Fencing Interactive Image

Fencing

Fencing is an organized sport involving the use of a sword for attack and defense according to a set of movements and rules. This sword fight is known as a bout and is played with slender weapons and protective gear. The competitors use their reflexes, balance and tactical abilities to score 15 points.

Fencing RULes

• Fencers must salute one another and the referee at the beginning and end of the bout.• Points are scored by hitting your opponent in accordance with the specific requirements for the type of weapon. - (Foil and sabre) the person who attacks first has right of way and the opponent must make them miss. - (Epee): easiest weapon to understand what is happening, you have to hit your opponent before getting hit to score. -(Foil): strikes outside the target area stop the contest, however strikes with the blade do not stop the action. • Barging the opponent, using your hand to cover the target zone or foot faults can cause a points penalty.

Events

There are many major events around the world in fencing, overseen by the International Fencing Federation (FIE).

• The Olympic Games: fencing is one of the only five sports that have been contested at every Summer Olympic Games, since 1896.
• World Fencing Championships, which take place annually.
• FIE Fencing World Cup - an international competition for individuals and teams.
• Commonwealth Games: until 1970.
• Asian Games: since 1974, with the exception of 1982.
• Wheelchair fencing at the Paralympics: it debuted at the first Paralympic Games, held in Rome in 1960.

FUN facts

• The fencing suits are white because, in earlier times, touching was recorded with a piece of cotton at the tip of the weapon dripped in ink.• Fencing is known for being the only combat sport with no weight classes. • The tip of the fencing weapon is the second fastest moving object in sport; the first is the marksman’s bullet. • At least one ancient Egyptian temple features a painting of a fencing match. The painting dates from 1190 B.C. • Many of the ballet positions are derived from fencing.

Equipment

hISTORY

Evidence of sword fights goes back as far as Ancient Egypt in 1190 BC with bouts and duels continuing until the 18th century. Fencing was originally a form of military training and started to evolve into a sport in the 14th or 15th century in both Germany and Italy. German fencing masters organized the first guilds. The sport's popularity increased in the 17th and 18th centuries thanks to the invention of a weapon with a flattened tip known as the foil, a set of rules governing the target area, and a wire-mesh mask. The first formal fencing competition - the Grand Military Tournament and Assault at Arms - was held in London in 1880. Sixteen years later, the Amateur Gymnastic and Fencing Association drew up official regulations for the sport - the same year fencing appeared at the first modern Olympic Games in Athens (1986).