FENCING in the 1904 Games, followed by the sabre and épée

 Fencing is defined as the art, practice, or sport in in 1908.

which an épée, foil, or saber is used for defense and  In the first decades of competition, Europeans
attack. dominated, with France, Italy, Spain, Great Britain,
and the Netherlands all boasting champions.
HISTORY OF FENCING
 Following World War II, the communist nations of
 The history of fencing begins in ancient Egypt in
Eastern Europe rose to pre-eminence, with the Soviet
roughly 1200 B.C.
Union, Poland, and Hungary sharing the medal stand.
 The earliest depiction of swordplay is a relief in the
 Aladar Gerevich of Hungary is considered fencing’s
temple of Medīnat Habu, near Luxor in Egypt, built by
greatest champion, with seven gold medals in sabre
Ramses III about 1190 BCE.
competition to his credit.
 Swordsmanship was also practiced widely by the
 Until recently, women competed for the first time at
ancient Persians, Babylonians, Greeks, and Romans
the Games of the VIII Olympiad in Paris in 1924.
as well as by the Germanic tribes.
 Individual foil for women was first included in the
 The Romans brought sword combat to a highly
1924 Olympic Games, and a team event for women
systematic art that was taught to both their legions
was introduced in the 1960 Games.
and their gladiators. Gladiators were trained in
 Women’s team and individual épée made their
schools (ludi) by professional instructors (doctores).
Olympic debut in the 1996 Games.
Beginners practiced with a wooden sword called a
 The women’s individual sabre event was added in the
rudis.
2004 Olympic Games, and the women’s team sabre
 By the 15 century, guilds of fencing masters had
th
event was added in the 2008 Games.
been formed throughout Europe, the most notable of
which was the Marxbrüder (the Association of St. HISTORY OF FENCING IN THE PHILIPPINES
Marcus of Löwenberg), which was granted letters  The sport of fencing in the Philippines dates back in
th
patent by the Holy Roman emperor Frederick III in the middle of the 19 century, when the Spanish
1480. The fencing that we know today more likely colonizers in the country introduced the practice of
comes from rapier fencing: originating in Spain in the amateur sport of swordsmanship. Many Filipino
th
15 century, which involved more thrusting than the revolutionaries were known to have taken up the sport
fencing done by the ancient Egyptians. at that time. Pictures of Filipino heroes such as Dr.
 Spain was the first one to practice fencing. Narvaez Jose Rizal, brothers Antonio Luna and Juan Luna
and Thibault headed up the Spanish school of are shown engaging in the sport of fencing.
fencing, yet their style was complicated and hard to  In the 1930s, Don Francisco L. Dayrit became the
follow. first Filipino Fencing Master and propagated the sport
 Fencing was first supported in England by Henry more formally. At the end of WWII, Dayrit started
VIII, who, sometime before 1540, granted letters fencing classes at the Ateneo De Manila University,
patent to several fencing masters that allowed them to the University of the Philippines and the Far Eastern
teach there. University.
 The Italians discovered the effectiveness of the  In 1957, Dayrit founded the Philippine Amateur
dexterous use of the point rather than the edge of the Fencers Association and registered it with the
sword. Italians Agrippa (inventor of fencing positions Philippines Securities and Exchange Commission as
prime, seconde, tierce and quatre) and Capo Ferro a non-stock, non-profit sport organization, with Adolfo
developed their own school of fencing, which Feliciano being its first president.
contributed many fencing moves that are used today.  The other PAFA presidents following the term of
 Modern fencing was originated in the 18 century in
th
Feliciano were Advertising Executive Antonio
the Italian school of fencing and under their influence. Herrera, AIM Dean Gaston Ortigas, Judge
It was later on developed by French school of fencing. Bienvenido Ejercito, and Assemblyman Arturo
The French school of sword fighting was an academic Barbero. Bank Executive Celso L. Dayrit assumed
form, with much emphasis on strategy and form. the Presidency of the PAFA in 1997 until 2008.
