The Epee

Edgar de la Vega demonstrates the guard position with the epee. The guard position directs the point to the eyes and it becomes almost invisible.

The epee, like the foil, is also solely a thrusting weapon with unsharpened edges, though its original purpose was in no way sporting. Rather, the epee is the dueling sword of the 19th and early 20th centuries, blunted and with a protective button added. Remove the button and sharpen the point, and the stiff, triangular blade you hold in your hand is the same weapon that men used to avenge honor with blood. Note how in this photo that the weapon is held in such a way that the hand, wrist, and forearm provide a minimal target.

Epee fencing first came about in the late 19th century as an attempt more perfectly to simulate the duel, but soon became a competitive event in its own right. As with foil, epee has strayed even further from its roots in the past 50 years or so, utilizing pistol grip techniques and tactics that would have been foolhardy in a duel with sharps.

Ideally, though, epee uses far more conservative actions than the foil. This conservatism is mandated by the rules the weapon is fenced under, since epeeists may touch their opponents anywhere on their body, and double-hits score against both fencers. The hand, wrist, and forearm are thus favored targets, for a wound there with a sharp weapon would disable an opponent, while keeping one's own body safely out of distance. A too-radical attack, such as an ill-conceived lunge to the leg or torso, is likely to be stopped by a counter thrust to the mask.

The Fencing Saber

Edgar de la Vega demonstrates the guard position with the saber.

The fencing saber is often confused with the military saber, but it is, in fact, a completely different weapon. Far lighter and faster than the military weapon, the dueling saber was popular in Italy, and it is upon this weapon that the fencing saber is based. However, the dueling saber had a slight curve and was sharpened along the entire length of the front edge, the first third of the back edge, and equipped with a sharp point, while fencing sabers made today have straight blades, are slightly lighter, and usually have Y-shaped cross-sections. (Needless to say, they are also not sharpened.) Both the practice weapon and its dueling counterpart have a guard that curves over to protect the fingers, which somewhat affects the tactics used. The saber guard position places the weapon-hand before the body, in the optimal position for both attack and defense. Note how in this photo the saber's guard is angled outwards.