| History
of Fencing - Where did it start?
Reproduced with the consent
of Fencing Net - www.fencing.net
Sword fighting as sport has existed since ancient
Egypt, and has been practiced in many forms
in various cultures since then. Although jousting
and tournament combat was a popular sport in
the European middle ages, modern FIE fencing
owes more to unarmored dueling forms that evolved
from 16th century rapier combat. Rapiers evolved
from cut-and-thrust military swords, but were
most popular amongst civilians who used it for
self-defence and dueling. Rapiers were edged,
but the primary means of attack was the thrust.
Rapier fencing spread from Spain and Italy to
northwest Europe, in spite of the objections
of masters such as George Silver who preferred
traditional cutting weapons such the English
broad sword.
The Spanish school, under masters such as Narvaez and
Thibault, became a complicated and mystical affair
whose geometrical theories required much practice
to master. Italian masters like Agrippa and Capo
Ferro developed a more pragmatic school in the late
16th and early 17th centuries, introducing innovations
such as linear fencing and the lunge. By the 18th
century, the rapier had evolved to a simpler, shorter,
and lighter design that was popularized in France
as the small sword. Although the small sword often
had an edge, it was only to discourage the opponent
from grabbing the blade, and the weapon was used
exclusively for thrusting. The lightweight made a
more complex and defensive style possible, and the
French masters developed a school based on defence
with the sword, subtlety of movement, and complex
attacks. When buttoned with a leather safety tip
that resembled a flower bud, the small sword was
known as le fleuret, and was identical in use to
the modern foil (still known as le fleuret in  French). Indeed, the
French small sword school forms the basis of most
of modern fencing theory.
By the mid-19th century, dueling was in decline
as a means of settling disputes, partially because
victory could lead to a jail term for assault or
manslaughter. Emphasis shifted to defeating the opponent
without necessarily killing him, and less fatal dueling
forms evolved using the duelling sword, or epee de
terrain, an unedged variant of the small sword. Later
duels often ended with crippling thrusts to the arm
or leg, and fewer legal difficulties for the participants.
This is the basis of modern epee fencing. Cutting
swords had been used in blood sports such as backsword
prizefights at least as far back as the 17th century.
Broadswords, sabres, and cutlasses were used extensively
in military circles, especially by cavalry and naval
personnel, and saw some duelling application in these
circles as well. Training was performed with wooden
weapons, and stick fighting remained popular until
Italian masters formalized sabre fencing into a non-fatal
sporting/training form with metal weapons in the
late 19th century. Early sport sabres were significantly
heavier than the modern sport sabre and necessitated
a strong style with the use of moulinets and other
bold movements. As with thrusting swords, the sabre
evolved to lighter, less fatal duelling forms such
as the Italian sciabola di terro and the German schlager.
Hungarian masters developed a new school of sabre
fencing that emphasized finger control over arm strength,
and they dominated sabre fencing for most of the
20th century.
Duelling faded away after the First World War. A couple
of noteworthy duels were fought over disputes that
arose during Olympic games in the 1920s, and there
have been rare reports of sword duels since then.
In October 1997, the Mayor of Calabria, Italy, publicly
challenged certain Mafiosos to a duel. German  fraternity duelling
(mensur) still occurs with some frequency.
The first modern Olympic games featured foil
and sabre fencing for men only. Epee was introduced
in 1900. Single stick was featured in the 1904 games.
Epee was electrified in the 1936 games, foil in 1956,
and sabre in 1988. Early Olympic games featured events
for Masters, and until recently fencing was the only
Olympic sport that has included professionals. Disruptions
in prevailing styles have accompanied the introduction
of electric judging, most recently transforming sabre
fencing. Foil fencing experienced similar upheavals
for a decade or two following the introduction of electric
judging, which was further complicated by the new, aggressive,
athletic style coming out of Eastern Europe at the time.
Women's foil was first contested in the 1924 Olympic
games, and Women's epee was only contested for
the first time in 1996, although it has been
part of the World Championships since 1989.
Women's sabre made its first appearance in the
1998 World Championships as a demonstration
sport.
When most people think of swordplay, the images
that come to mind are either of the lumbering
power of armour-clad knights battling with broadswords,
or of the swashbuckling flair of Errol Flynn
and other screen duellers of the '30s and '40s.
In what it requires and how it is conducted,
Olympic fencing resembles these two clichés
about as much as the Olympic Opening Ceremonies
resemble the ritual sacrifice of animals that
once signalled the start of competition. The
modern Olympic fencer trains for years, honing
agility, quickness, and subtlety of movement.
The sport has been described as "chess
with muscles," suggesting that complicated
strategy lies behind the thrusts and parries
that punctuate a duel.
Fencers of today employ a strange combination
of archaic and modern customs; combatants still
salute before a match and wear the traditional
white uniforms and masks, but scoring is now
determined by electronic padding worn by the
combatants that registers when a hit takes place
with flashing, colour-coded lights.
As suggested by the continuing power of the
myths of sword fighting knights and adventurers,
the fencing tradition is rich and storied. Like
fellow Olympic sports archery and javelin, fencing
has its roots in ancient combat. Around 1200
BC, the Egyptians began the custom of fencing
for sport, as seen by images in decorative reliefs
from that period depicting knobs on the end
of weapons, earflaps and other protective garb.
Sword craftsmanship evolved through the ages,
from the short, wide swords favoured by the
Greeks and Romans to the heavy two-handed broadswords
in vogue during the age of chivalry. After the
advent of gunpowder and firearms, armour became
obsolete and lighter swords gained popularity
as the sidearm of choice for European officers
and gentlemen. The Italians, Spanish, and French
all claim parentage for modern fencing, but
throughout Europe during the Renaissance the
discipline took on the aura of high art, with
masters refining and passing on to a select
few their secret techniques.
In the 18th century, treatises appeared in
print setting forth the current system of rules
and scoring, and prescribing the foil, a metal
mask with eye slit, and protective jacket or
vest as equipment for use. The rules were intended
to simulate real combat while protecting the
safety of the combatants. "Conventions"
were subsequently adopted to limit the target
area of the body and providing for a "right
of way" for attacks.
Fencing was a clear choice for inclusion in
the Olympic program from 1896 onwards. At the
time, the sword was still considered an important
military weapon, and sword fighting remained
a well-established European custom backed by
centuries of tradition. In addition to the foil,
contested weapons were the epee, descendent
of the duelling sword, and the sabre, which
evolved from the weapon of choice for cavalry
troops. Fencing remains one of just six sports
to have appeared in every modern Olympic Games.
In the first decades of competition, Europeans
dominated, with France, Italy, Spain, Great
Britain, and the Netherlands all boasting champions.
Following World War II, the communist nations
of Eastern Europe rose to pre-eminence, with
the Soviet Union, Poland, and Hungary sharing
the medal stand. Aladar Gerevich of Hungary
is considered fencing's greatest champion, with
seven gold medals in sabre competition to his
credit.
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