Most sports in the olympics are really pretty easy to watch.
You cross a finish line, hit a target, jump the farthest, score a point.
But fencing is different.
It’s so incredibly fast and precise, that even after watching several matches, for the
average viewer, it’s hard to understand exactly how a point was scored.
This is footage from 3 different bouts at the 2015 world championships.
On the surface, they look pretty similar.
But what you’re looking at is in fact 3 very different events.
There’s the foil, epee, and sabre.
They each have their own weapon and set of rules and their roots can be traced back centuries.
My only cultural reference for fencing comes from the 1998 remake of the Parent Trap, so
I decided to travel 2 blocks from our NYC office to a veritable fencing oasis in the
middle of Time Square, the Manhattan Fencing center.
It’s produced 3 Olympians just this year.
That’s me, struggling.
That’s my very patient coach for the day, Brando Messinese.
Perfect.
Very good job.
Retreat.
Parry.
Reposte.
But it all happens in a half a second Yeah it happens pretty fast.
So, where did fencing come from?
An early form of fencing for sport can be traced back to ancient Egypt but fencing,
as we know it today, derives from the European duel.
The design of swords evolved from a defense and hunting strategy of cutting and slashing
to thrusting because it was far more deadly and effective.
The foil is the lightest of the 3 fencing weapons and it appeared around the 17th century
Europe as a practice weapon for the smallsword, a fashionable weapon often used in a duel
to settle disputes.
Fencing schools were established in Italy, Spain, and France elevating the practice to
a form of exercise and art
Foil fencing rules are the most limiting.
You can only hit the torso and back and only with the tip of the foil blade.
This is where the term touche or (touch) comes from.
In the 19th century a sturdier weapon called the epee was introduced.
I would say for a first time viewer of fencing, the easiest one to watch is epee.
That’s because it’s the slowest of the three events because fencers are more hesitant
to initiate an attack exposing their whole bodies to their opponent.
Fencers are more hesitant to initiate an attack, exposing their whole body to their opponent.
It is also the only of the three weapons where the “right of way” rule is not enforced.
What’s “right of way?”
Well, in a classic duel the only way to win if you’re attacked first is to parry or
deflect your opponent's weapon AND THEN riposte or attack your opponent.
With the epee, simultaneous hits can occur and both fencers will receive a point.
And now, the fastest event.
The sabre.
Sabre is the second fastest sport in the Olympic games after rifle shooting.
That means the blade is moving almost as fast as a bullet
Instead of just thrusting, the sabre fencers can score on any part of the upper body with
slashes and thrusts and because the right of way is enforced, sabre fencers are more
incentivized to attack first.
You’ll immediately recognize the difference between an epee and sabre bout because of
the shape of the hand guard and speed of play.
Fencing holds a special place in Olympic history because it’s one of only 5 sports to be
featured since the first modern games in 1896.
It was a hugely popular sport, drawing crowds in theaters like big boxing fights would today.
This of course is where the salute comes from.
Until the 30s, fencing bouts like boxing would take place in theaters.
This of course is where the salute comes from.
In the mid 20th century electricity replaced red chalk to make judging easier.
And between 1900s and the early 2000s many fencing maneuvers further distanced the sport
from it’s dueling roots.
Nothing did that more than the “flick.”
People were used to flick their blades on the backs of their opponents.
But they changed the timings of the machines and that wouldn't work anymore.
Because a flick was so quick, it’s less likely to register as a hit.
Despite that, foil fencers still attempt this maneuver.
The international fencing federation and the IOC have done a lot to try and draw outsiders
to the sport.
At London 2012 the lighting systems alone looked like a techno dance floor and the masks
closely resembled daft punk head gear.
But the essence of the sport, a fight between two people remains.
If you can just train your eyes to watch split second bouts, it’s really exhilarating
to watch.