Fencing is considered to be a good sports because there is great dynamics and high intensity of combat attached to it. Every single participant is required to have abilities like; self assurance, coordination, self confidence, accuracy and speed.
Fencing involves a great deal of physical and mental activity. A good fencer is one who is able to use his metal capabilities and physical capacities altogether at a single moment. Your physical and mental aspects should coordinate well together. You must be capable enough to carry out vigorous attacks and at the same time craft out effective defence. Speed is one thing that matters a lot during the fencing competition and if you are not able to maintain a good speed then you may fail.
Whether it is junior fencing or some other superior fencing championship one is required to train to the last extent. Training and practising will make you good at this sports and the you can compete in a successful manner. Apart from training you should also have knowledge regarding fencing rules so that you do not over look them or take them for granted.
Fencing is one of the 4 sports events that were launched in the modern Olympic games in 1896 that is why it is regarded as such a prestigious game. The best time to learn this sport os at an early age because young individuals have the capability to learn new things easily and effectively. But generally speaking there is no age limit to learn this sport. Fencing is considered to be good because it is not just a sports activity in fact it helps you learn so many things.
Lastly, there are so many benefits associated with fencing and fencing championships. If you have learned fencing and are aware of the art of fencing that means you must have learned some basics of life. With the help of fencing an individual learns how to respect others, self defence, self discipline and other basics of life. Fencing is just not a sports it teaches you some deep aspects that affect our lives on a daily basis.
Why Fencing Is Considered to Be A Good Sports
What Is Fencing?
This definition of fencing is taken from Wikipedia and according to the definition;
“Fencing is the action or art of using sword scientifically”.
The origin of fencing dates back to the 16th century during the renaissance period. The current form of fencing which is in action today has been originated from France. It was in 1896 when Olympic fencing was launched. Since then fencing is regarded as a sports activity rather than the art of using sword.
Previously, fencing was a mode of combat with the enemies but now it is regarded as a sports event. The modern fencing is quite different from the historical fencing because today’s fencing is more about how to use your fencing skills to win a competition. The fencing swords that are used for the competitions are limited to some specific ones not all type of swords can be used as fencing sword. Whereas in previous times any type of sword could be used for fencing combats.
Olympic fencing is regarded as one of the oldest and the first game that was introduced in the Olympics in 1896. This was the year when Olympic games were officially started. The Olympic fencing is based on the use of three types of swords namely foil, sabre and epee. Foil is the most light weight weapon among the three and epee is the heaviest one.
Fencing championships are categorised on the basis of age group, type of weapon used, group or individual game play and gender as well. Junior fencing tournaments are also held for young fencers. There are only three basic type of swords that are used in different fencing competitions so the game play depends on the type of sword that is being used.
The competition for female fencers and male fencers are organised separately but there are some tournaments that are organised on small scales where there is no distinction between male and female gender both can participate in the same tournament and against each other.
Lastly, fencing is also categorised on the basis of individual and group competitions. In group competitions there is a team of fencers who play as a team against other teams and in individual competitions every individual fencer competes again all other individual fencers.
Training for Junior Fencing
Junior fencing is more or less the similar to other fencing championships and competitions. Fencing is regarded as a year round sports and this sports is commonly practiced by many schools where there is a potential to get players whi can participate in junior fencing competitions.
Training for junior fencing is given to participating individuals in order to prepare them for the event. One can take proper training from an institute or individual coach. For instance, junior fencers who play for their respective schools or institutes get training within their school environment whereas those fencers who participate in fencing championships and other tournament require more vigorous training so they have to either join a fencing training club or they can hire a coach to get some professional training.
One can only get better at this sports if he indulges himself with proper training sessions. In order to qualify for the Junior Olympics or other prestigious games it is a requirement to go through proper training session otherwise you can get disqualified from the tournament. In order to undergo the training program successfully the fencer and his trainer should mutually decide some specific targets or goals that need to be achieved at the end of the training program.
You can participate in local or other ordinary fencing events only for training purpose. This way you will be able to correct your specific fencing skills. But make sure you do not over train yourself because this can sometimes turnout to be a bad thing you can worn yourself out this way and this can ultimately affect your performance for the fencing championship that you were training for. The fencer and his trainer should work together and the trainer should come up with unique training approaches so that the fencer gets involved with the process of training.
Thus, training for junior fencing is not a piece of cake because even at junior levels the fencing sport is very serious. The fencer and his trainer are required to understand each others requirement and they should work together towards the goals.
