ON GUARD! READY? FENCE!
Manasvi Kshirasagar
FY BSc
Image credit: Wikipedia
It is said that the tip of a fencer’s blade is the second fastest-moving thing in the Olympics after a marksman’s bullet. Fencing might seem like a sport reserved for swashbuckling heroes, but it’s more accessible than you might think.
It is physique-friendly; take it from someone who is 5 ‘0, mentally and physically stimulating, and quite a sophisticated sport which makes people go,” WOW!.”
Firstly, you must choose a weapon.
Each weapon has a different body target. Starting with Epee, which has a full-body target. You can hit anywhere you want, even on the shoes. The Epee weapon is slightly heavier and Epee is considered a patience-based game. It is important to remember that not only do you have a much larger space to target, but you also have a large space to defend. Fencing has mainly two plays; attack and defense.
The Foil is a precision weapon with a smaller body target. The target is only the upper body excluding the arms. Beginners often start with foil because it makes a fencer more precise and trained in fundamentals.
The Sabre is a slashing weapon, where you can cut and thrust. The body target includes your whole upper body, including your mask area.
Both Sabre and Foil have an interesting set of rules which stem from the concept of Right of Way. The concept of Right of Way originates from duelling in history where survival depended upon one’s ability to strike first or defend an incoming attack(parry). Similarly, in modern fencing, if both players have hit the target, the point is given to the player who started the attack first by extending their hand. Suppose your opponent has already started the attack. In that case, you have two options, you either parry the attack which is where you defend yourself by moving the opponent’s blade with your blade and then attacking your opponent or you can retreat forcing the opponent to miss. At its core, the right of way is about determining who initiated an attack and whose action should be awarded a point. The fencer who starts an attack and maintains control of the offensive action typically holds the right of way.
Simplicity meets complexity in fencing and diving into this world will help you improve your reflexes, and train your mind to go into deep focus while playing a game that is almost physical chess. As you learn the art of parries and lunges, every bout is a chance to learn more and more.
So, gear up, step onto the strip, and On Guard! Ready? Fence!