Put at its simplest fencing is sword fighting, and as such is one of the oldest sports in existence. Apparently there are ancient Egyptian frescos depicting people settling their differences with swords. The modern sport of fencing is based on the style of sword play that was used for duelling during the 17th to mid 19th centuries in Europe.

A fencing bout is fought between two fencers on a six-feet-by-40-feet strip known as a piste. The bout is controlled by a referee and the winner is the fencer who is the first to score a predetermined number of hits (usually five or fifteen) against their opponent.

There are three different types of weapon used in the modern sport: the epee, the foil, and the sabre. Each has its own different styles and set of rules. While many fencers do fence in all three weapons, it is more usual for someone to choose one and specialise in that.

The Foil

In olden times when men of breeding were required to be proficient with a sword, it was quickly realised that those new to the art should start of with a practice sword before they were allowed anywhere near the real thing. As a result The French small sword was buttoned with a leather safety tip that resembled a flower, and was commonly known as a fleuret. This has evolved in to the foil used today. The foil is often the first weapon most fencers will learn to use, and many will stick with it for their whole fencing career. The foil itself has a small guard, and a light, thin flexible blade. It is a thrusting weapon, so only hits with the tip of the blade count. Also the target area that you can hit with the foil is restricted to the torso. (Imagine your opponent; now cut off their arms, legs, and head. The bit that is left is the bit you aim for with the foil. See picture). The trickiest aspect of foil fencing is the concept of “priority” or “right of way”. This comes into play when both fencers hit each other at the same time. In such cases the point is awarded to the fencer who attacked first, and therefore had “priority”. This rule was introduced to encourage a fencer to defend themselves by means of a parry (deflecting your opponents blade with your own) when attacked. In practice it means that foil fencing often has a large amount of sword play involved, and foil bouts tend to be fast and furious.

The Sabre

The cavalryman’s weapon of choice. Designed to remove the top of an enemy's skull while at the gallop on the back of your trusty steed. The sabre was originally a heavy weapon with a large curved blade. Modern notions of safety have reduced this to a thin, straight, flexible strip of metal. (And also done away with the horses!) However the distinctive curved guard is still present. Like the foil the sabre has a restricted target area, though in this case it is anywhere above the waist. Also like the foil it has the concept of priority with attacks. The sabre is unique in the modern sport in that it is a slashing weapon, so that you can score hits with the edge of the blade as well as the point.

The Epee

Pronounced "EPP-pay", this weapon is a direct descendant of the duelling sword, and epee fencing is probably the closest thing in the modern sport to actual sword fighting. An epee has a slightly heavier blade than the foil, and has a larger guard, needed because the hand is part of the target. Indeed there are no target restrictions at all in epee, you are allowed to hit any part of the body.  Also there is no concept of “priority”. The first fencer to score a hit gets the point. If both fencers hit at the same time (with in 1/25th of a second) they both get a point.  Epee is the weapon used in the Mordern Pentathlon sport.