Fencing is a noble, very beautiful, elegant and romantic sport. However, this is an ancient martial art, which is both beautiful and deadly. Fencing is a battle of characters in which cool qualities and nobility are not superfluous. Today we will get to know this fascinating sport more closely and find out what fencing is, how and where it originated, what rules apply in it, what equipment is used, how competitions are held and whether Russia has succeeded in this matter. Fencing has distant roots, we’ll start with them.
Historical excursion
Spain is considered to be the birthplace of fencing. It was here that the possession of a sword and rapier similar to modern art was born. In Spain, the world famous Toledo blades were produced, which, being very light, had excellent strength characteristics. It was in this country, and later throughout Europe, that dueling with knives began. It is believed that the first books that examined fencing were published in Spain. Men loved to fight with knives, and women mastered fencing much later. Over time, the first fencing school appeared in the country. Italy, France and Germany did not lag too much. In the 1470s, a corporation of fencing teachers was established in Germany, and an association of fencers in England.
By the beginning of the XVIII century, several global schools appeared. The main ones were the French and Italian fencing schools. It was they who gave the world the famous handles for blade weapons.
In the XIX century, the formation of sports fencing began. And by the end of this century, the first competitions were organized, in their modern interpretation. In 1913, the International Fencing Federation was created, which in 1914 approved the rules of the duel. By these rules they are still competing. Today, the International Fencing Federation includes more than a hundred national federations.
Fencing in Russia
For the first time, interest in the art of fencing arose in Russia at the beginning of the 17th century. Peter I then made Rapier Science a compulsory subject for military and civilian institutions. In 1816, a fencing school for the training of teachers and instructors was opened in St. Petersburg. A fencing coach who stepped out of her walls was considered a respected person. In 1834, Russia developed the rules of fencing with bayonets. Gradually, schools began to be organized in other cities.
From 1899 to 1916, the St. Petersburg Athletic Community held a fencing championship once a year, in which all of Russia participated. Fencing of Russian masters in the international arena was first held in 1910. One of the Russian athletes then won third place. Two years later, the first Olympics took place in the career of Russian fencers. After that, fencing began to develop at a tremendous speed.
Later, the Soviet fencing school will become one of the best in the world. In the 21st century, blade masters from Russia managed to win dozens of gold medals and break the records of the Soviet team. Today, the fencing section is in almost all cities.
Sports fencing
This sport combines three disciplines. The main difference between them is the type of weapon used. Fencing can be a sword, rapier and saber. The main goal of sparring is to inflict an injection to the enemy and protect himself from his injections. The winner is the one who succeeds in the first to carry out a certain number of attacks or achieve better results in a certain period of time.
Weapon
Fencing weapons consist of the following elements:
- Blade.
- Garda.
- Gasket.
- Lever.
- Nut.
At the tip of the blade is a special tip. Weapons can be electrified and conventional. Electric weapons are connected using wiring to a device that captures injections. The wire passes under the clothes of the athlete. The tip of such a weapon has a special button.
The sword in total length does not exceed 110 cm, and in weight - 770 g. The blade has a length of 90 cm. The diameter of the guard is a maximum of 13.5 cm. The weapon belongs to the stitching. Flexible steel blade has a trihedral cross-section.
The rapier differs from the sword in such parameters as: weight - up to 500 g; the diameter of the guard is up to 12 cm and the section of the maple is tetrahedral. It provides easier fencing.
The saber has a length of not more than 105 cm. The length of the blade reaches a maximum of 88 cm. The weight of the saber is 0.5 kg. The saber refers to a sharp-cutting weapon and has an elastic steel blade with a variable trapezoidal cross-section. The saber guard has a handle that connects it to the handle. The saber does not have a tip.
Affected surface
In a duel on swords, the injections inflicted by the tip of the blade into any part of the enemy’s body are counted. You can not beat only in the back of the head, unprotected by a mask.
Now discuss the foil duel. In terms of rules, this is a more sophisticated fencing. A rapier in the hands of an athlete requires greater accuracy. In rapier sparring, injections are considered only in the opponent's torso, both front and rear. Blows to the head, arms and legs are prohibited. If the rapier has injected outside the permitted zone, the bout is suspended and all strokes of this episode are not counted.
In a duel on sabers, it is allowed to give injections and punches to any part of the body that is above the belt, except for the back of the head. If the saber fencer falls outside this zone, he does not receive points for the hit / prick, but the battle continues.
In sparring saber fencers and rapists, sometimes an injection / blow inflicted outside the allowed zone is counted. This happens if the athlete who is defending has intentionally closed the affected part of the body, which is not affected. For example, with your foot, which you can often see when looking at lay fencing. The rules also prohibit specially touching weapons with conductive surfaces, including their own suit, because this causes a false positive of the electrical system.
