The Swords of Western Martial Arts
As an avid practitioner of European schools of fencing, as well as a dedicated student of karate-do, it never fails to amaze me how little of Western swordsmanship is known amongst practitioners of Asian martial arts. A hundred years ago, anyone wishing to learn self-defense would have been equally likely to report to a fencing salle (school) for instruction in cane-fencing as to seek out a master of jujitsu, which was, at that time, a relatively new and exotic import from the East. Yet, today, if you mention a katana, everybody knows what you're talking about: a relatively short Japanese single-edged sword with a curved blade. But almost no one knows what the heck an epee is. This deplorable situation plainly cannot be allowed to continue: Western fencing is every bit as worthy of study as kendo (the Japanese competitive art using bamboo practice swords), arnis (a Philippine martial art using empty hand as well as stick and bladed weapon techniques), gung fu (a generic term referring to Chinese martial arts), or other Asian martial arts. Therefore, for the edification of all, I present a brief synopsis of some of the weapons used in classical and modern sport fencing.
Saber, epee, and foil.
The epee has a larger guard to protect the hand.The Foil
The first item that should be mentioned is the foil, for foil technique forms the basis for all fencing. The foil, as we know it today, first came about in the eighteenth century as a practice stand-in for the short, light sword gentlemen wore as a part of their daily costume. Because it is a tool for practice, rather than an actual weapon, foils have no sharp edges, but rather are rectangular in cross-section. For additional safety, a foil's point is blunted with a nail head, and then a button is attached, so that its force of impact is spread out over a relatively wide area.
Edgar de la Vega demonstrates the guard position with the foil.Foil handles come in a variety of styles, such as the French, the Italian, and the Spanish (which is a mixture of the first two), as well as various bizarre "pistol grips." These pistol grips have only come about since the devolution of fencing into a sport, since using the pistol grip requires quite different technique than fencers used in the days when they had to train with the possibility of a life-or-death encounter in mind.
Foil fencing relies solely on the thrust to score touches upon the opponent. Because it is a relatively light weapon, and used within the conventional context of a fencing bout, foil has some of the most complex, elegant, and difficult techniques of all fencing weapons. In fact, one might say that it most closely approaches the purest "form" of fencing. Foil rules enforce good fencing sense, dictating that one must successfully defend oneself against an opponent's attack before replying with an attack of one's own. Foilists may score a touch only upon the other's torso; the head and limbs are off-target.
