The Sport of Fencing
Why Fencing
The Olympic sport of Fencing — often called a “physical game of chess” — offers a unique blend of mental & physical exercise crucial for overall health and wellness. It’s a developmental tool that enhances executive function, including focus, impulse control, and cognitive flexibility for children. This fast-paced game is not just about physical fitness but also about mental agility, making it a fascinating sport to engage in.
Fencing combines the athleticism of tennis, soccer, or basketball with the discipline of a martial art. It has been a part of the modern Olympic Games since its founding in 1896. Today, fencers of all ages compete locally, nationally, and internationally.
Fencing is not only a mentally & physically stimulating sport, but it's also remarkably safe. Fencers experience fewer injuries than athletes in most other Olympic Sports, including basketball, soccer, gymnastics, tennis, and swimming. This outstanding safety record should reassure you as you consider fencing for your child.
Fencing is not just a sport, but a fusion of elegance, prestige, and modern combat, all deeply rooted in tradition. It’s a challenge both physically and tactically between two opponents. Using replica swords - the foil, epee, and sabre - fencers strive to score points by hitting one another while moving back and forth on an area called a piste.
Fencing is a dynamic, evolving martial art with a five-thousand-year history, enjoyed by people worldwide since the Middle Ages. It's a sport where adults, kids, men, and women can all excel, making it a truly inclusive and fascinating sport.
Fencers have a significant advantage when it comes to college applications! GRAFA fencers learn that the combination of high academic and fencing achievement is a winning formula for success. Coaches from Ivy League and other elite universities are in constant contact with us as they recruit our fencers for their NCAA programs. This could be a great opportunity for your child's future.
GRAFA members have gone on to compete at colleges such as the University of Notre Dame, Northwestern, Brandeis, Cornel, UNC, Boston College, Ohio State, University of Michigan, Wayne State, and Michigan State.
Fencing for Sport
Did you know that Fencing always been an Olympic sport? Both in the original ancient Olympic games, and since the “modern” reboot of the Olympic games in 1896. The founder of the modern Olympic games, Pierre de Coubertin, was himself a fencer, and saw Fencing as the ultimate athletic test (we agree!).
(Psst… Pierre is one of the fencers here)
As you’ve likely guessed, our sport evolved from the days of “The Duel” — 2-person combat fought to the death or first blood — and from the traditions of sabre-wielding cavalry.
Fortunately, over many generations, the international art of modern fencing has distilled these traditions of lethal weapon combat into three (non-lethal) competitive disciplines: of Foil, Epee, and Sabre.
Today, competitive and recreational fencers come in all ages and types — women and men, all ages, and includes para-athletes. But as always, agility, fast reaction, and tactical thinking are still the prime requirements for fencers.
Fencing’s 3 Disciplines
EPEE
EPEE evolved from the dueling sword favored by duelists of the time. It follows from the concept of "victory by first blood" that in modern fencing, the whole body is a valid target area for epee and that the basic rule of engagement is that the first to hit their opponent has scored. Training for sword fighting (for dueling or combat purposes) concentrated on thrusts to the torso, where hits would have the most lethal effect.
Both men and women compete in epee in separate events
This training led to the development of blunt, safe weapons (we called them weapons, not swords), protective clothing, and limited valid target areas, which are now applicable to fencing.
The weapon used weighs 700 grams and has a maximum length of 110 cm. A micro switch in the tip needs at least 750 grams of pressure and 1 mm of travel to activate the registering apparatus.
The valid target area is the whole body, head to toe, arms, and hands. Any hit upon the insulated piste (strip) or the opponent’s insulated weapon will not cause the apparatus to register. Fencing phrasing is not critical here, since the first fencer to hit their opponent scores a point.
FOIL
FOIL is a lighter weapon than the epee and was developed as a training weapon for the epee. The discipline of foil fencing was established with specific rules of engagement.
Both men and women compete in foil in separate events.
The weapon used weighs 500 grams and has a maximum length of 110cm. A micro switch in the tip requires at least 500 grams of pressure to activate the registering apparatus.
The valid target area is the torso only, excluding arms, legs, and mask.
The target area on the fencer is covered by a lightweight metallic jacket, which causes a colored lamp to light up when the opponent’s weapon hits the target area. A hit on the non-valid area (not covered by the lightweight metallic jacket) causes a white lamp to light up.
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SABRE
SABRE fencing evolved from swordsmanship on horseback, where running cuts and point thrusts could be effective. The opponent’s body above the saddle was most vulnerable and evolved into the valid target area.
Similar rules of engagement to those of foil were developed, where a fencing phrase typically consists of an attack, defense, and counterattack with many variations around that theme. The sabre is a cutting and thrusting weapon.
Both men and women compete in sabre in separate events.
The valid target area is the body above the waistline, including arms and mask. A lightweight (lame) metallic jacket covers this area, while the mask is electrically conductive and connected to the fencing jacket.
A hit on the valid target area causes a colored lamp to light up on the registering apparatus.
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