Fencing: The Weapons London

In both its modern and its classical guise, fencing consists of three different weapons: foil, épée and sabre. These three weapons had become standard by the late nineteenth century and all are represented at Olympic-level competition. Additionally, in classical academies, one will often find historical fencing weapons, such as grande canne, Main gauche or rapier-and-dagger, being taught.

Foil used to be the first weapon taught to beginners, because the techniques of foil teach, in abstract form, the fundamentals of fencing. Additionally, in the past, women were only allowed to fence foil, and the lightness of the weapon made it easier to handle for children. Today, while it is often advised to gain at least a fundamental grasp of foil, fencers often begin with any of the three weapons.

Anatomy of the Weapons

While the weapons fencers use differ in size and purpose some basic parts of the weapon remain constant throughout the disciplines. The pommel, a weighted piece of metal at the end of the handle, known as a grip, that holds the blade and handle together while providing a counter-balance to the weight of the blade (in actual combat situations, the pommel could be used as a sort of bludgeon). The grip can be one of three types: French, Italian, or pistol grip. The French grip is contoured to the curve of the hand and resembles in use the handles of most swords. The Italian grip is similar to the French with the addition of a metal bar through which the fingers slide; this grip has become antiquated due to the amount of torque it places on the wrist. The pistol grip (otherwise known as the anatomical or orthopaedic grip), originally developed for a nineteenth-century Belgian master who had lost fingers in a tram accident, contours entirely to one's hand and is held much like a pistol, hence the name. The guard separates the grip from the blade and provides protection for the hand.

Foil

The modern foil is descended from the training weapon for the small-sword, the common sidearm of the eighteenth-century gentleman. However, it has long since been altered to be similar in length to the épée (averaging 35" or 890 mm). Rapier and even longsword foils are also known to have been used but they were very different in terms of weight and use.

It is a light weapon, with a tapered, flexible, quadrangular blade, that scores only with the point. In modern sport fencing, which makes use of electrical scoring apparatus, one must hit the opponent with the tip of the blade, with a force of at least 4.90 Newtons (500 grams-force).

The valid target area at foil is limited, due to its origins in a time when fencing was practised with limited safety equipment. Hits to the face were dangerous, so the head was removed from valid target. The target was then further reduced to only the trunk of the body, where the vitals are located. A touch which lands on a invalid target stops the bout, but no point is scored.

During the ...