Tim, From Monty Python's Quest for the Holy Grail: Follow. But Follow only if ye be men of valour, for the entrance to this cave is guarded by a creature so foul, so cruel that no man yet has fought with it and lived. Bones of full fifty men lie strewn about its lair. So, brave knights, if you do doubt your courage or your strength, come no further, for death awaits you all with nasty, big, pointy teeth.
Do you want to learn how to fence?
Wilkes Fencing Club - Competitive and recreational olympic style fencing
Elite sport
Never too late to start
Exciting way to stay fit for life
Cool thing to have on your college resume
What makes fencing so different is that it is a direct encounter like wrestling or boxing, but one which specifically prohibits bodily contact. The qualities of strength, speed and coordination do not necessarily determine the victor. Discipline, intelligence, self-analysis, life experience and mental flexibility are just as important as physical qualities (if not more so).
There are three weapons used in modern fencing:
FOIL: The foil is a light and flexible weapon originally developed in the mid 17th century as a training weapon for the court sword (a light one-handed sword designed almost exclusively for thrusting). It is the weapon that, traditionally, many students practice first. Hits can only be scored by hitting the valid target surface (torso, see image on the left) with the point of the weapon. There are "right of way" conventions or priority rules, whose basic idea is that the first person to create a viable threat or the last person to successfully defend receives a "right" to hit. If two hits arrive more or less simultaneously, only the fencer who had the "right of way" receives a point.
EPEE: It seems that epee fencing was started in the beginning of the 16th century. After the two-handed broadsword was abandoned and the complete suit of armour was outdated, this new weapon was born in Spain. The rapier épée had a long fine blade with a sharper edge, and the tip could be used to cut and thrust. Like the foil, the épée is a thrusting weapon: to score a valid hit, the fencer must fix the point of his weapon on his opponent's target. However, épée lacks the foil's most artificial conventions: the restricted target area and the priority rules.
SABRE: The sabre is the "cutting" weapon, with a curved guard and a triangular blade. The modern sabre took its origins and traditions from the cavalry sabre. The target area in sabre is everything from the waist up, except for the hands.Like foil fencing, sabre fencing uses right of way rules. However, the definition of an "attack" is different for the two weapons, and as a result, the right of way rules distinguish sabre and foil significantly. Sabre right of way rewards very fast fencing (on offence and defence), and so sabre fencing tends to be more aggressive in style than the other weapons.
Tim, From Monty Python's Quest for the Holy Grail: Follow. But Follow only if ye be men of valour, for the entrance to this cave is guarded by a creature so foul, so cruel that no man yet has fought with it and lived. Bones of full fifty men lie strewn about its lair. So, brave knights, if you do doubt your courage or your strength, come no further, for death awaits you all with nasty, big, pointy teeth. 
What makes fencing so different is that it is a direct encounter like wrestling or boxing, but one which specifically prohibits bodily contact. The qualities of strength, speed and coordination do not necessarily determine the victor. Discipline, intelligence, self-analysis, life experience and mental flexibility are just as important as physical qualities (if not more so).
FOIL: The foil is a light and flexible weapon originally developed in the mid 17th century as a training weapon for the court sword (a light one-handed sword designed almost exclusively for thrusting). It is the weapon that, traditionally, many students practice first. Hits can only be scored by hitting the valid target surface (torso, see image on the left) with the point of the weapon. There are "right of way" conventions or priority rules, whose basic idea is that the first person to create a viable threat or the last person to successfully defend receives a "right" to hit. If two hits arrive more or less simultaneously, only the fencer who had the "right of way" receives a point. 
EPEE: It seems that epee fencing was started in the beginning of the 16th century. After the two-handed broadsword was abandoned and the complete suit of armour was outdated, this new weapon was born in Spain. The rapier épée had a long fine blade with a sharper edge, and the tip could be used to cut and thrust. Like the foil, the épée is a thrusting weapon: to score a valid hit, the fencer must fix the point of his weapon on his opponent's target. However, épée lacks the foil's most artificial conventions: the restricted target area and the priority rules. 
SABRE: The sabre is the "cutting" weapon, with a curved guard and a triangular blade. The modern sabre took its origins and traditions from the cavalry sabre. The target area in sabre is everything from the waist up, except for the hands.Like foil fencing, sabre fencing uses right of way rules. However, the definition of an "attack" is different for the two weapons, and as a result, the right of way rules distinguish sabre and foil significantly. Sabre right of way rewards very fast fencing (on offence and defence), and so sabre fencing tends to be more aggressive in style than the other weapons.