Equipment
We continue to study fencing. What is a swordsman costume? This is a white suit, consisting of a jacket and trousers to the knees with suspenders. The jacket is called a tunic. Swordsman clothing is made of dense fabric that can withstand impacts of up to 800 Newtons. These costumes are used in international competitions. For simple training, a fabric that can withstand impact power of 350 Newtons is enough.
Long white leggings and special shoes are put on the feet of the fencer. It differs from simple sports shoes with a flat sole, as well as a reinforced toe and heel. There are low and high models. The second are used when there is a need for fixation of the ankle.
A mask is another important attribute without which fencing cannot be imagined. What is face protection? This is an extremely important aspect in such a beautiful, but severe sport. The protective mask should not only cover the face from blows, but also not interfere with the athlete to see the enemy well. Therefore, in the eye zone, the mask has a metal mesh. A special metal collar protects the neck.
For fenders, the metal mesh is insulated with plastic shockproof pads on both sides. And the collar is made of a material that withstands the impact force of 1600 Newtons. For training, this figure is 350 Newtons.
Flippers use the same mask, only with an electric collar. It all depends on which blows a particular fencing allows.
A saber, as already mentioned, can hit in the face, so masks for sabers have an uninsulated mesh that conducts electricity. And indeed the whole saber mask, together with the collar, is made of electrically conductive material.
A glove is put on a hand holding a weapon. In the case of saber fencing, it has an electrically conductive cuff.
Under the suit described above, donnels are put on, which also withstand impacts of 350 or 800 Newtons. To avoid bruising, plastic protection is additionally tucked under the pads.
Since fenders have an entire body on the affected surface, the described protection is quite enough for them. Flippers additionally put on a jacket a vest made of conductive material. It displays the surface on which to strike. In saber fencers, in addition, a mask is connected to the vest.
Impact Recording
When a shot or blow is applied (for saber fencers), the recording device makes this known by turning on the green light. If the attack was made in accordance with all the rules, then it is counted and the attacking athlete gets a point. If a blow / shot was delivered outside the permitted area, a white light comes on. If the green and white bulbs lit up simultaneously, then two blows were inflicted, and the first of them was invalid. Therefore, the second blow does not count. Since fencing with swords allows any blows, there are no white lights. If the bulbs come on at the same time on both sides, each player gets a point.
The fencer's costume can be connected to a recording device, either wired or wirelessly. In order for the electrical system to determine the impact, the pressure on the boom tip must be at least 4.9 Newton or 0.5 kg for the rapier and 7.35 Newton or 0.75 kg for the sword. As for the saber strike, it must be brought to its logical conclusion. A simple touch here does not bring points.
It is hard to imagine, but there was a time when strikes were recorded exclusively visually. This important mission was provided to the four referees who surrounded the battlefield from all sides. In 1936, for the first time, the rules were enforced, according to which injections of fencers began to be fixed with the help of electrical appliances. In 1957, rapists, and in 1988, saber fencers, began to compete in this system.
Fencing track
Sparring takes place on the fencing track. Its length is 14 meters, and the width can vary between 1.5-2 meters. As in any other sport, the battlefield has a markup. In this case, it is represented by 5 lines perpendicular to the track. The first line is the central one. At a distance of 2 meters from it on both sides is a battle line. Two more lines are located seven meters from the central one and are called the lines of the rear borders.
Thus, at the beginning of the battle, being on the battle line, the athlete has 5 meters for retreat and 9 meters for attack. On the sides of the track, 2-meter segments are highlighted, which allow the athlete to accurately determine how much space he has left for the retreat without turning around.
How is the match?
We already know in general terms what fencing is. What is a fencing suit and what markup does the battlefield have, we also know. Therefore, it is time to move on to the most interesting - the process of battle.
So, at the beginning of the battle, opponents stand on the line of the starting position sideways to each other. In this case, one leg crosses the line. The weapon is directed at the enemy, and the free hand is wound behind the back. The match begins and ends when the referee gives the appropriate command. However, the end of the bout may also occur if a signal is issued informing that the round has expired.
Judging is traditionally carried out in French. Before the start of the bout, the judge gives the command “An Guard!”, Which translates as “To the battle!”. Then he asks the athletes a question: “Hey woo pre?” To find out if they are ready. When both fencers answer, the judge gives the command “Alla!”. If you need to stop the fight, he pronounces the word “Alt!”, Which translates as “Stop!”. Awarding points to one or another fighter, the judge says: “A druat”, “A gosh” or “Ku double”. This means: “right,” “left,” and “both.” When registering an invalid strike, the judge says: “Pa conte!” “Don't count.” After scoring, opponents return to their original positions, and the battle continues. And if the battle was stopped without the award of a hit, then it resumes at the same place where it stopped.
