Sport Fencing Guide

When you were a kid, how many times did you pick up a stick and yell, "en garde" while lunging at your playmate?

I, for one, loved those backyard battles. Even though I was a girl, I still fancied myself a dashing swashbuckler, ala Errol Flynn or Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.

It's no wonder that our imaginations were captured by the excitement and beauty of this ancient combat form now turned competitive sport.

The aggressive intensity and need for strength, agility and rapid response still remain but with the threat of death removed, the combatants now compete using their intellect to execute cunning attacks and skillful defenses.

Even though fencing is a team sport, I like the one-on-one nature of the competition. The anonymity created by fencing attire also adds a hint mystery and romance that I find appealing.

In a culture that celebrates hard-hitting, borderline-violent sporting competition, fencing doesn't enjoy the popularity of NFL football, or NBA basketball. However, fencing offers a level of fast-paced, offensive and defensive competition that can easily equal or exceed the excitement generated on a field or court.

The sport of fencing also embodies and promotes values of honor, fair-play and self-discipline, which are useful in every aspect of one's life.

Fencing is also an overlooked sport that can provide college scholarship opportunities. This sport can be an alternative for those students who don't have the size, speed or desire to risk injury playing traditional high-school sports.

So the next time you hear, "en garde," and see a couple of kids battling it out with sticks or toy swords, you might want to give the sport of fencing another look. Its all-around physical, mental, and character-building benefits can be enjoyed by you and your entire family.

Fencing: Steps To Success can teach you the highly technical sport of fencing, in nine cha...

* Foil - a light thrusting weapon; the valid target is restricted to the torso; double touches are not allowed.

* Épée - a heavy thrusting weapon; the valid target area covers the entire body; double touches are allowed.

* Sabre - a light cutting and thrusting weapon; the valid target area includes almost everything above the waist (excluding the back of the head and the hands); double touches are not allowed.