In this section, we will tackle the three schools of fencing and how they vary according to their weapons and rules.. Fencing is an elegant sport and each different school of fencing encompasses a different facet of the fencer’s repertoire-defence, aggression and precision. It’s about finding what works best for you before you settle on one form and master it-or even dabbling in all three.
Much of it comes down to what is available in your area- here in the UK we tend to have a higher leaning towards Épée. Sabre may be more suitable for someone who is looking for a real life sword fighting experience (or the closest scenario possible) although sabreurs are more susceptible to injury due the fast paced and brutal nature of the style.
As most fencers do, I started with foil at my local club. Foil is great for learning the intricacies of fencing such as right of way and developing such techniques as foil flicks. After a couple of years, I decided to give épée a try and was immediately hooked-I could apply the techniques I learned in foil with much more freedom (not having to worry about right of way) and it’s really enjoyable mentally going back and forth with your opponent and trying to bait him into a mistake. Being a short fencer, it was a bit of a struggle initially, but by developing my speed I was able to compensate against taller épéeists.
Let's start with Foil-For the Perfectionist
As the lightest of the three fencing weapons, foil requires nimble footwork, along with athleticism and flexibility- it also has a smaller scoring zone then the other two styles.The scoring area is the abdomen, chest and back. Foilists compensate for the smaller target zone with tactics such as beat attacks and feints (See the first thumbnail to the left)flexibility of the foil makes it a perfect weapon for flick attacks and touches are awarded by striking your opponent with the tip of the blade. Striking an off target area will result in play being halted-and no points are awarded.
In Foil there is a huge emphasis on the right of way rule, hence starting to learn fencing with foil gives a beginner a good understanding of how priority works in the sport. Foil is ideal for honing both offensive and defensive tactics and is the most widely represented style of fencing in international events.
Notable Foil Fencers: Valentina Vazzali, Alexander Massialas, Lee Kiefer
Épée-More freedom, more tactical
A Pistol grip épée sword
The Traditional French grip épée sword
Épée Fencing utilises the heaviest blades in the sport, yet is perhaps the most pleasing form of fencing on the eye as it takes a slow, almost poetic approach. Like Foil, there are two forms of grip in épée fencing. The most widely seen grip is the French Grip, which involves holding the back end of the sword (pommel) which allows the user more reach in a duel. The traditional French grip is the ideal starting point for someone learning épée as it encourages fencers to manipulate the blade by using the fingers as in foil-The Pistol Grip, commonly seen in professional fencing, is controlled via the wrist and can be painful if used by an inexperienced fencer.
Épée allows fencers to be more creative with their strokes as it includes the whole body as a target zone-which can include foot and thigh touches, though most fencers concentrate on targeting the wrist or arm. The key to being a capable épée fencer is having smooth arm extensions with a relaxed shoulder-here height can be a huge advantage, so if you have a tall/lanky build you can exploit the extra reach épée provides. This form of fencing also has no restriction on the fencer crossing their feet when moving forward. It is the most tactical of the three schools of fencing.
Sabre-The most explosive school of fencing
Sabre fencing put simply is not for the faint-hearted. It combines all out aggression with explosive footwork and adds cutting and slashing into the mix. Sabre allows fencers to score touches by using both the tip and the edge of the blade, so fencers can make use of unusual angles to score. Parrying sabre attacks is extremely difficult due the different angles of attack and the pace of the bout. Parries 1,2 and 5 are used extensively in sabre to tackle attacks aimed at the head and upper body.
Although sabre contains some unique fencing moves, the fundamentals are the same-extension of the arm as in épée and foil, and from that point sabreurs can mix it up with slashes and cuts. In sabre, forward momentum is crucial and off target hits do not result in the bout being stopped.
