Fencing
A combat sport of sword fighting with three disciplines.
Fencing is a combat sport featuring sword fighting, consisting of three primary disciplines: foil, épée, and sabre. It gained prominence near the end of the 19th century, evolving from historical European swordsmanship, with the Italian school altering classical fencing and the French school later refining that system. Competitive fencing has been featured in every modern Olympics alongside athletics, cycling, swimming, and gymnastics.
- governing_body
- Fédération Internationale d'Escrime (FIE)
- headquarters
- Lausanne, Switzerland
Lore & Background
Fencing traces its roots to the development of swordsmanship for duels and self-defence. The oldest surviving treatise on western fencing is the Royal Armouries Ms. I.33, written c. 1300 in present-day Germany. The Italian school of fencing was dominated by the Bolognese or Dardi-School from the 16th century onward, focusing on the sidesword. The mechanics of modern fencing originated in the 18th century in an Italian school and were improved by the French school.
Reader's Guide
Basic conventions were collated in the 1880s by French master Camille Prévost. The FIE governs international fencing, maintaining rules for world cups, world championships, and the Olympics. Scoring is done by making contact with the opponent's sword. Bouts are decided by reaching a set number of hits or outscoring the opponent within a time limit. Fencing is one of the first sports in the Olympics and has appeared in every modern Games.
Did You Know?
- Domenico Angelo established the essential rules of posture and footwork that still govern modern sport fencing.
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