A defender, before earning the right to score, must parry, then
riposte.
Epee
The epee (pronounced e-pay, with a short "e"
- as in "epic", rather than "email") derives
from the duelling sword of the 19th century, the epee de combat
("sword of combat"). It is the heaviest of the three
weapons.
The entire body is target for the epee - from the toe to the
mask. Simulating the duel, opponents often try to reach the nearest
target - the hand, arm or the foot.
There are no rules governing right of way in attack or defence.
Scores are recorded when the point of the blade hits any part
of the body: the first fencer to hit scores. If both fencers hit
within 4/100th of a second, they both score. The electric
scoring equipment indicates the hit with a coloured light
showing who has scored.
