Riposte Fencing
21st Century Swordplay
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What Is Fencing?

Modern fencing is a fast and athletic sport, evolved out of historical swordsmanship and military training, which is both mentally and physically demanding. It is a sport with all the safety and technology of the present day, but preserving the honor and customs of its heritage.
Fencing is one of only five sports to appear in every modern Olympic Games, and continues to update itself constantly to remain relevant in the modern world.  Although primarily an individual sport, it can also be undertaken as teams in relay-style competions.

Fencing in Melbourne is governed by Fencing Victoria, and the Australian Fencing Federation.  Fencing competitions are held regularly at the State Fencing Centre in Brunswick, catering for a wide range of abilities. Clubs around Victoria provide venues for fencers to develop their skills and meet other fencers in a friendly environment.

Object of the Game

The main object of a fencing bout is to score 5 points (or 15 in direct-elimination competition) on your opponent before they score that number on you. Each time a fencer scores a touch, she receives a point.

Victory can be achieved using a variety of tactics, chosen by the individual to suit their own strengths, style and temperament.
 
 

The Equipment

 
Aside from the swords, equipment includes a mask to protect the face, specially designed clothing (often made of ballistic materials) to protect against broken blades, and electrical scoring equipment to register the validity of hits. 
 
To score a point a hit must land on the correct target area, with a minimum amount of force, for a minimum amount of time.
 
 

How to Follow the Action


For those new to fencing, it can be difficult to follow the speed of the actions in top-level fencing. To become more comfortable in watching a fencing bout, it can help to focus on one fencer.
The fencer being attacked defends himself by use of a parry, a motion used to deflect the opponent's blade, after which the defender can make a riposte, an answering attack. Thus, the two adversaries keep changing between offense and defense.
Whenever a hit is made, the referee will stop the bout, describe the actions, and decide whether or not to award a point.
Fencers seek to maintain a safe distance from each other, that is, out of range of the other's attack. Then, one will try to break this distance to gain the advantage for an attack. At times, a fencer will make a false attack to gauge the types of reactions by the opponent that can be deceived in the real attack.

As you become accustomed to the speed of the game, the tactics and strategies become more apparent, and you will gain a better understanding for the finesse and fascination of fencing!
 
 
 
 
 

The Weapons

There are three weapons used in the sport of fencing; foil, épée and sabre.  Foil and épée are point-thrusting weapons descended from the Small Sword and the Rapier.  Sabre is a cutting and thrusting weapon, modeled on the cavalry sabre.
Each weapon is fenced with slightly different rules and target area, which contributes to the different character and style of fencing used for each.  Most fencers find that one weapon suits them better than the others and will tend to specialise in that, however there is nothing to stop you competing in two, or even all three weapons.

Foil

The foil has a flexible rectangular blade, is 110cm in length, weighing 500g.
Points are scored with the tip, and must land within the torso of the body.  The target area does not include the arms, neck, head or legs.   A hit that lands "off-target" does not score a point, but will cause the referee to stop the bout and separate the fencers before resuming the bout.
The foil rules include a set of conventions (known as "right of way" rules) to determine who scores a point if both fencers land a hit on target.  These rules place emphasis on defence, requiring the fencer to avoid any attack by their opponent before launching their own.

Épée

The épée (pronounced "EPP-pay"), is 110cm long, and weighs up to 770g,  with a larger guard than the foil (to protect the hand from a valid hit) and a much stiffer blade.
Touches are scored with the point of the blade, and the entire body is valid target area.  This means there are no "off-target" hits to stop the bout, play only halts when someone scores a point.
The épée aims to preserve the character of a dueling weapon, and so there are no right-of-way rules.  The first person to hit will get the point, and if both hit at the same time, both score a point.  These simple rules do not make the game easy though, as the fencer alone becomes responsible for learning and understanding the consequences of their actions.

Sabre

The sabre is 88cm long, and weighs 500g. The main difference between the sabre and the other fencing weapons is that it allows the use of the edge of the blade as well as the point, which results in a very different style of play.
The target area is from the hip-bones to the top of the head (including the arms).  Like épée, there are no off-target lights, so a hit off-target will not stop play.  Like foil, sabre uses right-of-way rules to determine who scores a point if both fencers hit on target.