 Basic conventions were first collected and set down in  Lawyer Victor C. Africa took over the Presidency of
the 1880s by the French fencing master Camille the PAFA in 2009 until 2012, and was succeeded by
Prévost. Movie Actor Richard I. Gomez as the President of
 1894: At the Paris Congress in June, the desire was the PAFA which was renamed as Philippine
expressed to have fencing on the Olympic Fencing Association Inc.
programme.  PAFA was accredited by the Federation
 1896: Fencing was on the programme of the Games Internationale D’Escrime in 1967 as the National
of the I Olympiad in Athens Sports Association for Fencing in the Philippines. It
 Fencing for men had been part of the Olympic Games was accepted as member of the Philippine Olympic
since their revival in 1896. In 1900, the épée joined Committee in 1978, was a chartered member of the
the foil and sabre as individual events in the Olympic Southeast Asian Fencing Federation in 1987, and
program. Team competition in the foil was introduced the Fencing Confederation of Asia in 1988.
Philippine Fencing: Current National Team Line-up
Philippine Fencing Association
Men’s Foil Women’s Foil
1. Nathaniel Perez 1. Samantha Catantan Richard Gomez President
2. Michael Nicanor 2. Maxine Esteban Eugenio Gonzalez Chairman
3. Nicolei Felipe 3. Justine Tinio Michael David Abundo III Vice-Chairman
Men’s Epee Women’s Epee Rene Gacuma Secretary General
1. Noelito Jose Jr. 1. Hanniel Abella Celso Dayrit PFA-President Emeritus
2. Darylle Lumahan 2. Clichelleyn del Rosario Leah Gonzalez Vice-President/Treasurer
3. RJ Perez Jr. 3. Mickyle Bustos Marilee Estampador Auditor
Men’s Sabre Women’s Sabre
1. CJ Conception 1. Allaine Cortey Training Venue
2. Ricky Brando II 2. Jylyn Nicanor
3. Donnie Navarro 3. Queen Dalmacio  Republic Fencing and Sports Club
- Republic Fencing is a fledgling fencing club
International Fencing Federation offering instructional programs in foil, épée and
 recognized by the International Olympic Committee sabre in the Philippines. It is the first ever fencing
(IOC) as the world governing body of fencing club in the country with a permanent situated
 an Olympic sport since 1896 and have 153 affiliated fencing hall which was launched last November
member federations all over the world 8, 2015.
 establishes the rules to which international - Nicholas Marco Galan, Co-Founder/Chairman
competitions must be organized and oversees their  Vicious Brainiac Fencing
implementation
 FIE structure: Executive committee, Confederations and Competitions
National Federations, Commissions and Councils, FIE Office  World Fencing Championships
- an annual competition in fencing organized by
Alisher USMANOV President
the Fédération Internationale d'Escrime or FIE
Emmanuel KATSIADAKIS Secretary General
(MH) - The world championships are, after the Olympic
Ferial Nadira SALHI Secretary-treasurer Games, the most prominent international
Ana PASCU (MH) Vice-President, Representative competition in the sport of fencing
of the Executive Committee in
the Refereeing Commission
 Junior and Cadet World Championships
Donald ANTHONY JR. Vice-President  Fencing at the Youth Olympic Games
OTA Yuki Vice-President  Fencing at the Summer Olympics
Erika AZE Representative of the
 Asian Games (Asiad)
Executive Committee in the
Medical Commission - a continental multi-sport event held every four
Jacek BIERKOWSKI Representative of the years among athletes from all over Asia
Executive Committee in the  Trekanten International-Nordic Championships
SEMI Commission
Velichka HRISTEVA Representative of the Foil
Executive Committee in the  Akari Asian U23 Fencing Championship
Fair Play Council  UAAP Fencing Championships
Isabelle LAMOUR Representative of the
Executive Committee in the
Promotion, Communication Key Weapons
and Marketing
Novak PEROVIC Representative of the
FOIL – THE COURT SWORD
Executive Committee in the Characteristics: It is a light thrusting weapon with a maximum
Legal Commission weight of 500 grams. Mainly designed for thrusting, it is very
Bence SZABO Representative of the thin with a foiled or blunted tip. These are flexible enough to
Executive Committee in the
Coaches Council bend upon touching the opponent in order to avoid injuries.
Pascal TESCH Representative of the The foil has a small circular hand guard that serves to protect
Executive Committee in the hand from direct stab.