The individual match is divided into three rounds lasting 1 minute. The break between rounds is also a minute. The winner of the round is the athlete who first scores 15 points or will lead in the account at the end of the round. If at the end of three rounds the score indicates a draw, an additional fourth round shall be awarded. At the same time, before it begins, a draw is held in which the winner is selected in case the extra minute does not help.
Now consider team fencing, the rules of which are somewhat different. If the competition is a team, then each fencer must fight each athlete of the opposing team. Since the team consists of three people, the match between the two teams includes 9 individual fights. In this case, the first battle ends when one of the parties scores 5 points, the second - 10 points, and so on up to 45.
The fencer, who attacked first, receives the status of the attacker, and his opponent, respectively, defending himself. With simultaneous strikes / shots, the attacking athlete gets the advantage. Alternately, the priority of the action passes from one fencer to another. If the electronic system recorded a hit / shot, but it was infringed in violation of the priority of the attack, no points are awarded. In case of mutual hits, the referee acts according to the situation. A shot / shot inflicted after the Stop! Command is counted only if movement began before the team.
Briefly about the technique and tactics of battle
Let's look a little deeper into such an exciting sport as fencing. What is a fight? This is the interaction of blades, which implies a lot of subtle, cunning, well-adjusted movements and techniques. This is the main difference between fencing and heavy weapon fights.
When a direct attack is impossible, the fencer tries to neutralize the oncoming attack and counterattack. And in order to eliminate the threat, it is not necessary to evade, you can beat off the blade and immediately strike back.
In fencing an important role is played by deceptive movements. It can be: a disguise that helps to hide the intentions of the athlete; threatening feints; a challenge provoking the enemy to decisive, but not always deliberate actions, and so on.
Modern fencing, depending on the type of weapon used, has some differences in technique, tactics and rules, due to the history of the origin of the weapon. The saber came from a blade used by cavalrymen. They fought in horse fights, so chopping blows were inflicted above the belt. This fact predetermined the size of the affected surface in sports saber fencing.
The epee is a duel weapon in its origin. The outcome of the duel could determine an injection into any part of the body. Therefore, it was extremely important to inflict it first and protect against a retaliatory attack. The same principle has been applied to modern fencing.
The rapier was originally created as a training weapon. Therefore, the conditions of the struggle among the rapiers are the most sparing. It is with rapiers that fencing begins. Women once had the right to fight only on foil. Since the weapon weighs little, even children can handle it. By the way, we will consider fencing for children below. The concept of “tactical rightness” also arose from the needs of a training battle, which was to prepare a person for a real fight.
Fines
If an athlete steps over the sideline of the battle with at least one foot, he will be awarded a penalty of 1 meter. This means that the fight resumes at a distance of 1 meter from the place of violation towards the offender. Thus, he becomes a meter less room for retreat. If the fencer steps over the back line, the opponent counts one point. This is called a “free shot." In fencing are not allowed:
- Run attack.
- Intentional bodily contact.
- The push of the enemy.
- Turn to the opponent with his back.
- Hit the weapon on the floor.
- Any actions with a free hand.
It is forbidden to remove the tip from the weapon, try to repair it and carry out other actions without the permission of the judge. It is also impossible to leave the field and remove the mask without the appropriate command. For deliberate violation of the rules, athletes receive penalty cards.
A yellow card is given if a fencer is given a warning. If the athlete breaks the rules a second time, he receives a red card. It doesn’t matter if he repeated his violation or allowed something else. The red card, in contrast to the yellow one, not only warns, but also punishes, by means of a free shot. A black card is given in case of gross violations of the rules, unsportsmanlike conduct and if the fencer repeats the violation for which he was awarded a red card. A black card indicates disqualification.
Olympiad
Fencing has long been an integral part of the Olympic Games. At the modern Olympics, the country is represented by 18 athletes, two of whom are reserve. The team includes both men and women. The Olympics program includes personal and team competitions in all three types of weapons that modern fencing allows. Women, as well as men, can fight on swords, rapiers and sabers. The program includes 10 numbers, 6 of which are personal, and 4 are team. At the last Olympics in Rio, Russian fans proudly watched fencing. Men won two awards, and women - 3 gold, one silver and one bronze. In the overall medal standings, the Russian fencing team was in first place.
Children's fencing
Fencing for children today is developed no less than other sports. The section usually accepts children from 9 years old. In good schools, they are taught not only the technique and tactics of battle, but also tolerance towards the enemy. A worthy fencing section is in every major city. Without this, fencing sparring would have turned into a simple battle with blades.