Weapons Disciplines at Durendal
Modern fencing is an art with roots deep in the ancient past. The brave sound of steel meeting steel has echoed across Europe for millenia. Today, the once deadly use of sharp weapons has evolved into a fascinating and rigorous art. The blades are still made of steel, but they are light and flexible, no longer sharp and deadly. Durendal provides training in a variety of weapons disciplines.
Modern Weapons
Three weapons are used today for Olympic-style sport fencing. In addition to being physically different, each type of weapon is fenced under different rules with different valid target areas. In tournaments, hits are scored electonically.
Foil
This is a light-weight (17 oz) flexible thrusting weapon which is the modern equivalent of the 18th century small sword. The foil is the most gentlemanly of the various fencing weapons, its style traditionally thought-provoking and elegant. In by-gone days, a young man's education was not considered complete without studying foil. Hits are scored only with the tip of the weapon and the valid target surface is limited to the torso. Foil is fenced under right-of-way conventions. The first fencer to launch an attack gains priority, and if both fencers land hits, the one with priority gets the point. In order to regain priority, the opponent must deal with the incoming attack, parrying it, for example, before launching an attack of his own.
Sabre
This is a light-weight flexible cut-and-thrust weapon which is the modern equivalent of the broadsword, the classic cavalry sabre, and the naval cutlass. The sabre weighs about a pound, and the blade is about as flexible as a foil blade. The valid sabre target is everything above the fold of the hips excluding the hands. Hits may be made with the edge of the blade as well as the point. Like foil, sabre scoring follows right-of-way conventions. Sabre is frequently characterized by aggressive footwork and fast action; the style is quite colorful and exciting. Action is rapid and decisive.
Epee
The epee is a medium-weight thrusting weapon for which the entire body is valid target. The blade is not as flexible as a foil blade, and the bell guard, which protects the hand, is larger. The epee weighs about two pounds. Like foil, hits may only be made with the point of the weapon. Unlike foil and sabre, epee scoring does not follow right-of-way rules. Whoever hits first gets the point. If both fencers hit at the same time (within 1/25th of a second), both fencers get a point. Large, aggressive movements can expose target so epee fencers tend to move a bit more conservatively, and they often will attempt to hit their opponent's arm in preference to the body because it exposes them to less danger of being hit themselves. Epee fencers tend to be a little more patient than foil or sabre fencers, although aggressive styles are possible. Epee is a weapon of great precision and freedom of action, closer to real combat than foil and sabre fencing.
Historical Weapons
In recent years, there has been much interest in reconstructing the sword techniques and tactics of the European Middle Ages and Renaissance using instructional texts that have survived from those times.
Hand-and-a-Half Sword
This is a heavy-weight cut-and-thrust weapon with a long handle that allows the weapon to be wielded with one or both hands. It was used during the Middle Ages both in battle and in personal combat. We use practice swords, called wasters, that are made from hickory and approximate the weight and feel of steel swords but are much safer. This discipline is an excellent upper body work-out, and a group practice session is an impressive martial display. Only those with full body armor can engage in actual combat.
Rapier and Dagger
This is a 16th- and 17th-century dueling discipline in which a bladed weapon is held in each hand. Its play is more complex and varied than that of any of the other weapons. Under the rules of competition that we use, the entire body is fair target but thrusts to the torso score more points than hits on the extremities.