The use of the rapier and the Italian fencing technique spread throughout Europe. In France and England, the size and shape of the rapier were constantly modified because its length and weight made it clumsy to carry.
The Italians used the rapier in a bravura manner, with pronounced, vigorous gestures. The French style of fencing became by far the more prominent. Its rules govern most modern competition, and the vocabulary of traditional fencing is composed largely of French words.
During the 19th century dueling was generally outlawed, and the fencing schools turned to teaching fencing for purposes of sport.
Much of the equipment still used by fencers was developed at this time, including the glove worn on the sword hand, the plastron chest protector , and the mask of wire netting. Fencing has evolved over the years. Previously it had been practiced as a complex and highly technical art. Thereafter, new rules and safety equipment, including a mesh-wire mask were implemented into fencing.
The popularity of the blunt tipped foil started to grow. More and more manuals were being translated into different languages, and soon fencing was renowned on an international scale all throughout Europe. Fencing was even implemented during the first Olympic Games in With 4 events being scheduled, the epee event was cancelled, while foil, sabre and masters foil events were held.
Around this time is also when fencing was popularized as an American sport as well. This followed with new sets of rules and French phrases which we still use today. For millennia, humans have been using swords. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Skip to content. Table of Contents. What Are the Rules of Fencing? Leave a Reply Cancel reply Comment. Enter your name or username to comment. Enter your email address to comment.
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We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. The public is composed of Assyrians, Libyans and. Egyptians; the jury and the organisers are recognizable thanks to their feather. A scribe notes on a papyrus the results of the competition. It is necessary to cross ages and transport ourselves in Greece to find in the hoplomachie fight with weapons one to one the tracks of a competition where prizes were proposed to the winners, « grown men or children ».
Many of us know that fencing was included in the programme of the first games of the new era, in , but many ignore that it was certainly included in the first Olympic Games in BC. Sensitive to the equal education of the body and the soul of their youth, the Greeks honoured all the games preparing to the profession of arms. Olympic combats in which athletes word derived from the Greek « combat » had to be Greek, free and beyond reproach.
In BC, the education of fencing, or armatura , was introduced into theRoman camps by the consul Rutilius, in order that « the courage joins the art, and the art the courage ». So, fencingstrengthened itself of the impetuosity of courage, while courage borrowed from fencing the science and the skill. Fencing was practised with two hands : one was parrying the thrusts with the help of a shield, the other one was hitting with the two -edged sword.
Their « doctores armorum » established rules to avoid thrusts or execute thrusts more skillfully. In particular, they recommended thrust with the point, which is more mortal than the thrust with the edge. For the knight or the equerry, fencing was part of the good education which he had to receive before his consecration by « dubbing », « investiture ». The profession of arms was long and painful for the young noble, until the solemn day when, finally, the blessed sword, symbol of glory, justice and moral value, was handed to him together with the shield and the spear.
Once the initiation over and the accolade given, we let the noble knight go towards single combat for the defence of the weak and the oppressed, but also towards tournaments which represented a source of profit : the knight received the horse and the armor of the opponent which he had defeated with courtesy or dulled weapons.
The arrival of firearms and the invention of Gutenberg were determining for fencing, which saw its weapons become lighter and its techniques popularised. Before these inventions, this main occupation of the nobility and the elite of the society was especially an occult science and the secret strikes were as popular as the philosopher's stone or the long life elixir.
From this knowledge depended more than life, justice and honour. Fencing for honour, justice and faith. In the XII th and XIII th centuries, we already meet in France « givers of lessons » and advice in fencing, whose function was to prepare to the judicial duel and, sometimes, against very high sum, replace on the spot the parties in presence.
There were the counsels of arms, who became the « bravi » of Lombardie and the swordplayer and maistres. The judicial duels took place until the XVI th century. The truth and the right cause could only triumph in these « God judgements » in which sword ruled and divided the truth from the false ; the faith, for which the glory was only vanity, could only praise the value through the filter of a highly moral purpose.
The fact remains that the symbols of sword and justice crossed the centuries and are still today associated, imbuing fencing with a strong ethics. Nevertheless, this technique returns in the XVI th century. Armors disappear, because the « thunder of the earth », the gunpowder, made them obsolete. For that reason the weapons are modified, swords slowly become a wardrobe accessory : they are not necessarily shorter, but their centre of gravity is returned towards the hand, they are henceforth lighter and held by a single hand.
The Italian and Spanish methods spread through France, advocating the superiority of the hit with the point and clarifying the various techniques of attack and defence.
The counsels of arms, the swordplayer and maistres taught first the defensive, which consisted in keeping the opponent at distance the « misura » or measure , avoiding strikes or « parrying » the opponent-attack.
Because of the lightering of weapons and their grip in one hand, one arm will be affected to the defensive. In the beginning, this arm was armed with a shield or a broquel , with the brachium or with the rondache, then with a dagger, or even with a rolled coat.
The perfection of weapons at the level of the guard will then allow to bring together in a single weapon, the offensive and the defensive; some people see there the real birth of fencing.
So, we shall see complicated, tormented guard, in which the opposite blade had to get lost, jam or break itself. Finally, appears the rapier, or brette long sword , with deep coquille, allowing a good sheltering of the hand. Its use, combined with the dagger, will increase the defensive and offensive potential, while making the attack safer.
But the cold seriousness and slight pretentiousness of the Spanish fencing went out of fashion at the beginning of the XVII th century, leaving the way free to Italian fencing. They remained there until the Revolution. From their side, the French masters did not hesitate to frequent the fencing schools of the peninsula. At that time, the Italian and French fencing progress together, as attested by the tremendous combats and duels between both nations, but also by the fencing treaties which begin to prosper : Agrippa , Marozzo , Fabris , Capo Ferro , etc.
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