HISTORY OF FENCING

Modern fencing dates all the way back to the 15th Century when it became fashionable to carry swords for the first time. The weapon carried was a rapier, a thrusting weapon which damage was done with the point of the blade. First seen in Spain and Italy, then spreading across Europe, it was seen as a way to settle matters of honor between men.

By the 17th Century the weapon of choice had changed to a smaller and lighter sword in France. It was seen as a highly dangerous weapon, and a need to be able to train and demonstrate skill safely was the driving force to create the flexible blade and rules of play still used today. The new sword could be manipulated with great precision, and target areas were established as well as ‘right of way’ to determine who should get the point. This still forms the basis of modern foil fencing.

In the 19th Century the military of Italy developed a lightweight sabre in order to train their soldiers in swordplay. By the 1900s Italian masters introduced lightweight sabre to all countries.

The fencing mask was introduced in the late 18th century which made the sport far more reactive and mobile. The electric scoring system was introduced in 1955 for foil using wires connecting the fencers and their weapons to a circuit to determine who has made a hit. Sabre was the last weapon to become electrified in 1986.

Fencing has been a part of every single Summer Olympics since the event began in 1896, with events in men’s foil and sabre. Women’s fencing was first introduced in Paris 1924.