Rules Commission
Target: In foil fencing, the fencer must land the tip of the blade
Mbagnick NDIAYE President of African Fencing
Confederation on a valid target: along the torso from shoulders to groin in the
Vitaly LOGVIN President of the Pan-American front and to the waist in the back. The arms, neck, head and
Fencing Confederation legs are considered off-target. Off-target hits will temporarily
Celso L.DAYRIT (MH) President of Asian Fencing
halt the fencing action, but does not result any points being
Confederation, Representative
in the Veteran's Council awarded .All the foil fencers wear a jacket that covers all the
Stanislav POZDNYAKOV President of the European targeted areas, which is also called a lamé.
Fencing Confederation, Scoring: Only one touch can be scored by either fencer at a
Representative in the
Disciplinary Panel time. Touches are scored only with the foil tip. The referee has
Helen SMITH (MH) President of Oceanian Fencing to differentiate offense and defense. One of the most
Confederation, Representative challenging concepts to grasp is the rule of right-of-way which
in the Women and Fencing
states that the fencer who started to attack first will receive the
Council
Aldo MONTANO President of Athlete's point if they hit a valid target, and that their opponent is
Commission obligated to defend themselves. (In other words, you don’t get
points by committing suicide and running onto your opponent’s Fencing terms
blade once they have established the start of their attack.) The Advance – To step forward
foil has a pressure-sensitive button at its tip, which will depress Beat – A sharp tap on an opponent's blade to initiate an attack
when 500 grams or more pressure is applied. If the tip is in Black Card – A card from the referee signifying a fencer has
contact with the lamé, the hit is valid; if it touches the been expelled and at the discretion of the referee it will be from
nonconductive jacket or knickers, the hit is ―off-target‖ and is either the match or tournament.
not counted. However, if a fencer hesitates for too long while Bout – A contest between two fencers
advancing on their opponent, they give up right-of-way to their Corps-a-Corps (pronounced "core-a-core") – A move involving
opponent. A touch scored against an opponent who hesitated body contact where two fencers are engaged in a way that
too long is called an attack in preparation or a stop-hit, allows neither to use his or her weapon
depending on the circumstances. Counter Attack – An attack made by a fencer immediately
following a missed attack by their opponent
EPEE – (ALMOST) ANYTHING GOES Disengage – To break contact between blades
Characteristics: Epee has a v- shaped blade and also a Double Touch/Hit – Successful contact by both fencers within
thrusting weapon like Foil, but a little heavier in weight and .04 of a second (counted only in epee competition)
stiffer than Foil, with a maximum weight of 770 grams. The En Garde – French for "on guard", the position that fencers
hand guard in case of Epee is a large circle that is extended take before a bout begins or after a break in action
towards the pommel in order to guard hand effectively, which is Engage – To make contact blade to blade
a valid target in case of Epee. Epee fencer’s uniform doesn’t Feint – A false attack designed to force an opponent into a
include a lamé. reaction
Target: In case of Epee, the entire body is the valid target. All Fleche – A running attack
hits have to be made with the tip. Hits with the side of the blade Froisse – A powerful action against the opponent’s blade
are not counted as scores and they don’t even halt the action. designed to disarm.
Since the entire body is the target here, so there is no off- Hit/Touch – A point scored by a touch
target touch in case of Epee except when the fencer hits the Lame - Pronounced La-may. This is the conductive over jacket
floor and set of the electric tone. that is used for electric scoring in both Foil and Sabre
Scoring: There is no ―right of way‖ rule to decide score in case Lunge – A move where a fencer's front leg moves forward
of simultaneous hits by both fencers. Epee fencers score a while the back leg remains stationary and straightens out
point by hitting their opponent first. If the fencers hit each other On Guard Line – A line on each side of center on the strip
within 1/25th of a second, both receive a point - this is where a fencer stands to begin or resume a bout
commonly referred to as a double touch, but in case of a tie up Parry – A defensive action where a fencer blocks an
at the end of a match, all the double touches scored, are opponent's blade
considered null or void. The lack of right-of-way combined with Passe – An attack which slides by the target, failing to score.
a full-body target naturally makes epee a game of careful Pattinando – Advance and lunge performed one movement,
strategy and patience. with lunge coming from rear foot.
Piste/Strip – French term for the fencing strip: where the
SABRE – SLASH AND DASH actual fencing action takes place.
