The oldest surviving manual on western swordsmanship dates to around 1300, although historical

references date fencing schools back to the 12th century.

The ancestor of modern fencing originated in Spain, where several books on fencing were
written. Treatise on Arms was written by Diego de Valera between 1458 and 1471, shortly before
dueling came under official ban by the Catholic Monarchs. When Spain became the leading power
of Europe, the Spanish carried fencing abroad and particularly into the south of Italy, one of the main
battlefields between both nations.
Modern fencing originated in the 18th century, in the Italian school of fencing of the Renaissance,
and, under their influence, was improved by the French school. The Spanish school didn't become
prominent until the 19th century. Nowadays, these three schools are the most influential around the
world.
MEANING:
The English term fencing, in the sense of "the action or art of using the sword scientifically" (OED)
dates to the late 16th century, when it denoted systems designed for the Renaissancerapier. It is
derived from the latinate defence (while conversely, the Romance term for fencing, scherma,
escrima are derived from the Germanic (Old Frankish) *skrim "to shield, cover, defend").

Blade - The hitting part of a sword from the guard to the point.
Chest Guard - Used to protect the chest.
Foible - The weaker part of a sword blade, between the middle and the point.
Grip - The handle of a sword; also called the "hilt".
Guard - The part of a sword between the blade and handle that protects the duelling hand
Piste - French for the field of play where a fencing bout occurs; also called a "strip".
Point - The end of the blade, which must touch the opponent's target area to score a point

Foil
Foils began as safer and lighter practice weapons used by duellers to hone their skills. The term "foil"
is derived from the French word "refouler," meaning "to turn back." The foil blade is usually very
flexible, around 35 inches in length and square in cross section. This sword is lighter in weight than
both the epee and the saber from hilt to tip. Foil fencing is scored on a thrusting strike to only the front

or back torso. For this reason, the guard of the foil can be somewhat smaller than the epee, where
any touch counts while fencing. The use of the foil as a tool for training and practice, as well as
competition, has helped to shape the sport of fencing as a whole.

Epee
The epee is as long as a foil, but has a much heavier blade with a triangular cross-section and fluting
along the sides of the blade. The shape, weight and fluting originated with the rapier, an ancient
dueling sword on which the epee was based. The design of the rapier was primarily intended to inflict
a thrusting wound with a blade that would allow blood to flow more freely. The epee is also a thrusting
weapon and points are scored by striking anywhere on the body. The guard, therefore, is cup-shaped
to protect the hand and wrist from being a potential target. Fencing with the epee most closely
simulates the conditions of an actual duel.

Saber
Unlike the foil and epee, which are exclusively thrusting weapons, the saber is used to both slash and
thrust. The history of the saber recounts its use as a military weapon, particularly among cavalry. In
fact, the target area of modern saber fencing, which includes all of the upper torso excluding the
hands, was strongly influenced by the common use of the saber when fighting on horseback.
The saber of today is a light, flat blade with a front striking edge and a flat spine. The guard of the
saber is relatively large and cup-shaped with a curved guard that wraps around the hand to the
pommel at the end of the handle. Points are scored by striking an opponent with the front of the
blade, as well as the forward third of the back edge or point of the blade.

British Fencing Association

British Fencing is the national governing body (NGB) for the Olympic sport of Fencing in the British
Isles (excluding the Republic of Ireland).

The BFA is responsible for all international fencing conducted while representing Great Britain. They
control the selection criteria for all relevant competitions. They are responsible for any attendance by
fencers at official FIE competitions, including the World Championships and World Cup competitions,
and also at the Olympics under the IOC.
The BFA is also responsible for all national domestic events. It runs British Championships in a
variety of age categories and at all three weapons of fencing (foil, pe and sabre). In addition, a
series of national 'Opens' are held by independent organisers affiliated to the BFA. These events
collect points, which are used by the BFA to create national rankings at senior, junior (U20) and cadet
(U17) level.
The BFA also run coaching schemes, and other activities relating to the promotion of fencing in the
UK.
The BFA publishes a magazine, The Sword. BF also publishes an electronic newsletter called To the
Point

The Philippine Fencing Association or PFA is the governing body for the sport of fencing in
the Philippines and is recognized by the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) as one of its National
Sports Association members. Founded by the late Don Francisco Dayrit Sr. as Philippine Amateur
Fencers Association or PAFA, PFA is a member of the Fdration Internationale d'Escrime (FIE) and
one of the founding members of the Southeast Asian Fencing Federation (SEAFF) and the Asian
Fencing Confederation (AFC).

Swordplay has been practised for thousands of years, and modern day fencing began as a form of
military training. It did not become a sport until around the 15th century.
Sword fighting and duels
Swordplay has been practised for thousands of years, as evidenced by carvings depicting fencers
found in a temple near Luxor dating from around 1190 BC. From the 16th to the 18th century, duels
were common, with combatants using a variety of weapons including quarterstaffs and backswords.
Such bouts were bloody and occasionally fatal.
Birth of the sport
Fencing began the move from a form of military training to a sport in either the 14th or 15th century.
Both Italy and Germany lay claim to its origins, with German fencing masters organising the first
guilds in the 15th century, the most notable being the Marxbruder of Frankfurt, formed in 1478.
Rules of the game
Three innovations in the 17th and 18th century led to the popularity of fencing as a sport: the foil a
weapon with a flattened tip; a set of rules governing the target area; and the wire-mesh mask.
Together, these developments ensured the safety of fencings participants.
Olympic history

Fencing was included for the first time at the 1896 Games in Athens, and has remained on the
Olympic programme since then. The womens fencing competition entered the Games in 1924 in
Paris. Today, men and women compete in individual and team events, in which three types of weapon
are used: foil, epee and sabre. The foil was, at first, the only weapon used by women, until the 1996
Games in Atlanta, when womens epee was introduced. Womens sabre appeared for the first time on
the Olympic programme in Athens in 2004.
Among the figures who have marked this sport, Italys Nedo Nadi is the only fencer to have won a
medal in every weapon in a single edition of the Games. In 1912, at the age of 18, he won in the foil.
Then, after being decorated by his country for acts of bravery during the First World War, he won five
gold medals in Antwerp in 1920, a historic and unequalled record: in the individual foil and sabre
events, and in the team foil, epee and sabre events.