MORRIS FENCING CLUB

Fencing became very popular recent years due to the success of the American fencers at the international arena, and the greatest achievement is Gold and Bronze medal at the 2004 Olympics won by Mariel Zagunis and Sada Jacobson. At Olympic Games in Beijing, 2008 our women sabre team sweep the medals in individual tournament and took bronze in team event. Men's sabre team coached by Yury  Gelman won silver medal. Women foil team also won silver medal.

Best colleges and universities like to see fencers as their students, providing scholarship and great support for college fencing. Colleges even invite fencers from other countries – that indicates how serious they are about fencing teams.

What is Fencing?

The Olympic sport of fencing is comprised of three weapons: foil, epee, and sabre. All are fenced on a long rectangular strip, and electronic scoring aids are normally used to assist in the detection of touches. The rules governing these three weapons are determined by the FIE (Federation Internationale d'Escrime). Briefly, the FIE weapons are described as follows:

Foil:

Descended from the 18th century small sword, the foil has a thin, flexible blade with a square cross-section and a small bell guard. Touches are scored with the point on the torso of the opponent, including the groin and back. Foil technique emphasizes strong defense and the killing attack to the body.

Epee:

Similar to the dueling swords of the mid-19th century, epees have stiff blades with a triangular cross section, and large bell guards. Touches are scored with the point, anywhere on the opponent's body. Unlike foil and sabre, there no rules of right-of-way to decide which attacks have precedence, and double hits are possible. Epee technique emphasizes timing, point control, and a good counter-attack.

Sabre:

Descended from dueling sabres of the late 19th century, which were in turn descended from naval and cavalry swords, sabres have a light, flat blade and a knuckle guard. Touches can be scored with either the point or the edge of the blade, anywhere above the opponent's waist. Sabre technique emphasizes speed, feints, and strong offense.