The sport of agility, strength, coordination, balance, timing and mental strategy
Weapons
There are three weapons in modern fencing: foil, épée, and sabre.
Foil
The foil is a light thrusting weapon with a maximum weight of 500 grams.
Background
There are two types of foils that are used in modern fencing. Both types are made with the same basic parts: the pommel, grip, guard, and blade. The difference between them is one is electric, and the other is known as "steam" or "dry".[1] The blades of both varieties are capped with a plastic or rubber piece, with a button at the tip in electric blades, that provides information when the blade tip touches the opponent.[1] (There are also a range of plastic swords made by varying manufacturers for use by juniors.[citation needed]) Lacking the button and associated electrical mechanism, a judge is required to determine the scoring and the victor in a tournament with non-electric foils
Blade
Foil have standardized, tapered, quadrangular (rectangular) blades that are made of tempered and annealed, low-carbon steel[3]—or maraging steel as required for international competitions[4] To prevent the blade from breaking or causing harm to an opponent, the blade is made to bend upon impact with its target.[1] The maximum length of the blade must be 90 cm,[5] The length of the assembled weapon at maximum is 110 cm, and the maximum weight must be less than 500g;[5] however, most competition foil are lighter, closer to 350g.[6]
The blade of a foil has two sections: the forte (strong) which is the one third of the blade near the guard, and the foible (weak) which is the two thirds of the blade near the tip.[5] There is a part of the blade contained within the grip called a tang. it extends past the grip enough to be fasten to the pommel and hold the rest of the foil together.[5] When an Italian grip is used, see below, a ricasso extends from under the guard, inside of the grip's quillons, into the tang.
Guard Assembly
A foil fitted with an Italian grip. The Italian grip is still in use as the initial teaching weapon in Italy and many other countries that follow the Italian pedagogical tradition. While still in use with many classical fencers, most competitive sport fencers have abandoned the Italian grip in favor of variations of the pistol grip, with the French grip used rarely. As of March 2019, the Italian grip remains legal for use in modern competition.[7]
The guard is fastened to the blade, plug, and grip. Then the pommel, a type of fastener, is attached to the grip and holds the rest together. The type of pommel used depends on the type of grip.[1] Two grips are used in foil: straight traditional grips with external pommels (Italian, French, Spanish, and orthopedic varieties);[1] and the newer design of pistol grips, which fix the hand in a specific, ergonomic position, and which have pommels that fit into a countersink in the grip.[1]
Épée
Care for a duel? The epee, which is longer and heavier than the saber and foil, might be the most straightforward of the three weapons.
The épée is the largest and heaviest of the three weapons used in the sport of fencing. The modern épée derives from the 19th-century Épée de Combat,[1] a weapon which itself derives from the French small sword.[2]
As a thrusting weapon, the épée is similar to a foil (compared to a sabre, which is also designed for slashing) but has a stiffer blade, which is triangular in cross-section with a V-shaped groove called a fuller. It also has a larger bell guard and weighs more.
Sabre
The sabre is a light cutting and thrusting weapon that targets the entire body above the waist, including the head and both the hands. Sabre is the newest weapon to be used. Like the foil, the maximum legal weight of a sabre is 500 grams. The hand guard on the sabre extends from hilt to the point at which the blade connects to the pommel. This guard is generally turned outwards during sport to protect the sword arm from touches. Hits with the entire blade or point are valid. As in foil, touches that land outside the target area are not scored. However, unlike foil, these off-target touches do not stop the action, and the fencing continues. In the case of both fencers landing a scoring touch, the referee determines which fencer receives the point for the action, again through the use of "right of way".