Fencing – Martial Arts or Combat Sports
Some people are of the opinion that fencing is a type of martial arts whereas other think that fencing is a combat sports. Previously fencing was considered to be the art of using sword but as the time has evolved so has the concepts.
Nowadays sword is not used as a war weapon instead it is used for fencing championships all across the world. In order to evaluate whether fencing is a martial arts or combat sports certain aspects are required to be considered.
• The first aspect to consider is whether one trains for fencing in order to play a game or to prepare himself for a combat. Clearly nowadays every one trains to participate in fencing championships instead of preparing themselves for killing combats.
• The next thing is whether you are using realistic weapons for fencing or just special training weapons. Realistic weapons help you improve your fencing techniques in a real way whereas stimulators are just used for training purposes by fencers.
• Another thing to consider is whether you are able to practice moves and techniques that were previously used in combats and fights or are you limited to some specific moves and techniques. Nowadays the fencing rules that are applied to fencing championships restrict the fencers to certain specific moves and techniques for safety purposes.
• Consider the fact that are you able to or are you allowed to use you both hands in order to trap your opponent or defend yourself. It depends on what your fencing training makes you learn.
• Analyse whether you train for fencing on a similar surface every time or you try to experience fencing on different types of surfaces like broken floor, mud, sand, etc.
So, the above mentioned are a few aspects that you must consider in order to find out that whether your fencing is a form of martial arts or a combat sports. It all depends on how you train and practice your fencing techniques. It can be the case where you never get engaged in any combat but still you are trained in a way that teaches you how to fight when in a real combat.
Fencing – A Great Sports Activity
Fencing is termed as a great sorts activity as it offers thrills of swordplay. History shows that swords were previously used for the purpose of battling with the enemies and during this time fencing sports evolved.
Olympics was started in 1896 and since then Olympics fencing has been a part of such prestigious sports competition. There are namely three types of swords that are used in the fencing championships which are foil, sabre and epee.
Foil is the most common weapon used in this sport. It is a small sword which the fencer uses to target the torso of other fencer. The other type of weapon used is called the epee. This sword is a bit heavier in weight than the foil with sharp three sided blade. Fencer targets the torso as well as the arm of the opponent with an epee sword. The last of the three fencing swords is the
sabre. The fencer uses the sharp edges of the sword blade to earn valid scoring.
Fencing championships are held for men and women separately. There are a few competitions where men and women jointly compete but such competitions are held on a small scale. The individual fencing championships differ from the team events held in this respect. The fencing rules for both type of competitions remain the same the only difference is that in individual events every single individual participates individually whereas in a team competition a team of 3 individuals join together to participate.
Protective clothing is regarded as an important part of the fencing sports because swords are being used which can cause serious body damages. Protective clothing used by fencers include; chest protectors, jacket, torso, gloves, mask, under arm protector, protective socks, leather or other protective material pants and special fencing shoes. The use of protective clothing by every participating fencer is must according to the fencing rules.
Thus, fencing is a great sports and taking part in such sports activity is a very challenging because you have to master certain skills of the game in order to participate. But no doubt taking part in such competitions would provide you a very unique experience.
Different Forms of Fencing
There are various forms of fencing and they differ from each other on the basis of the competition format. Also the fencing rules are interpreted in different ways for every single format.
Olympic fencing
Olympic fencing is a current form of fencing competitions. The fencing rules of such type of competition are laid down by FIE or the Federation Internationale d’Escrime. The weapons used in Olympic fencing consist of; sabre, epee and foil. To eliminate any error chances made by the referee the scoring is done by an electronic scoring apparatus. Other than the apparatus there are manual set of rules which are observed by a referee. During the competition the athletes or fencers are divided among different age groups. The age groups division is done like this; Y12, Y14, junior fencing and cadet.
Fencers are also rated in Olympic fencing championships. The ratings range from A to E where U rating means unrated which is typically given to the new fencers. Fencers are required to meet the rating criteria in order to participate in such competitions.
Paralympics fencing
Another form of fencing is the wheelchair fencing it is Paralympics sports which originated in England after World War II. Fencers who have physical disabilities can only participate in this type of competition. Some minor modifications are made to this form of fencing as the fencers are disabled and they sit in wheel chairs therefore their footwork is replaced by their arm movements. But the weapons used in Paralympics fencing are the same as used in the Olympics fencing.
Other forms of Fencing
There are numerous other types of fencing championships that are being conducted all across the world. The fencing rules are more or less similar to the FIE rules but the competition format may differ in each type of fencing. You will find that fencing is a very active sports in many universities and colleges but the format of the game may vary slightly. Some different forms of fencing includes; one-hit epee, American Fencing League, UK fencing league, World Fencing Championships, and many other types of fencing competitions are being held every year.
