Fencing.Net - Your Guide to Olympic Fencing

FIE-certified blades have the FIE logo stamped at the base of the blade, along with the code letters for the forge that produced the blade (be warned: some disreputable forges have been known to falsify these marks). They are mandatory at official FIE and other high-level competitions.

Maraging steel foil blades have a reputation for lasting considerably longer than regular steel blades, and are supposed to break more cleanly. They are made of a special alloy steel (incorporating iron, nickel, and titanium) that is only 5% as likely to develop the microcracks that lead to eventual breakage. Many fencers find them a superior value, in spite of their high price. As they vary in character in the same way as regular blades, similar caution should be exercised when purchasing them.

Maraging epee blades are also available, although there are alternative steels that have also received FIE certification. Leon Paul produces a non-maraging FIE epee blade worth mentioning; it is stamped from a sheet of steel, rather than forged whole. These blades are lightweight and flexible; some older ones passed the wire through a hole to the underside of the blade.

Maraging sabre blades do not seem to be so well received, and are not required for FIE competition.

Fencing shoes are ideal, but often expensive. They characteristically have leather "skid pads" on the inside front of the shoe, and a sole that wraps back over the heel. Adidas makes low- and high-top models that are known for their quality, but can be quite expensive and hard to find in North America. Other brands include (but are not limited to) PBT (Hungarian), Estoc (French), Sport-Escrime (French), Dowin (Chinese), and Starfighter (?).

Lightweight indoor court shoes (such as for squash, badminton, racquetball, or volleyball) make excellent low-cost alternatives. Asics, Hi-Tec, Reebok, Etonic, and Adidas have all been recommended by rec.sport.fencing readers for manufacturing models that are useful for fencing.

Some fencers claim that wrestling shoes can be adapted for fencing, although they may not offer much support. Many outdoor athletic shoes and running shoes are too bulky or heavy for fencing, or provide poor lateral stability.

Although most manufacturers advertise 2- and 3-weapon masks, there are different requirements for each. Foil masks should be well-insulated to prevent touches to the head from conducting to the lame' and registering as a touch. Electric sabre masks must be conductive, on the other hand, to allow head touches. Epee masks should have bibs that cover the collar bones, while foil masks should not descend below the collar bones.

Masks usually come in 3 or 5 sizes, depending on the manufacturer. When sizes are numbered, 5 is usually the largest. Sizes are often indicated by the position of a metal tag or rivet on the rear portion of the mesh.

Clear plastic masks are available (eg. from Zivkovic), with a small lexan panel in front of the eyes, and normal wire or other material elsewhere. The lexan is supposed to be shatterproof, and can be replaced when scratched.

Masks must pass a 12 kg punch test to be certified for competition. Consider subjecting a used mask to such a test before using/purchasing it. Older masks can have smaller bibs and weaker mesh (rated to 7 kg), making them less safe. When punch testing a mask, depress the punch perpendicular to the mesh without wiggling it. Do not apply more than the required amount of pressure. Pay particular attention to parts of the mesh that have already been dented or bent, including the center crease line. Unnatural dents in the mesh can and should be pushed or hammered out.

Fencing clothing includes the jacket, pants, plastron (underarm protector), and socks. Some companies manufacture unitards (combined jacket and pants). Inexpensive practice gear is fashioned of synthetics or heavy cotton, but competition clothing is required to pass an 800 N puncture test.

Casual and beginner fencers can rely on cotton or synthetic jackets, but should consider using a plastron for extra protection. Track pants or baseball knickers are also thrifty alternatives to genuine fencing clothing, although they afford little protection.

Most jackets are left- or right-handed. Women's jackets are not only cut differently, but have pockets for breast protectors. Ambidextrous (back-zip) jackets are available, but generally not with homologated fabrics. Ambidextrous (double-sided) plastrons are available from some manufacturers.

Knee-high sport socks (such as for soccer/football or baseball) can be purchased from most sporting goods stores. Skin should not show between the socks and pant legs nor the cuff and glove of the weapon hand. The trailing hand and back of the head should be the only areas of exposed skin on the fencer's body.

FIE Homologated Clothing

800N homologated clothing is fashioned from special fabrics such as kevlar, Startex, or ballistic nylon. Some uniforms (especially older uniforms of kevlar construction) offer partial 800N coverage in vital areas with lighter 350N fabrics used elsewhere. Full-coverage 800N uniforms are now the norm in homologated clothing.

The rules for FIE 'A' level competition demand homologated jacket and pants. As of April 1, 1995, an additional 800N plastron is required.

The CFF currently requires a minimum of 800/350N uniforms for all elite tournaments. No plastron is required in conjunction with FIE clothing.

800N uniforms are not required in USFA competition; a regulation plastron is compulsory with all types of uniform, however. (USFA clothing regulations can be found at http://www.usfa.org/Documents/Policy/Uniform.html).

800N clothing generally provides the highest degree of quality and protection available. It is strongly recommended for serious competitors, and for anyone else concerned about their safety. Although considerably more expensive than practice gear, many fencers find it well worth the price.

Flicks are whip-like attacks that can score against very oblique and even concealed targets. Sometimes thought of as a recent corruption, flicks actually have a long history that stems from coupe' (the cut-over) and epeeists efforts to throw their points around the bell. Properly executed and judged, they are effective and beautiful attacks; poorly executed and judged, they can be painful and annoying.

One common criticism of the flick is that it would cause minor injury with a real weapon. The obvious, if flippant, response to this is not to flick when fencing with a real weapon.

Another common criticism is that flicks are difficult to defend against. One must simply remember to parry them as if they were cuts, not thrusts (using auxiliary parries like tierce, quinte, and elevated sixte). The flick is also highly sensitive to distance, and a well-timed break in the measure will cause it to land flat.

A third criticism is that flicks are usually given the priority, even though the attack often begins with the point aimed at the ceiling. However, the definition of an attack (see question 1.15) says nothing about where the point is aimed, only what it is threatening. It is normally true that an attack that scores must have threatened in at least its final tempo.

Sabre fencing has suffered from a related and more serious scourge, the whip-over. In this case, the foible bends around the opponent's blade or guard following a parry, to contact the target and register a touch. The scoring machines attempt to reduce these false touches by blocking hits within a certain time window following weapon contact, but this is of limited effectiveness and also has the unfortunate effect of blocking the occasional attack through the blade. Referees have tried to help out by analyzing whip-over touches as remises, but they still score over composed or delayed ripostes. The FIE has been considering and trying various possible fixes, including varying the timeouts and mandating stiffer sabre blades.