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Beginners |
| Beginners
Courses The Club is happy to give people who have never tried fencing (or if you did fence a long time ago) the chance to learn the basics of the sport in a friendly atmosphere. We aim to make this a practical experience, which you can then develop further in our friendly club. We run a beginner course for adults two or three times a year. A Club Leader gives the Foil lessons, with assistance from our Club Coach. Beginners Course from the 13th Nov 2008 The cost of the course is £90 and takes a maximum of eighteen adults on a first come first served basis. The course is 7 weeks in total plus 3 weeks free 'trial' membership with the club and includes one year's social membership with the British Fencing Association (BFA). Instruction starts with a 1-hour lesson starting at 8pm. The second hour is free, during which time you are welcome to join the other club members in 'free play', have a private one to one lesson with a coach or learn to use another weapon. You will need to wear trousers that will stretch a bit - tracksuit bottoms are ideal - and a T-shirt. Trainers should not have black soles as these will mark the Gym floor. You should also bring something to drink, as it can be thirsty work. To book your place please contact the Club Secretary for an application form. Please note that it is expected that beginners who continue fencing after the end of the course will purchase a pair of breeches (appx £45) so as to use the electrical equipment. This is in order to comply with recently improved clothing regulations. The cut off date for returning the forms is 3rd Nov 2008.
The Weapons
Those of you who are new to the sport may not be aware that there are in fact three weapons in the sport of fencing. What follows is a brief description of the character of each of the weapons. Foil This was traditionally always taught first, although these days this is not always the case. The weapon originated as a training weapon for duelling. Hits are scored on the torso of the body using the point of the weapon, thus replicating a duel to the death. As in a duel it was considered poor practise for two fencers to attack each other at the same time, therefore a convention was made. That is to say that the fencer who attacks first will have priority over an attack that is started afterwards. Should two fencers attack simultaneously then no hit is awarded. Hits off the target area stop a bout but have no affect on the score. A bout is usually fast with much movement up and down the piste. As with each weapon a good sense of distance and timing is required, as well as accuracy. Epée
Epée can best be summed up as the duelling weapon. The whole body is on target and hits are again scored using the point of the weapon. The Epée is the heaviest of the fencing swords.
There are however no conventions in Epée, the first to hit will score - the recording equipment preventing any
further hit. Should two fencers both hit at the same time, then two hits are awarded.
The Epéeist tends not to rush in and is more careful as they must protect the hand, arm and leg as well as the body. This results in much more
preparation before making an attack, the attack itself will be quick though.
Sabre Sabre as its name suggests originates from the cavalry weapon of the same name. The target is from the hips up including the head and arms, i.e. the target readily available from a horse. As with foil there is a convention or right of way, and for similar reasons. The hit is made normally with the edge of the weapon, any surface, not just the traditional cutting edge. Also the point is used thus producing very much a cut and thrust weapon. Footwork forms a very important part of sabre. The use of running attacks is forbidden i.e. when going forward the rear foot must not pass the front foot.
The following links are
demonstrations of the Lunge and Fleche by Prof. Marek P
Stepien. They are large files (8mb +) and a broadband link is
recommended. You will need to have RealPlayer
installed to run the files.
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e-mail comments, suggestions, and enquiries to our general Secretary This page is maintained by Website Manager Last Updated 27/06/2008 |
