The Modern Sport of Fencing
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The sport features three weapons: foil, epee and sabre. Although the rules and target areas of each weapon are different, and reflect their respective historical origins (see A Short History of Sword Fighting), the conduct of fights is common to all three. All fights take place on pistes measuring 14 metres long and 1.5 to 2 metres wide and, depending upon the stage of the competition, last until one fencer scores five hits, with a time limit of three minutes, or until the first fencer reaches 15 hits, over three periods of three minutes each.
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Foil
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The foil is a lightweight weapon with a flexible blade that can only be used to score hits with the point. It is the weapon traditionally taught to beginners because of the all-round technique that is required to both attack and defend. The rules date from its use as a training weapon and stress the importance of being able to defend oneself when attacked before launching an offensive movement of one’s own. The first fencer to attack claims the “right of way” and the defender must cause that attack to fail, usually with a parry, before he can take the right of way from his opponent. Only the fencer with the right of way can score a hit. One of the duties of the referee is to determine which fencer has the right of way when contact is made. The target area for the foil is the torso, excluding the arms and head.
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The target area at foil
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Epee
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The epee is also a thrusting weapon, like the foil, and can only score hits with the point. It has a heavier, stiffer blade and, because the hand is part of the target, a larger guard to protect the fingers. Epee rules are based on duels fenced until the first blood was drawn, which means that there is no “right of way” convention as in foil and sabre: at epee, the first fencer to hit, scores. When using electrical recording apparatus, if a fencer hits more than 1/25 second ahead of his opponent, only his light comes on and he scores the hit; if both fencers hit within 1/25 second, both lights are lit and both score a hit. Epee is the only weapon at which “double hits” can be scored. The target area for the epee is the whole of the body.
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The target area at epee
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Sabre
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The sabre is the only weapon that can be used to score hits by both thrusting with the point and cutting with the edge of the blade, an indication of its former use as a cavalry sword. The sabre target area, the whole of the body above the waist, also represents the area visible on a man on horseback. The sabre is a lightweight weapon with an extended guard to protect the fingers, which are part of the target. It also uses similar rules to foil concerning the right of way. The variety of attacks that can be made at sabre, using cuts and thrusts, make it probably the quickest of the three weapons as many sabreurs find it easier to attack first rather than to try and defend themselves against their opponent’s attacks, which could come from many different angles.
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The target area at sabre
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