Fencing Facts 

DID YOU KNOW.....?

The tip of a fencing weapon is the 2nd fastest moving object in all of sports, second only to the bullet from a marksman's gun.

Fencing was one of the original sports in the first Olympics in Greece, and only one of 4 sports to be included in all of the Olympics since the first in 1986.

Fencing is one of the three styles of martial arts that Bruce Lee used to develop his own personal martial arts style and techniques.

The target area in saber is from the waist up because, originally a cavalry weapon, it was considered against the rules of chivalry to injure an opponent's horse.

 

WEAPONS & TARGET AREAS:

The following table shows the three types of competitive weapons and the target areas (shown in red):

	Foil	Epee	Sabre
Weapon
Target Area
Right Of Way	Yes	No	Yes

 

 In Right Of Way, if a fencer successfully defends against an opponent's attack, that fencer is said to have the "right of way" to immediately attack the opponent, who must defend the on-coming attack.  The original attacking fencer cannot attack multiple times after being defended against.  Fencing was originally, and is still considered to be, a chivalrous sport.