- Blades of
Steel
Three weapons are used in the modern sport of fencing: foil,
épée, and saber. The blades of these weapons are
made of tempered steel, and each has a maximum blade length of
about 89 cm (35 in); the maximum weight of foil and saber is
about 500 g (about 17.6 oz), that of épée about
770 g (about 27.2 oz). Developed originally as a practice and
sporting weapon, the foil is light and flexible and is considered
the basic weapon. Its use is generally taught to all beginning
fencers. Touches are scored by thrusting with the blunted point;
the blade is rectangular in cross section. The modern épée
is descended from the French small sword. Like the foil it is
a thrusting weapon, but has a larger bell, or hand guard, and
is heavier and more rigid in construction. Handles, or grips,
for foil and épée vary and are chosen according
to individual preference. They include the French grip, slightly
curved and with a pommel at the end; the Italian grip, which
has a crossbar and is used with a wrist strap; and various pronged
handles gripped much like a pistol. The modern saber is derived
from the weapon formerly used by cavalrymen. It has a protective,
scoop-shaped hand guard that curves under the hand and, like
the épée, a blade roughly triangular in cross section.
Touches are scored by thrusting with the weapon or, chiefly,
by cutting in a slashing motion with the edge of the blade.
Attack
and Defense
-
- Tactics vary
among the three weapons, but certain fundamental techniques are
common to all. Motions of attack and defense are initiated from
the basic on-guard position, a crouch assumed with both knees
flexed, the rear arm crooked upward, and the sword arm partially
extended toward the opponent. The basic attacking action is the
lunge, executed by stabbing with the sword arm at the target
and thrusting forward on the front leg. The attack is successful
if a touch is scored on the valid target area. In foil fencing,
only touches on the torso are counted. In épée
competition the entire body, head to foot, is a valid target.
In saber fencing the valid target is the part of the body above
an imaginary line, called the saddle line, drawn across the top
of the hips (this includes the head, arms, and torso). A movement
of the blade designed to block an attack is called a parry. Fencing
has eight principal parries, designated by the Old French ordinal
numbers: prime, seconde, tierce, quarte, quinte, sixte, septime,
and octave. Each parry is designed to protect a different part
of the target against attack. A riposte is the return thrust
made immediately following a parry. The fencer who takes the
offensive may employ different kinds of attacks to circumvent
the various parries used by an opponent. A simple attack is made
with one motion-that is, a cut or thrust of the blade-and is
intended to hit the target before the defender can parry. A compound
attack involves two or more blade movements. The initial movements
are feints, designed to mislead the opponent into parrying in
a direction other than that in which the attack finally develops.
Other techniques, such as beating or pressing the opponent's
blade aside, may be used to create an opening for an attack.
A running attack, or fleçhe, may be used to catch an opponent
by surprise. A competitor under attack may also resort to a stop-thrust,
a sudden counterattack made by thrusting without lunging.
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