»About the Sport |
(source:
"Fencing: A Modern Sport" -
from the USFA Official Website)
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 6-feet by 44-feet strip. The movement
is so fast the touches are scored electrically – a lot more like Star
Wars than Errol Flynn.
The Bout
Competitors win a fencing bout (what an individual “game” is called) by
being the first to score 15 points (in direct elimination play) or 5
points (in preliminary pool play) against their opponent, or by having a
higher score than their opponent when the time limit expires. Each time
a fencer lands a valid hit - a touch - on their opponent, they receive
one point. The time limit for direct elimination matches is nine minutes
- three three-minute periods with a one-minute break between each.
Fencers are penalized for crossing the lateral boundaries of the strip,
while retreating off the rear limit of their side results in a touch
awarded to their opponent.
Team matches feature three fencers squaring off against another team of
three in a "relay" format. Each team member fences every member of the
opposing team in sequence over 9 rounds until one team reaches 45
touches or has the higher score when time expires in the final round.
Fencing at the Olympic Games will feature a single-elimination table
format, much like that used in Tennis. There will be no preliminary
rounds, as the initial seeding into the table will be determined by
World Rankings.
The Weapons
Foil, epee and saber are the three weapons used in the sport of fencing.
While some fencers compete in all three events, elite generally choose
to focus their energies on mastering one weapon.
Foil - The Sport of Kings
The foil is a descendant of the light court sword formerly used by
nobility to train for duels. It has a flexible, rectangular blade
approximately 35 inches in length and weighing less than one pound.
Points are scored with the tip of the blade and must land on valid
target: torso from shoulders to groin in the front and to the waist in
the back. The arms, neck, head and legs are considered off-target - hits
to this non-valid target temporarily halts the fencing action, but does
not result any points being awarded. This concept of on-target and
off-target evolved from the theory of 18th-century fencing masters, who
instructed their pupils to only attack the vital areas of the body -
i.e. the torso. Of course, the head is also a vital area of the body,
but attacks to face were considered unsporting and therefore
discouraged.
Although top foil fencers still employ classical technique of parries
and thrusts, the flexible nature of the foil blade permits the modern
elite foil fencer to attack an opponent from seemingly impossible
angles.
Competitors often "march" down the fencing strip at their opponent,
looking to whip or flick the point of their blade at the flank or back
of their opponent. Because parrying (blocking) these attacks can be very
difficult, the modern game of foil has evolved into a complicated and
exciting game of multiple feints, ducking and sudden, explosive attacks.
Rules: Understanding "Right-of-Way"
For newcomers to foil fencing, one of the challenging concepts to grasp
is the rule of right-of-way. Right of Way is a theory of armed combat
that determines who receives a point when the fencers have both landed
hits during the same action. The most basic, and important, precept of
right of way is that the fencer who started to attack first will receive
the point if they hit valid target. Naturally, fencer who is being
attacked must defend themselves with a parry, or somehow cause their
opponent to miss in order to take over right of way and score a point.
Furthermore, a fencer who hesitates for too long while advancing on
their opponent gives up right-of-way to their opponent. A touch scored
against an opponent who hesitated to long is called an attack in
preparation or a stop-hit, depending on the circumstances.
Additionally, the referee may determine that the two fencers truly
attacked each other simultaneously. This simultaneous attack is a kind
of tie - no points are awarded, and the fencers are ordered back en
garde by the referee to continue fencing
While it may be difficult to follow the referee's calls (not helped by
the fact that the officiating is performed in French!), the referee
always clearly raises their hand on the side of the fencer.
for whom they have awarded a point. Watching for these hand signals can
make it easier for newcomers to follow the momentum of a fencing bout
without understanding all the intricacies of the rules.
Equipment
Because foil actions often occur at blinding speed, an electrical
scoring system was devised to detect hits on valid target. Each foil has
a blunt, spring-loaded button at the point of the blade that must be
depressed with a pressure of 500 grams or better to register a hit. The
foil fencer’s uniform features an electrically wired metallic vest
called a lamé - a hit to the lamé causes the scoring machine to display
a colored light on the side of the fencer that scored the touch.
Meanwhile, a hit off target - on the arms, legs or head, which are not
covered by the lamés - causes the machine to display a white light. As
mentioned earlier, hits off target stop the action of the match
temporarily, but do not result in a touch being awarded. If the scoring
machine displays both a colored light and a white light, it means the
fencer quickly hit off target and then hit on target before the machine
could lock out. In such situations, the fencer's hit is ruled off target
and no touch is awarded.
