Fencing for beginners: foil, épée and sabre explained, and your first class
TUREFF• •0
Fencing is often called physical chess: fast, tactical, and much more about timing and distance than strength. It is also one of the safer combat sports, because the rules and the protective kit are designed around the blade. If you have ever wondered what it is like to try, this guide explains the three weapons, what happens in a first class, and how beginners get kit without spending much.
The three weapons
Olympic fencing uses three weapons, each with its own rules.
- Foil: a light weapon with a flexible blade. You score by hitting with the point, and only the torso counts. Foil uses right of way, a set of rules that decides who scores when both fencers hit at about the same time. Many clubs start beginners on foil because it teaches careful technique.
- Épée: heavier, with a stiffer blade and a large bell guard. You score with the point, and the whole body is target, from the mask to the feet. There is no right of way: whoever hits first scores, and if both hit almost simultaneously, both score. It is the closest to the original duelling weapon, and beginners often find it intuitive.
- Sabre: a cutting and thrusting weapon. You can score with the edge as well as the point, and the target is the body above the waist, including the arms and the mask. Like foil it uses right of way. Sabre bouts are very fast.
Whichever you start with, the basic footwork and distance work are shared. Many fencers try more than one before settling.
What a first class is like
Beginners' sessions vary, but a typical first class looks like this:
- Warm-up: light running, mobility and simple games.
- Footwork: the en garde position, stepping forward and back, then the lunge. You will do a lot of this, and it is tiring at first.
- Blade work: holding the weapon, simple attacks at a target or a partner, and a basic parry.
- Kit on: once the coach is satisfied, you put on a mask, jacket and glove and fence a partner under close supervision, often in a simplified game.
Expect your thighs to ache the next day. Coaches build up slowly, and nobody is expected to fight freely in the first session.
Finding a course
Most clubs run beginners' courses over several weeks, and many lend all the kit you need during the course. In the UK, the governing body is British Fencing, and clubs advertise courses through their own websites and the federation. In other countries, start with your national fencing federation's club finder. Courses often have age limits, with separate ones for children and adults, so check before you book.
Borrowing kit
You do not need to buy anything to start. During a beginners' course, the club almost always provides:
- a mask
- a jacket and an underarm protector (plastron)
- a glove
- a weapon
Bring your own:
- tracksuit bottoms or leggings that cover the legs to the ankle
- indoor sports shoes with flat, non-marking soles
- a water bottle
Women and girls will usually be offered or advised to wear a hard chest protector, which clubs can often lend.
When you decide to carry on, buy your own glove first for hygiene, then a mask and jacket. Do not buy competition-standard kit straight away unless your coach says you need it.
Is fencing for me?
- You do not need to be especially fit to start; fitness comes from fencing.
- Left-handed fencers have a small advantage, because most opponents are used to right-handers.
- It suits people who enjoy problem-solving: much of the sport is reading your opponent.
Which weapon are you curious about, or which one did you start on? Share your first-class stories and questions in the comments below.