Obscure sport of the month -- Fencing
So much more than simple sword fighting
Shannon Pugh
Issue date: 10/28/05 Section: News
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The TARTAN
From hand to hand combat to a duel-gender Olympic sport, the art of fencing has come along way over the years.
According to the Scholastic Visual Encyclopedia, men have continued on perfecting their sword fighting techniques from the time of development during pre-Christ times in Egypt well into 14th century Europe. Though the exact country of origin is unknown, sword fighting in preparation for war transformed to the sport of fencing in both Germany and Italy sometime during the late 1300's or early 1400's.
Due to the fact that many duels (fencing competitions) resulted in one or both competitors seriously injured or even dead, masters (professional duelers) developed a series of rules for the sport.
First and foremost, the tip of the weapon must be foiled or flattened and only designated areas of the body were acceptable to hit. For safety precautions, all competitors must always wear a mesh mask constructed of wire to protect one's face.
In modern times, three weapon categories (foil, épée and sabre), two participant groupings (individual and team), and both genders compete internationally for prestigious fencing titles. The Federal Internationale d'Escrime, the head body presiding over all international fencing contests, has abides by the following regulations, translated into English by the British Fencing Association, to control the sport.
All practicing masters, regardless of the genre they wish to compete, must abide by similar regulations. One must strike his or her opponent with a particular force in the designated area while remaining on the piste, a stage about 1.5 to 2 meters wide and 14 meters long, to receive a point; the first person to reach 15 points wins.
The proper attire must be worn at all times. A woven metal suit to which electrical current has been applied must cover the entire designated "hit" area in order for accurate scoring to take place. A wire connected to the back of on competitor shoots electricity along his or her suit and through the weapon. Then once the weapon comes in contact with the opposing person's suit the current travels along his or her attire to the attached wire, thus completing the circuit and lighting up the colored bulb.
Though a simple physics contraption handles the scoring, officials still have monitoring obligations to the participants once a bout of dueling has begun. They make sure attacks have been adequately defended before a counterattack is thrown, watch for boundary and bodily contact foals, and decide who receives a point during simultaneous hits.