Fencing is a modern Olympic sport that evolved from the sword combat discipline. Since the first Modern Olympic Games in 1896, fencing is one of only four sports to have been represented in every Olympic Games. Fencing is a physical and cerebral activity in which fencers hone their strategies against opponents of varied skill levels while also increasing physical endurance, agility, and accuracy. It’s been described as a “physical chess game.” It is a challenging and enjoyable pastime for people of all ages.
Fencing is one of the safest sports in which to participate. Fencing injuries are similar to those seen in other sports, with ligament sprains and muscle strains accounting for the bulk of injuries. Major injuries can be avoided with the use of safety equipment like as masks and carefully fitted clothing. Fencing had one of the lowest injury rates during the 2008 Olympics, making it one of the safest Olympic sports, according to a research.
What exactly is fencing?
Sword fights may be traced back as 1190 BC in Ancient Egypt, with bouts and duels persisting until the 18th century.
Fencing began as a type of military training and evolved into a sport in Germany and Italy in the 14th and 15th centuries.
The first guilds were formed by German fencing experts, the most famous of which was the Marxbrueder of Frankfurt in 1478.
The creation of a weapon with a flattened tip known as the foil, a set of regulations limiting the target area, and a wire-mesh mask boosted the sport’s popularity in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Domenico Angelo, an Italian who taught aristocratic Britons the art of swordsmanship at his college in Soho, London in the second half of the 18th century, was one of the forerunners of fencing as a sport.
Epeé
Epeé fencers can score with the weapon’s point against any part of the opponent’s body, including the hands and feet. There are no priority rules in epeé fencing. Because simultaneous touches result in both players earning a point, the approach is a patient and psychological waiting game to strike while avoiding getting hit. The defence has a significant advantage, and bouts are often mental games in which each fencer feints assaults in an attempt to cause their opponent to make a mistake.
Sabre
Fencers can score in sabre if any part of their blade strikes the legal target area. While foil and epeé fencers must thrust the blade to score with the point, sabre fencers typically “cut” or “slash” the opponent’s head, arms, or body above the waist with the blade. Sabre fencing, like foil, uses priority criteria to determine who gets a touch, but it employs a more aggressive offensive tactic than foil. Simultaneous attacks are common, and neither fencer receives a point. However, unlike foil, an off-target hit for the fencer with priority is void, and the fight does not come to a halt. The movement is quick, and the bouts are brief. You have only 170 milliseconds to deliver your retort! Children naturally imitate sabre fencing, clashing imaginary sword blades against one another while pretending to be pirates, knights, warrior princesses, or Jedis.