Characteristics: A sabre has similar weight and length as a Plastron – Protective shield worn under a fencer's jacket
foil. It is a thrusting weapon as well as a cutting weapon with a Recover – To return to the en garde position after lunging
weight of 500 grams. The hand guard in case of sabre is Red Card – A card from the referee signifying a penalty hit has
extended from pommel to the base where the blade is been charged against a fencer for a rules violation (1 point to
connected with the hilt. During the game, the guard is generally other fencer)
kept outwards in order to protect the hand from touches. Remise – Attacking again immediately after the opponent’s
Target: The sabre fencer’s uniform features an electrically parry of an initial attack.
wired metallic lamé, which fully covers their valid target area. Right of Way – The ever complicated and subjective system
The target area is the entire body above the waist. Because for determining who scores a point in either a foil or sabre bout.
the head is valid target area, the fencer’s mask is also Riposte – A counter attack by a fencer who has just blocked
electrically wired. an attack by the opponent with a parry
Scoring: Sabre fencers can score with the edge of their blade Stop Hit, Stop Cut – A counter-action made at the moment of
as well as their point. One significant departure from foil is that an opponent’s hesitation, feint, or poorly executed attack.
off-target hits do not register on the scoring machine, and Stop thrust – A counterattack performed by extending the arm
therefore do not halt the fencing action. Sabre fencing is also as a means of scoring into the opponent’s offensive
the first of the three weapons to feature a wireless scoring preparation.
system. During simultaneous touching, referee takes the Thrust – Any action which conveys danger to the opponent’s
decision using ―right of way‖ rule. In sabre, the rules of right-of- target.
way strongly favor the fencer who attacks first, and a mere Warning Line – A line two meters inside the rear line that
graze by the blade against the lamé registers a touch with the warns a fencer he or she is near the end of the strip
scoring machine. As a result, sabre is a fast, aggressive game; Yellow Card – A card from the referee signifying a warning
with fencers rushing their opponent from the moment their has been issued to a fencer for violating a rule.
referee gives the instruction to fence.
Basic Footwork & Handwork Equipment and facilities
En Garde: The en garde position forms the basis of your Court: The field of play has an even surface. The portion of
footwork. The feet should be at a right angle, hip-or shoulder- the field of play used for fencing is called the piste. The piste is
width apart. Knees should be bent, with the bodyweight evenly from 1.5m to 2m wide and 14m long. Five lines are drawn very
distributed. The sword arm should be no more than an elbow's clearly on the piste at right angles to its length, as follows:
width away from the body, with the forearm more or less - One centre line which is drawn as a broken line
parallel to the floor. Keep the hand out to the side rather than across the whole width of the piste.
in the middle - Two on‑-guard lines at 2m on each side of the centre
Stepping forwards: Lift your front toes and extend your leg, line. These are drawn across the whole width of the
placing your heel on the ground before your toes; place your piste.
front foot down, and then lift (not drag) your back foot to close - Two lines at the rear limits of the piste, which are
the distance. Ideally, the toe of the front foot should land at the drawn across the whole width of the piste, at a
same time as the back foot returns to the en garde position as distance of 7m from the centre line.
it helps to make smaller, neater footwork. - The last 2m of the piste before the rear limit lines are
Stepping backwards: Lift your back foot and extend it behind clearly distinguished by a different colour of the piste,
you; follow with your front foot, making sure that you step onto to make it easy for the fencers to be aware of their
your heel first followed by toes second. position on the piste.
Lunge: the basic attacking move. The sword arm is extended Uniform
fully, while the back leg remains stationary as the front leg Jacket: the outermost layer worn while fencing (both
moves forward. competition & training). It extends beyond the torso with a strap
Parry: a defensive action where the fencer blocks the that hooks under the crotch to keep the jacket securely in
opponent’s lunge. When parrying, only the blade should move, place.
while the arm should be kept as straight as possible. Knickers: These are a particular type of fencing pants that go
Riposte: a counterattack by the fencer who has blocked the from the waist to just below the knees, and are worn
opponent with a parry. overlapping the top of the socks.
