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Fencing
The sword is one of oldest weapons known to man. It evolved from spears, which evolved from clubs. Originally, early man for hunting prey used clubs and spears. Eventually these weapons were used in anger against other men and came to be adapted into swords specifically for fighting.
The sword has come a long way since the sharpened sticks first used to poke enemies. Probably the earliest recorded swords as we know them can be seen in Egyptian drawings dating from around 1200 BC. Roman soldiers carried 'short swords' which, as the name suggests, had short flat blades with sharp edges. During the Medieval period, giant ornate swords with blades over five feet long came into fashion. The greatest warriors for the simple reason that only the greatest warriors were strong enough to lift them only used these. Of all the types of sword, these were the ones to be remembered most readily. Many fantasy books are written set in this era, all with the inevitable magical hero and his jewel-encrusted sword, and games like Dungeons & Dragons and Warhammer are still surprisingly popular today. A considerable flaw with these swords was the armour that went with them, huge suits of wrought iron, allowing almost no free movement for the wearer.
Development
The event in history that really changed the shape of both fencing and of the sword was the invention of gunpowder. In the 17th and 18th Centuries, armour went out of fashion because it was of little use against muskets. Along with the armour, the need for large swords vanished and the gentry carried light swords called duelling rapiers. It is around these swords that modern fencing swords are based. Because the gentry had little need to carry a sword for practical purposes, rapiers were used mainly as fashion accessories. Although occasionally used in self-defence, rapiers were frequently relied upon to settle matters of honour. It is for this reason that fencing today is such a formal sport, in which fencers salute one another before a bout and shake hands afterwards.
Fencing has been a sport in the Olympics since the ancient games were revived in 1896. As a sport, it is still surprisingly popular. Originally only the male gentry were trained as fencers so that they might defend themselves in duels, but now the sport is open to all classes and ages, as well as both genders. After a slow decline in popularity, the sport has recently witnessed a revival, thought to be inspired by such films as Star Wars and The Mask of Zorro.
The actual fencing takes place on a strip of ground called the 'piste' which is 14 metres long by 2 metres wide. Fights, or 'bouts', may be up to five minutes in length in competitions, and during that time each fencer must attempt to score five hits on their opponent. Aside from the two competitors, other individuals involved with the bout include the President (now called the Referee) and the four Judges. The Referee starts and stops the bout and awards points to whichever fencer he deems has scored a hit on the other. The job of the Judges is to watch for any hit scored so that if the Referee is unsure about a hit they can tell him whether it was on target or not.
The Three Types of Swords
The sword that most beginners are most likely to use is called the foil. It is about 1 metre in length and weighing in around 7kg. It is modelled after a classical rapier, you may only score with the tip of the blade. Also the valid target area is only the torso, no head, arm, or leg points allowed. This is a good weapon to learn how to control and practice your speed with but most championships and competitions use the épée.
The Épée
The épée is a slightly longer version of the foil with a larger guard. For the épée, hits may be scored all over the body - everywhere is on target. The épée is the only weapon where, if two hits are scored at once, both combatants are allowed a hit. Like the foil, hits may only be scored with the point of the blade.
The Sabre
Sabre bouts are fast and furious, as not only is the whole body on target but hits can be scored with the flat of the blade as well as the point. Sabre fencing is notoriously violent and many fencers come away from their bouts with bruised fingers. Even though the guard on a sabre is huge, the forces involved as both people hack away at each other are so large that it's easy to get your fingers trapped.
What we do.
My name in Andy Jack (I’m the one in the kilt), I started fencing with QM in 2000. That was my fresher year. I’m now the club coach, taking over from Professor Bert Bracewell (He’s the distinguished looking gentleman in the suit). Hazel Mils (I’m sure you can guess which one she is) and myself have continued coaching the club and although we haven’t took the championship, Queen Margaret has a reputation, within the fencing community, of always fielding a good team.
This year, we are getting off to a slow start. With the union and the university still working hard on the new campus, we are still waiting for confirmation of a room booking for our training. But watch this space, we are coming ... and we want you to join us.
For more information check out the QMU Fencing website
http://qmfencing.zoomshare.com/
or email the Fencing Executive
or the Fencing Noticeboard
