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The valid target area of an épée fencer--the entire body.
The épée (Template:IPA) is the modern derivative of the original duelling sword, the rapier, used in sport fencing. Épée is French for "sword".
The weapon is similar to a foil (compared to a sabre), but has a stiffer, V-shaped blade, has a larger bell guard, and is heavier. The technique however, is somewhat different, as there are no rules regarding priority and right-of-way. In addition, the entire body area is a valid target area. The blade is a concave triangle in cross-section.
[edit] Background
While modern sport fencing has three weapons (foil, épée, and sabre), each a separate event, épée is the only one in which the entire body is the valid target area. Épée is the heaviest of all three weapons.
In most higher-level competitions a grounded metal piste is used to prevent floor hits from registering as touches. Unlike sabre and foil, in épée there are no right-of-way rules regarding attacking; that is, touches are awarded solely on the basis of which fencer makes a touch first, according to the electronic scoring machines. Also, in épée double-touches are allowed, although the touches must occur within 40 milliseconds (1/25th of a second) of each other.
[edit] The weapon
The modern épée typically has a blade which measures 90 centimetres, and weighs up to 770 grams, although it sometimes weighs as little as 350 grams due to various metals and construction techniques. Only touches made with the push-button tip of the weapon are registered. Since the hand is a valid target, the bell guard is much larger than that of the foil and is most often made of aluminum or stainless steel. The tip is wired to a connector in the bell guard, then to an electronic scoring device. The bellguard, blade, and handle of the épée are all grounded to the scoring box to prevent hits upon the surface of the weapon from registering as touches.
In the channel formed by the V-shaped blade, there are two thin wires leading from the point to a connector in the bellguard. These wires are held in place with a strong glue to protect them from the rigors of an encounter. The amount of glue is kept to a minimum as in the unlikely (but possible) case that a fencer manages a touch in that glue, the touch would be counted as good. A "body wire" with a three-pronged plug at each end is placed underneath the fencer's clothing and attached to the connector in the bellguard, then to a wire leading to the scoring box. The scoring box signals with lights (one for each fencer) and a tone each time the tip is depressed.
The tip of an épée comprises several parts including: the mushroom-shaped movable tip; its housing or "barrel" which is threaded to the blade; a contact spring; and a return spring. The tips are generally held in place by two small screws, called tip screws, which thread into the sides of the tip through elongated openings on either side of the barrel. The screws hold the tip within the barrel but are allowed to travel freely in the openings. While this is the most common system, screwless variations do exist. The return spring must allow the tip to support a weight of 750 grams without registering a touch. Finally, an épée tip must allow a shim of 1.5 mm to be inserted between the tip and the barrel, and when a 0.5 mm shim is inserted and the tip depressed, it should not register a touch. The contact spring is threaded in or out of the tip to adjust for this distance. These specifications are tested at the start of each bout, and whenever a weapon is replaced during a bout. During competitions, fencers are required to have a minimum of two weapons and two body wires in case of failure or breakage.
The épée is generally the heaviest of the three weapons. However, ultra-lightweight blades can actually reduce the weight of an épée to below that of a foil.<ref name=lightweight">Leon Paul created a 230g complete épée [1]</ref> On low-end weapons, the épée has a relatively stiff blade, though new technology has resulted in a flexible blade comparable to the other weapons. The épée is characterized by a V-shaped or approximately triangular cross-section, and a large round guard which offers much more protection to the wrist than the foil guard.
Épée fencing tends to be more conservative in style than the other weapons. As there is no right-of-way rules convention to protect an attacker from an intervening counter attack, epee bouts are characterized by lightning-quick, precise attacks delivered with perfect distance.
[edit] History
The épée evolved from civilian weapons such as the rapier in the late 15th century and the became the true dueling sword of the 18th and early 19th centuries. The épée developed when authorities in the 19th century decided that they did not like the killing aspect of the duel, and changed it to a "first blood" sport, thus requiring much more skill as a nick on the wrist or other exposed area could end the duel. This is why there is no "right of way" in épée fencing. But this does not mean that no duelist using the épée died. Of course it would be the goal of each duelist to kill his opponent, and not to simply give a minor flesh wound.
Since the épée was so common in duelling, craftsmen soon modified the weapon. Instead of the standard rapier, whose blade was flat, smiths adopted a somewhat triangular form with a groove (a "fuller") in the middle. The resulting blade was stronger while maintaining rigidity and reducing overall weight. Also, because a wound to the hand or wrist could end a duel, smiths accordingly forged épées with larger guards.
Today, épée fencing very much resembles 19th century dueling as there is no right-of-way convention and the whole body is the target. An épée fencer must hit the target with the tip of the weapon. One difference between épée and foil or sabre is that body contact is allowed but still only for a short time and within reason (for example, a fencer cannot grab his opponent's mask and plunge his épée into said opponent's belly).
In the pre-electric era, épéeists used a point d'arrêt ("stopping point"), a three-pronged point with small protruding spikes, which would snag on the opponent's clothing or mask, helping the referee to see the hits. The spikes caused épée fencing to be a notoriously painful affair, and épéeists could be easily recognized by the rips in their jacket sleeves.
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