The stance: The correct fencing stance is as follows: Long Socks: These are tall socks that reach up to the bottom
- The correct position involves pointing the front of the knickers. Again, these and the knickers need to overlap
foot straight forward, with the back foot at a 90 such that no skin is exposed.
degree angle to it. The feet should be around Fencing Shoes: Fencing shoes offer support to the inside of
91cm (3ft) apart. the sole, specifically for fencing movements.
- Both legs should be bent, to enable the fencer to Masks: specific for each weapon and are not interchangeable.
readily move speedily to make an attack or They all include a hard mesh covering over the head and face,
defend. with neck protection that extends down from the face: ―bib‖.
- The sword arm should be bent at a 45 degree - For foil, the bib is electric to detect touches. Since foil
angle in front of the fencer, and the other arm has specific areas of the body that count as touches,
should be kept behind the fencer. the bib needs to be electric.
- When moving forward in fencing, the front foot - For epee, the entire body is considered a target, so
should move first, and then be followed by the the weapon alone can sense the touch.
back foot. - For sabre, the entire mask is electric.
- When moving backward, the back foot should Underarm Protector: Also called a ―plastron,‖ this is a cotton
move first and then be followed by the front foot. or nylon shield worn to protect the weapon arm and that side of
The attack: There are four types of fencing attack on an the body.
opponent: Chest Protector: Also called a ―chest guard,‖ this is a plastic
- High outside — an attack to the top of the protective plate worn over the chest. It is required for female
opponent, going to the outside of the blade fencers to protect breast tissue, and often looks like a more
between the opponent’s weapon and shoulder. rigid version of a sports bra.
- Low outside — the same area as high outside but Gloves: worn on the weapon arm and must extend at least
made closer to the waist. halfway up the forearm. The style of glove is different for foil
- High inside — going inside of the blade, in the and epee versus sabre. In sabre, a metallic over-glove is
middle of the chest to the shoulder. required that is sometimes built into the one glove, or worn
- Low inside — the same as high inside but lower. over top.
Lame: For foil, the lame is an electrical vest worn over the
fencing jacket. The purpose of this vest is to detect touches on
the torso. For sabre, it is an electrical jacket with long sleeves
because in sabre, the target area is the whole body above the
waist.
Body Cords: Body cords connect the weapons to the scoring
machine.
Mask Cords: Mask cords connect foil or sabre masks to the
lame.
Basic Scoring period, there is a 1-minute ―sudden death‖ period with
Individual Tournaments priority. Fencers are allowed a break of at least 10
The following is a brief summary of how an individual minutes between DE bouts.
tournament is scored. These tournaments consist of two - If the third period is completed before either fencer
rounds: reaches 15 points, the fencer with the most points is
Round 1: Pools declared the winner.
- Fencers are divided into pools with either 6 or 7 - There is a ―non-combativity‖ rule that applies in Direct
fencers in each pool, or sometime 5 or 6 fencers in Elimination bouts. If no touch is scored after a minute
each pool. The fencers’ initial seeding is used to of fencing, or if the fencers remain too far apart to be
make each pool be of about the same strength. able to score for about 15 seconds, then they are
- Each fencer fences one bout against every other considered to not be trying to score. In that case, the
fencer in the pool. If the pool includes two fencers referee will call halt and the bout advances
from the same school, they will usually fence each immediately to the next period (there is no one minute
other before fencing someone from another school. break). If non-combativity occurs in the third period,
This means that at the start of the pool round it is the referee tosses a coin to decide which fencer has
usual to see fencers from the same school fencing priority and the fencers fence one final minute. This is
each other. not ―sudden death‖, the entire minute is fenced. If the
- In a pool of 5 fencers there will be a total of 10 bouts. score is tied at the end of that minute, the fencer with
- In a pool of 6 fencers there will be a total of 15 bouts. priority is the winner.
- In a pool of 7 fencers there will be a total of 21 bouts. Final Results
- Each pool bout consists of one 3-minute period. The - The finalists take 1st and 2nd place and the losing
winner is the first fencer to score five touches. semi-finalists are both awarded third place. Fencers
- If the score is 4-4 and there is a double-touch, the who lose in the table of 8 are awarded 5th to 8th
score remains at 4-4. place; the one with the highest seed following the
- If a fencer scores 5 touches before the 3-minute pools gets 5th, the next highest gets 6th, etc.
period ends, that fencer is the winner. The score is Similarly, fencers who lose in the table of 16 are
recorded as V5-D3, D2-V5, etc. (―V‖ for victory, ―D‖ for awarded 9th to 16th place, and so on. Fencers who
defeat). did not advance to the second round are ranked after
- If time expires before either fencer has 5 touches, the those who did, and in the order of their seeding from
winner is the fencer who has more touches. pools.
