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Fencing is a rewarding sport. Possessing the strategy of a chess game, this sport also delivers powerful anaerobic exercise.
It is a sport for all ages. Although younger fencers have more energy, more experienced fencers have more tricks up their respective sleeves.
Though very rewarding, for most people fencing takes a while to master (similar in many regards to martial arts). The biggest challenge for beginners is learning the determination, perserverance and patience to see improvement in their skills. To say it bluntly, the Three Musketeers didn't save France overnight. We place special emphasis on training beginners to help them develop the skills and techniques to advance their game. Hack 'n slash in not a style we advocate.
The weapons and basic rules:
The Foil is a point weapon with the torso of the body as target. Originally, this was a training weapon based off of the “court sword,” a lighter and faster version of the Rapier, in the court of Louis XIV of France. The Foil was intented to teach students how to hit the vitals areas of opponents to incapacitate them. Today, foil is fenced at a furiously fast pace with lots of blade action within the context of "right of way" (read: serve - you must have right of way or the serve to score a point).
Saber is both a slashing and piercing weapon. Descended from the horseback cavalry Saber, this weapon follows the its ancestor's tradition of having a target only from the waist up. Quality saber fencing demands speed and agility as well as the ability to make a strategic light touch on the target. Like the foil, Saber also has right of way rules governing what happens when both opponents hit each other.
Epee is a heavier point weapon than the foil and features a larger bell guard over the hand. The modern Epee is descended from the Colichemarde (distant kin to the Rapier). Following its dueling origins, the target area includes every inch of the body. Epee tends towards slower action than foil and saber because of the weapon's extra weight, but the total lack of right of way opens up broad possibilities for strategy and tactics. Epee sounds incredibly simple: the first person to hit scores and simultaneous hits give both fencers points...of course, as with most simple things, the reality is incredibly challenging.
Click here for more information and a detailed introduction to fencing.
Click here to learn how to fence better and still have fun.
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