Equipment

Fencing, like most sports, relies heavily on the equipment. Just as you cannot play soccer without a ball, shinguards, and a pair of cleats, you can't fence without at least your weapon, mask, jacket and glove. There are two basic sets of equipment in Olympic fencing. Which set you use depends on how that match is being scored. For most competitions you will need to fence electric. This means that an electrical current is passed through the blade which is connected to a machine that tells the judges when a touch (a hit) has been scored. Most competitions use electric scoring. I will elaborate on fencing electric later. In practice and some competition the equipment that is used is called dry, because it uses no electricity. We'll start by learning the equipment used in dry fencing.

Parts of a "dry" weapon

The weapon used in this example is a foil, the weapon that most fencers learn first, but these parts are in all three FIE weapons. The Grip: Where you hold the weapon, with your strong hand. Usually the grip is made of wood with leather or cord wrapped around it but some may be made from plastic. The grip shown in this picture is called a French grip, and is the most common, but other grips do exists, such as pistol grips or the Italian grip. The French grip is held firmly with the handle resting on the second joint of the index finger. The thumb should press firmly against the other side with the other three fingers resting lightly on the grip. The grip also includes the pommel which holds the parts of the weapon together and helps to balance the weapon. The Guard: This is the part of the weapon that protects your fingers. It is the most distinctive difference between the different weapons because they have such different defensive needs. The Blade: In epee and foil this serves to move the point to hit the opponents target. In sabre this is the part of the weapon that must contact the opponents target area in order to score a touch. It can be divided into three areas based on strength. The third of the blade closest to the guard is the forte, the strongest point of the blade, the third in the middle is the medium which is moderately strong, and the remaining part of the blade at the end is the foible, the weakest section. The Point: This is located at the end of the blade on the foible. In Foil and Épeé, the point weapons, it must contact the target area for a touch. In these weapons the point is covered by a plastic ball or rubber cylinder. In sabre the blade is bent back at the very end.

Specific weapons

Each weapon has it's own specific features that make it work better within the rules that it is fenced by. The target area of a weapon is the parts on an opponent's body you may score points (called "touches") by hitting. A hit elsewhere on the body is called "off target". Click on any weapon picture to see an animation of that weapon from all sides.

Foil			The Foil is a light weapon with a small, slightly rounded guard. It has a springy blade with a square cross section. The point is generally tipped by a small plastic ball. Foil is a point weapon, which means that it is fenced with a stabbing motion and the point must hit the target for a valid touch. The target area for foil is the main torso from crotch to shoulders, not including arms.
Sabre			The Sabre is descended from 19th century dueling weapons as well as from cavalry weapons. It has the most flexible blade of all with a basically flat cross section. Sabre has a large guard shaped like a rounded square and a curved knuckle gaurd that protects the hand from cutting attacks. Sabre is a cutting weapon. The edge of the blade is used to cut the target area, which is the upper torso, arms and head. Because the point is not used, it is simply folded back tightly against itself.
Épeé			The Épeé has a thick heavy blade with a triangular cross section and a groove in the center. The guard is a large curved dome shape. The epee is a point weapon can use the entire body as target area. An Épeé fencer needs to protect every part of their body at all times. One touch may last a long time, while the fencers simply move back and forth analyzing each other, as it is easier to get hit because of the total target area.

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