- If the score is tied when time expires, the referee Team Tournaments
tosses a coin to see which fencer has ―priority‖. The - The Team Championship and some scrimmages are
fencers fence a 1-minute “sudden death” period team tournaments which consist of a series of team
and the first fencer to score a touch that is not a matches between teams of three or four fencers.
double-touch is the winner. - Team tournaments often do not have a round of
- If there is a double-touch during this extra period, the pools, but go straight into Direct Elimination.
score does not advance and the fencers restart from - In team competition, which consists of nine
where they were (rather than returning to the en individual bouts (each member of one team faces
garde lines). each member of the other team once), a head-to-
- If the score is still tied at the end of the extra period, head bout lasts three minutes or until one team
the fencer with ―priority‖ is the winner. In this case, the score reaches a multiple of five. If the ninth bout is
winner is not awarded an extra touch, so the score is completed and neither team has 45 points, the team
recorded as V4-D4, V3-D3, V2-D2, etc. with the most points is declared the winner.
- At the end of the pool round, the fencers are asked - If teams are tied at the conclusion of the ninth bout of
to check the score sheet and sign it to show they a match, a further one minute of fencing time will be
agree with it. The pool results are tabulated and used added. One fencer will be randomly selected and
to decide the seeding for the second round. The top given priority. The fencer who scores the first touch
80% of the fencers advance to the second round. will win the match for his or her team.
Round 2: Direct Elimination -
- The Direct Elimination round (also known as ―DEs‖) is Scoring specifics: Foil
a standard single-elimination bracket arranged to Touches: Points are scored with the tip of the blade only.
make sure the higher seeds do not meet until late in Target Area: In foil, a touch only counts if it lands within the
the round. The bracket will normally begin with a table torso of the body (from shoulders to the groin, front and back).
of 32, 64 or 128 fencers. If there are not exactly 32, The arms, neck, head and legs are not part of the valid target
64 or 128 fencers in the round, the higher seeds will area.
get a bye in the first bout. Right of way: When both lights turn on, it rests upon the
- The bouts consist of three 3-minute periods with a referee to decide which fencer scores the point. The decision is
1-minute break between periods. The winner is the based on the concept of Right of Way (RoW) which gives the
first fencer to score 15 touches. In a similar way to a point to the fencer who had priority, i.e. the attacking fencer.
pool bout, if the score is tied at the end of the third Priority is gained in many ways:
 - Beginning to extend the arm before the opponent,
which signifies an attack
- Causing the opponent to miss, either through a parry
or retreating out of distance
- Establishing a point in line
- Beating the opponent's blade
- Deceiving the opponent's search
- If neither fencer has priority in a double touch
situation, the action is called simultaneous and no
point is awarded.
Scoring specifics: Sabre
Hits: Unlike the foil, in which only hits with the blade tip count
for a point, sabre hits may be made with the blade's front edge,
the last one-third of its back edge, or the tip.
Target Area: The permitted target area in sabre is from the
bend of the hips (both front and back) to the top of the head,
simulating the cavalry rider on a horse.
Right of way: When both lights turn on, it rests upon the
referee to decide which fencer scores the point. The decision is
based on the concept of Right of Way (RoW) which gives the
point to the fencer who had priority, i.e. the attacking fencer.
Priority is gained in many ways:
- Beginning to extend the arm before the opponent,
which signifies an attack
- Causing the opponent to miss, either through a parry
or retreating out of distance
- Establishing a point in line
- Beating the opponent's blade
- Deceiving the opponent's search
- If neither fencer has priority in a double touch
situation, the action is called simultaneous and no
point is awarded.
Scoring specifics: Epee
Touches: As with the foil, touches are scored only by the tip of
the blade.
Target Area: The epee athlete's entire body is valid --
including head and feet -- making it the largest target area of
any of the fencing events.
Right of Way: There is no Right of Way rule in epee.