Another part of the fencer's equipment is a special cable called a body
cord. This plugs into his foil and runs though the sleeve of his arm out
the back of his uniform, connecting to a retractable reel which is, in
turn, connected to the scoring machine. Of course, with all this
equipment a lot can go wrong, so before each foil bout commences, both
fencers ceremoniously test each other's lamés to ensure they are working
properly.
Epee - Freestyle Fencing
The epee (pronounced “EPP-pay” - literally meaning "sword" in French) is
the descendant of the dueling sword, but is heavier, weighing
approximately 27 ounces, with a stiffer, thicker blade and a larger
guard. As in foil, touches are scored only with the point of the blade,
however in epee the entire body, head-to-toe, is valid target - much
like in an actual duel.
Similar to the foil, the point of the epee is fixed with a blunt,
spring-loaded button. However, the epee tip requires more than 750 grams
of pressure to register a touch with the scoring machine (basically,
epee fencers have to hit harder). Because the entire body is a valid
target area, epee fencers do not have to wear a metallic lamé. There is
no concept of "off-target" in epee - anything goes.
Rules
Unlike foil, epee does not employ a system of "right-of-way." Fencers
score a point by hitting their opponent first. If the fencers hit each
other within 1/25th of a second, both receive a point - this is commonly
referred to as a double touch. The lack of right-of-way combined with a
full-body target naturally makes epee a game of careful strategy and
patience - wild, rash attacks are quickly punished with solid
counter-attacks. So, rather than attacking outright, epeeists often
spend several minutes probing their opponent's defenses and maneuvering
for distance before risking an attack. Others choose to stay on the
defensive throughout the entire bout.
1996 was the first Olympics to feature team and individual Women's Epee
events.
Saber - Hack and Slash
The saber is the modern version of the slashing cavalry sword. As such,
the major difference between saber and the other two weapons is that
saberists can score with the edge of their blade as well as their point.
In saber, the target area is the entire body above the waist, excluding
the hands. The lower half is not valid target, which is meant to
simulate a cavalry rider on a horse. In addition, saber employs rules of
right of way which are very similar to foil but with subtle differences.
Like foil, the fencer who starts to attack first is given priority
should his opponent counter-attack. However, saber referees are much
less forgiving of hesitation by an attacker. It is common to see a saber
fencer execute a stop cut against their opponent's forearm during such a
moment of hesitation, winning right of way an the point.
Again, as in foil, the saber fencer’s uniform features an electrically
wired metallic lamé, which fully covers their valid target area. Because
the head is valid target area, the fencer's mask is also electrically
wired. One significant departure from foil is that off-target hits do
not register on the scoring machine, and therefore do not halt the
fencing action. Saber fencing is also the first of the three weapons to
feature a wireless scoring system.
If epee is the weapon of patient, defensive strategy, then saber is its
polar opposite. In saber, the rules of right of way strongly favor the
fencer who attacks first, and a mere graze by the blade against the lamé
registers a touch with the scoring machine. These circumstances
naturally make saber a fast, agressive game, with fencers rushing their
opponent from the moment their referee gives the instruction to fence.
In fact, a lopsided saber match can literally be over in seconds. As
fending off the attack of a skilled opponent is nearly impossible, saber
fencers very rarely purposely take the defensive. However, when forced
to do so, they often go all-out using spectacular tactical combinations
in which victory or defeat is determined by a hair's breadth.
Athens was the first Olympics to feature a Women's Saber event.
How to Watch a Fencing Bout
For those new to fencing, it can often be challenging to follow the
lightning speed of the fencers’ actions. To become more comfortable in
watching a fencing bout, it often helps focus on the actions of just one
fencers. The fencer being attacked defends himself by use of a parry, a
blocking-motion used to deflect the opponent’s blade, after which they
may attempt to score with a riposte (literally "answer" in French). In
fact, you may notice a particular cadence to the bout as the fencers
rhythmically alternate roles as attacker and defender.
Fencers seek to maintain a safe distance from each other – that is, out
of range of the other’s attack. Then, one may try to close this distance
to gain the advantage for an attack. At times, a fencer will make a
false attack - a feint - to probe the types of reactions and possible
defenses by the opponent. Much of the fencing bout consists of this
preparation, during which a fencer simultaneously determine their
opponent's true intentions while feeding them false information of their
own. The complexity of this deadly "conversation" between the two
opponents represents one of the more subtle beauties of the sport
Of course, eventually one or both fencers will land a valid hit. When
this occurs, the referee stops the bout and - in foil and saber -
determines who was the attacker, if their opponent successfully defended
themselves, and which fencer should be awarded a touch, if any.
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