When is a sword more than a sword?
In the hands of a fencer, a sword becomes one of three weapons, recognized and labeled according to its physical characteristics and the personality it assumes in competition.With the 1990 U.S. Fencing Association National Championships currently under way in Salt Lake City, people unacquainted with the sport may have trouble pronouncing or spelling the three weapons - foil, epee and sabre - let alone distinguishing the differences between them.
"All three weapons have their own personalities," said Gay D'Asaro, a two-time U.S. Olympian (1976, 1980) in women's foil. Those "personalities" attract potential fencers to the different weapons, she added.
Fencing succumbs to the sports trend of specialization - it's rare for a fencer to be versatile in all three weapons, although some double in foil and epee because of similarities in the grip. No U.S. fencer has qualified for the nationals in all three weapons in more than a quarter-century - Ed Richards was the last to do so, in 1963.
FOIL
With a flexible, rectangular blade approximately three feet in length and a bell guard nearly five inches in diameter, the foil weighs a little more than a pound and is the modern version of the court sword or short dress sword.
In a grip similar to the epee, the foil is held with the hand under the handle, with the thumb and index finger guiding the weapon and controlling the point toward the target.
Touches are scored with the tip of the blade and must land on the torso of the body - an opponent's head, arms and legs are not part of the target area.
Fencers participating in foil competition wear a metallic cloth vest that, when touched by the tip of the electrified foil, completes an electrical circuit and sets off a light and a buzzer on the scoring machine.
With no ties in foil, a judge must determine the point winner according to "right-of-way." The judge allows the attacker the right of way until the defense blocks, or "parries," the attack. The defender then gains the right of way by countering the parry with a response attack, or "riposte."
George Kolombatovich, co-head coach of fencing at 1987-89 NCAA champion Columbia University, describes foil and its limited target area as being the more technical of the three disciplines. "It's very refined - it's a precision kind of weapon requiring fast reflexes," he said.
EPEE
Pronounced "ay-pay," the epee is the descendant of the dueling sword. While it is similar in length to the foil and sabre, the epee is heavier - about 27 ounces - with a more rigid, triangular blade and a larger guard to protect a hit to the hand.
Like the foil, touches are scored with the tip of the blade. However, an opponent's entire body is a valid target.
The tip of the epee sword also employs electricity to register touches, with a depressed tip completing an electrical current. The electronic scoring systems can distinguish a difference of 1/125th of a second between touches. Tie touches - or "doubles" - are allowed, with a point credited to each competitor in the five-touch bout.
The epee is essentially a first-come, first-score competition, featuring lots of movement and plenty of athleticism. "Unlike a real duel, there is little time for defense," said Kolombatovich.
SABRE
Similar in length and weight to the foil, the sabre has a triangular blade and a large guard that covers the side of the hand. The modern equivalent to the slash-and-thrust cavalry sword, the sabre scores with both the point and the cutting edge. The weapon is held with the thumb nearly vertical atop the handle, allowing for multi-directional movement in slashing and jabbing motions.
Scoring cuts and thrusts must land on any part of an opponent's body above the waist - except the back hand and the fingers of the weapon hand - with the target area resembling that of a cavalry soldier mounted on a horse.
Finally joining the foil and epee as an electrified weapon only a couple of years ago, the sabre needs to forcefully come in contact with a metallic cloth jacket or a similarly conductive mask to complete the circuit and set off the buzzer and light. Like the foil, there are no double-touches, and the judge uses the principle of right-of-way to break a tie.
Open to women competitors for the third year now, the sabre is a much faster sport with running, aggressive motions and slashing, thrusting attacks coming from multi-directional planes.
With the right-of-way principle again used to break tie touches, the offensive-minded fencer enjoys an admitted advantage in sabre competition. "It is a game of trying to set up and initiate an attack," Kolombatovich said.