What is Fencing?
The development and primary use of fencing was for self-defense in the battlefield. Both the short as well as the long double-edged hacking swords required a strong arm to swing the unwieldy weapons, and combatants relied on their ability to avoid the attack completely rather than stopping the attack with their blade. The heavy armors and swords slowed down fencers—”slow attacks were met with slow defenses.” Like an overturned turtle, duelists were at their opponent’s mercy if they were unlucky enough to trip. Fencers soon abandoned the armor completely after the invention of gunpowder when they discovered the armor’s ineffectiveness. Further, swords became lighter and more refined such that the double-fisted grip was no longer necessary. Duelists became more agile and it was at this point that parries and systems of defenses came into prominence. For a price, fencing masters would teach their “secret” thrusts or parries to duelists. In the seventeenth century, gunpowder replaced the s
Fencing is the art and sport of swordplay. Its origins trace back to ancient times, but modern fencing has its roots in the Renaissance. The weapons of modern fencing were all in use by the late 19th century. Competitive fencing was not solidly established until the 1920s when the Federation Internationale d’Escrime (FIE), the international governing body of fencing, was created in order to foster international competition. Rules were codified for three weapons: foil, epee, and sabre. Fencing was, after centuries as a martial art bathed in hundreds of thousands of bloody duels in Europe, a sport with rules. Dueling with sharp weapons was unheard of after about 1935 (although there were a very small number of duels fought in the years right after World War II), except for the sub-culture of German mensur duels, which still continue in certain German university fraternities to this day. During the 20th century, rule changes caused unintended consequences. Competitive scoring shifted from
Fencing is a modern combat sport derived from the ancient art of swordplay. Duelling became the epitome of fencing in 16th Century. People duelled each other for honour, love, fame and notoriety. Novels/movies such as the Three Musketeers, The Count of Mont Cristo, Scaramouche and Cyrano de Bergerac vividly illustrate fencing during the time period. The two countries that predominated in fencing were France and Italy. These two countries have developed the two main styles of modern fencing practiced worldwide. Today the top five countries in fencing are France, Italy, Germany, Russia, and Hungary. Over 120 countries have fencing programs and the strongest following is in Europe followed by the Americas and Asia. International competition comprises of the World Championships, the World Cup circuit, the World University Games and the Olympics. In modern fencing, two combatants contest each other in friendly sword combat, which is non-fatal and in good sportsmanlike conduct. A referee off
