Fencing: A Modern Sport

The sport of fencing is fast and athletic, a far cry from the choreographed bouts you see on film or stage. Two fencers perform this intense match together on a 6-feet by 44-feet strip of copper as touches are scored electrically because the movement is too fast to track by the human eye.

Competitors win a fencing bout by being the first to score 15 points against their opponent. Each time a fencer lands a valid hit - a touch - they receive one point. We are penalized for crossing the lateral bondaries of the strip while retreating off the rear of our side results in a touch awarded to the opponent.

Sabre is my weapon of choice. Hack and Slash is more like it in our lingo - as the sabre is the modern version of the cavalry sword. The major difference between sabre and the other two weapons, Foil and Epee, is that saberists can score with the edge of their blade as well as the point. The target area is the entire body above the waist, excluding the hands. In addition, sabre employs rules of "right-of-way" which means the fencer who starts to attack first is given priority: should his opponent counter-attack. However, sabre referees are much less forgiving of hesitation by an attacker. It is common to see a saber fencer execute a stop cut against their opponent's forearm during such a moment of hesitation, winning "right-of-way" and the point.

A mere graze by the blade against the lame (the outer electric jacket) registers a touch with the scoring machine. Under these circumstances naturally make saber a fast, furious, aggressive game, with fencers rushing their opponent from the moment the referee gives the "aller". In fact, a lopsided sabre match can literally be over in seconds. As fending off the attack of a skilled opponent is nearly impossible, the defensive is much harder than it looks. However, when forced to, we often go all-out using spectacular tactical and athletic combinations that make the crowd hold their breath.

Great! Now you have a brief explanation of the sport and a couple of the rules. Of course, I couldn't go through everything because it can get pretty detailed, but you can always just ask me questions if you feel the need. I would love to answer the best I can so that everyone gets more familiar with the sport.