Competition Formats of Fencing
Fencing competitions vary in terms of format. There are individual as well as group competitions held in this regards. The format of the competition varies on the basis of type of weapon used and whether it is a group competition or held on individual levels.
Fencing championships or high level tournaments are based on separate competitions between men and women. But there are mixed gender competitions that are organised on low levels. Talking about the competition formats of fencing they are basically divided into two broad terms; individual competitions and team competitions.
Individual Competitions
The individual competition comprises of two rounds; first round is called pool and the second round is direct elimination. In the first round a pool is created among 1 to 6 individuals and every individual fencer has to fence every other fencer in the pool. Once the pools finish, each fencer is marked with individual ranking typically called ‘seed’ in fencing term. This marking is done on the basis of each fencer’s skills and abilities to follow the fencing rules.
After the completion of ranking then comes the second round which is the direct elimination round. Fencers who receive high seeds are eliminated from the competition whereas lower seeded fencers fight until a winner is announced.
Team Competitions
Unlike the individual fencing competition, team competition involves the participation of a team of 3 fencers whereas the fourth fencer plays as an alternate. Only one substitution is allowed per competition. The total number of matches played amongst the fencers is nine and the first round is similar to the individual fencing competition which is a pool round. Every team member of a fencing team has to compete against every single member of the opposing team. Each round is either 3 minutes long or it is finished when 5 points are reached.
The above mentioned are the formats of fencing tournaments and competitions that are being held worldwide. Other than these two formats this sports activity has a long history with schools and universities. There are certain formats of fencing which are only practiced on school and college levels. There are many tournaments and competitions held on university and college levels all across the world.
What is The Right Age to Start Fencing?
There is no right age to start practicing, and people have showed different development in different age groups. As a sport modality, Fencing is attractive for juniors and veterans as it keeps the mind sharp and the body in shape, working agility and coordination in precise synchronicity. There are clubs and championships organised for all group ages and junior fencing has become quite accessible and popular in some parts of Great Britain.
. Deborah Taverner who was British foil champion at the sport in 1976 for the under-18 and competed for UK under-20s in the subsequent years, had stopped training and competing for many years, to dedicate he time to family, bring up her four children and focus in her career as a doctor. She has started training again at the age of 53 and has participated in some Veteran Fencing Championships with good results.
. At the age of 91 years old, Mr Dennis Willcock, from Devon, is a legendary British Fencer and is the British Fencing Federation’s oldest active member. With more than 60 years of fencing, Mr Willcock still competes and considers fencing the reason why he is still healthy and active.
Well Known Fencing French Terms
Although there are registries of fencing from before civilization, it is the French Fencing Terminology that was accepted to be used internationally and has been used since 1570. Two French fencing terms that are used in general conversation in many countries are:
En Garde
It is French for ‘on guard’ or ‘in protection’. It is a position in fencing where the fencer is holding his sword in a defensive and protective posture and also in alert and ready to start attack.
The meaning of the expression can be understood taking in consideration that fencing terms originated from sword duels between noble and strong warriors that followed etiquette and codes of honour and it would be considered a sign of weakness and even rude or dishonest to attack without warning and giving time to the opponent to get prepared.
The tale of The Three Musketeers was worldwide spread and many generations of little boys have played imaginary fights and shouted ‘en garde!’ with their harmless plastic swords.
Touché
That means ‘Touched’, is a call that announces sword hit or touch. It can be called by the director or referee or called by the one who was hit as to say ‘end of fight’. Interestingly, ‘Touché’ was popularly associated with the act of scoring a point, and it is used in conversation to highlight a point made or to indicate agreement.
Get To Know What Fencing Is About
It is believed that Fencing is one of the oldest sports known to man, as images of warrior holding blades with protected ends and scoring hits were found in an 1170 AC. Egyptian temple and swords are an ancient choice of weapon. Fencing as it is known today, evolved from the warriors training and invented as a practice for duellers to prepare for their contests. After the advent of gun powder and through science and new discovers, the war weaponry of choice happened to change, and Fencing disappeared as a form of combat to gain appreciation as a form of art.
Fencing as a sport evolved from a form of combat and the aim is to touch or hit the opponent’s targeted body parts with specific parts of the blade and at the same time avoid been touched by his blade.
There are three Fencing disciplines with three distinct Fencing Swords that differ between them from the shape and thickness of the blade to the techniques, rules and handling of weapon.