Guide To Fencing Sport
The sport fencing is a sport like no other. It is art as well as sport.
En Garde! Childhood Play Becomes Serious Sport
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
Great Fencing Stuff on Amazon
The Three Main Fencing Weapons
* 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.
Fencing Video: Basic Footwork
Fencing Fun Facts List
- Famous fencing masters include the philosopher Rene Descartes and the explorer, Sir Richard Burton (not the actor).
- Other famous fencing enthusiasts include:
Winston Churchill ("public" schools foil champ)
General George Patton
President Theodore Roosevelt
Neil Diamond
Bruce Dickinson (of Iron Maiden)
Ezra Pound (poet)
Alexandre Dumas (author of the Three Musketeers) - Although the electricity used to score fencing bouts is very safe (about 500 milliamps), a Hungarian fencer is reported to have electrocuted himself by stepping barefoot onto a copper fencing strip that was accidentally grounded to the wall socket.
- Fencers show the greatest leg strength for a given muscle size of any Olympic athlete.
- Fencers develop very strong hand-eye reflexes as evidenced by tests administered to athletes.
- Not surprising is the fact that many of the ballet positions are derived from fencing. These movements were used in 17th century dances at the French court because they were easy to learn and the combination of strength and grace were appealing.
- The plot of the film "The Duellists" by Ridley Scott, based on a story by Conrad, is, in turn, based very closely upon on a real rivalry during the Napoleonic wars.
New Amazon Voting (Plexo)
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Fencing: Techniques of Foil, Epee and Sabre by Brian Pitman
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2004 Epee: London World Cup
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Reader Feedback
jackclee wrote...
Great lens. Here is my squidbook on the art of epee fencing -
http://www.squidoo.com/epee_fencing_1
-Jack
Showpup wrote...
Oh how I wish I had somewhere near me where I could take fencing lessons!!
LeslieBrenner wrote...
I've always been fascinated by fencing and wanted to learn.
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