Fencing Iv(Épée)
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FENCING IV (ÉPÉE) Committed to Excellence through Training Tomorrow’s Athletes Southminster Presbyterian Church 3500 S Peoria www.tulsafencing.com © 2014 Tulsa Fencing Club All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or other – except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the Tulsa Fencing Club. FENCING IV (ÉPÉE) Table of Contents Épée ................................................................................................................................................ 3 The Épée .............................................................................................................................. 4 The Point (Button/Tip) .................................................................................................. 4 The Bell Guard ............................................................................................................... 5 The Handle .................................................................................................................... 5 The Pommel .................................................................................................................. 5 The Body Cord ............................................................................................................... 5 Basics of an Épée Bout ........................................................................................................ 5 Method for Scoring a Touch ......................................................................................... 5 Judging touches in Épée ................................................................................................ 6 Materiality of the Touch ............................................................................................... 6 Duration of the Bout ..................................................................................................... 6 The Target ..................................................................................................................... 7 Basic Skills ....................................................................................................................................... 9 The Épée Positions ............................................................................................................ 10 On‐Guard .................................................................................................................... 10 The Grip ....................................................................................................................... 10 Lines and Positions ...................................................................................................... 10 Advanced Footwork ...................................................................................................................... 11 The Balestra ................................................................................................................ 12 The Fléche ................................................................................................................... 12 Advanced Attacks and Parries ...................................................................................................... 15 The Low‐Line Attack .................................................................................................... 16 Semicircular Parries .................................................................................................... 17 Compound Attacks ............................................................................................................ 18 The One‐Two Attack ................................................................................................... 18 Low‐High and High‐Low Attacks ................................................................................. 19 Doublés ....................................................................................................................... 19 Compound Ripostes .......................................................................................................... 21 Secondary or Renewed Attacks ........................................................................................ 22 The Remise .................................................................................................................. 22 The Reprise ................................................................................................................. 22 The Redoublement ..................................................................................................... 23 The Stop Thrust ................................................................................................................. 23 The Action of Second Intention ........................................................................................ 23 Advanced Skills – Bladework ............................................................................................. 27 Page | 1 The Straight Thrust ..................................................................................................... 28 The Straight Thrust with Lunge ................................................................................... 28 Point Control ............................................................................................................... 29 Thrust‐in‐Opposition ................................................................................................... 30 The Flick (Cutover) ...................................................................................................... 30 Blade Control .............................................................................................................. 30 Training and Technique ................................................................................................................ 33 Technique and Tactics ................................................................................................. 34 Tactical Development ................................................................................................. 34 Essentials of Fencing Technique ................................................................................. 36 Training Tips ‐ Tactical Wheels ................................................................................... 52 References .................................................................................................................................... 57 Page | 2 Épée The Épée Basics of an Épée Bout Page | 3 Ever since the seventeenth century, the foil has been the basic training weapon in preparation for use of the dueling sword. Over the years, the foil fencing target became restricted to include only the torso, whereas the target for the dueling sword encompassed the whole body. An inevitable conflict of philosophy regarding the preferred sequence of training arose among fencing masters. Those who believed it was imperative for the fencer to learn to use the foil before starting épée training were in disagreement with those who considered it more expeditious to start the student immediately with the fundamentals using the épée. In most recent times, there has been a move to encourage younger fencers to participate in the sport. A smaller, lighter version of the regulation épée has been developed, allowing them to practice épée rather than foil. For safety reasons, it is best to group the young épée fencers according to body height and weight. Bouting or sparring outside one’s height and weight category should be allowed only under supervision. The Épée The Épée has five parts – the point, the blade, the bell guard, the handle, and the pommel. The total length of the weapon should be limited to 110 centimeters, with the total weight not to exceed 770 grams. The Point (Button/Tip) The electrical point is cylindrical in shape. The diameter of the barrel is at least 7.7 millimeters, and the diameter of the electrical tip (crown) is 8.0 millimeters. For a touch to be registered by the scoring apparatus, pressure of more than 750 grams must be exerted on the tip. Before the start of a bout, the official must test the épée with a 750‐ gram weight to be sure the weapon meets the specifications. The official must use a 1.5‐ millimeter gauge to test the stroke of the point, to be sure the point will travel at least 1.5 millimeters before registering on the scoring apparatus. A gauge is then used to determine that the point will travel at least 0.5 millimeters before registering. The button of the point for nonelectrical épée must also conform the specifications required for electrical épées. Page | 4 The Bell Guard The bell guard protects the fencer’s hand. It must be circular in shape, 13.5 centimeters in diameter, and between 3.0 and 5.5 centimeters deep. The Handle The two types of handles used in present‐day épée fencing are the French (straight) handle and the pistol (orthopedic) handle. Which to use may be determined by one’s individual physical hand characteristics – for example, a person with long, flexible fingers will adapt more easily to the French handle, while fencers with shorter fingers and broad hands may prefer the pistol handle. The handle is mounted on the tang of the blade. The Pommel The parts of the French épée are held together by means of the pommel (locknut) at the exposed end