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masters in sport fencing, or, as time passed, simply retired. However, enough classically oriented fencers remained to keep traditional, classical fencing alive. Many people self-identify as classical fencers, but do not share the concept of classical fencing described in this article, preferring the early to mid-20th-century style of competitive fencing (which, in the United States, was formalized and governed by the
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the end of each action, after calling "Halt!", the director (or, formally, the president of the jury) would describe the action ("Attack is from my left. Parry and riposte from my right."), and then poll the judges in turn ("Does the attack land?"). The judges would answer "Yes", "Yes, but off-target", "No", or "Abstain". If the judges differed or abstained, the director could overrule them with his vote.
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protection in the form of cups or a chest plate (as do some male fencers, albeit a flat chest plate in that case). Male fencers often wear an athletic cup. Fencers of both genders wear an underarm protector called a plastron worn on the side of the fencer facing the opponent. This provides additional
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Dueling went into sharp decline after World War I, following the wartime deaths of many members of the classes that practiced it, and the social changes following the war's mass carnage. After World War II, dueling went out of use in Europe except for rare exceptions. Training for a duel, once almost
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A classical fencer is supposed to be one who observes a fine position, whose attacks are fully developed, whose hits are marvelously accurate, his parries firm, and his ripostes executed with precision. One must not forget that this regularity is not possible unless the adversary is a party to it. It
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described a new invention, the electrical scoring machine, that would revolutionize fencing. Starting with épée in the 1930s (foil was electrified in the 1950s, sabre in the 1980s), side judges were replaced by an electrical scoring apparatus, with an audible tone and a red or green light indicating
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Scoring was done by means of four judges who determined if a hit was made. Two side judges stood behind and to the side of each fencer, and watched for hits made by that fencer on the opponent's target. A director followed the fencing from a point several feet away from the center of the action. At
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Today, classical fencing clubs (and classical fencing instructors and masters) can be found in Europe, the United States, Canada, and
Australia. Because there is no agreement as to the exact rules of classical fencing and because competition is de-emphasized, what competitions exist are generally
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The advent of the electrical scoring apparatus had far-reaching consequences. The electrical scoring apparatus and the 20th century's overall modernization of athletic activities occurred alongside an increase in the emphasis on fencing as a sport. The electrical scoring apparatus encouraged an
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At the time electronic scoring was introduced, all fencers were classically trained, but there were differences in accepting 20th-century changes in fencing practice. The fencing masters who rejected these changes either preserved their tradition, abandoned it in favor of employment as fencing
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In the United States (and elsewhere), renewed interest in
Western martial arts (beginning in the 1990s) has led some groups—often peer-led—to attempt to study classical fencing (e.g. from books or instructional videos) without the guidance of a classically trained instructor, creating further
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Olympic and classical fencing differ in the use of weapon grips for foil and épée. In sport fencing, the most used handle for foil and épée is the pistol grip, with the French retaining significant use in épée. Classical fencing prohibits the pistol grip and uses the
Italian and French grips
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and widely practiced at schools and domestic competitions. Additionally, there were professional fencers competing for prize money. Fencing tournaments were extremely popular events, with spectators flocking to see the most celebrated swordsmen battle it out on the
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First of these is the expression that "classical fencing is a frank encounter between two opponents" where the object is to touch the other fencer without being touched. Even though the "weapons" are blunt, the fencers treat them as though they were in fact sharp.
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mandatory for males of aristocratic backgrounds, all but disappeared, along with the classes themselves. Fencing continued as a sport like boxing or karate, with tournaments and championships. However, the need to prepare for a duel with "sharps" all but vanished.
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emphasis on the athletic and offensive (rather than defensive) aspects of fencing by altering the ways in which a touch would be considered valid. The result was an eventual schism between sport and classical fencing, both stylistically and philosophically.
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when a touch landed. The scoring box reduced the bias in judging and permitted more accurate scoring of faster actions, lighter touches, and more touches to the back and flank than were possible with human judges.
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variation in the classical fencing community. These groups, in an effort to become more historically authentic, sometimes shift their focus to older, pre-19th-century weapons and techniques—i.e.
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Fencers also usually wear breeches of material similar to the jacket, with knee-high white socks, or long pants and athletic shoes. There should be no exposed flesh.
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Classical fencing still uses the same weapons that have been used in fencing since the early 19th century—namely, the standard (non-electric)
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A white fencing jacket, which may be canvas duck, stretch nylon, or some other puncture-resistant material; and
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This method was universally used but had limitations. As described in an article in the London newspaper,
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Safety equipment for classical fencing is essentially the same as used in
Olympic fencing. It includes:
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as it existed during the 19th and early 20th centuries. According to the 19th-century fencing master
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is a conventional bout, which consists of parries, attacks, and returns, all rhyming together.
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HEMACS Scotland is the
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However, there are a number of generalizations that unify contemporary classical fencing.
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focusing on the 19th- and early 20th-century national fencing schools, especially in
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During the classical period, fencing was used both for sport and preparation for the
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Schools and
Masters of Fencing : From the Middle Ages to the Eighteenth Century
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Foil and sabre; a grammar of fencing in detailed lessons for professor and pupil
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A fencing glove, which protects the hand and overlaps the sleeve of the jacket.
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protection in the event of a broken blade penetrating the fencing jacket.
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have developed. Masters and legendary fencing figures such as
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are today considered typical practitioners of this period.
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Used in this sense, classical fencing is a style of
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274:(USFA) in 1981, which is affiliated with the FIE.
246:in regard to his famous match with Lucien Gaudin.
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419:Fencing with the Foil: Instruction and Technique
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337:In addition, female fencers wear rigid
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