Fencing History

The sport of fencing has come along way since starting over 1000 years ago. Then again, for many years it wasn’t a sport at all, instead a method of survival. Many of the moves still taught today were originally used to teach soldiers how to fight on the battle field. As armour became heavier and sturdier, the swords became long and cumbersome weapons. Individuals had to use great strength, not skill, to wield them. With the discovery of gun powder, armour became obsolete. This led to a dramatic change in the art of fencing. Weapons now became lighter for a more rapid execution of movements. Swordplay versus brute strength occurred and the fencing master appeared to teach individuals in the art and tactics of fencing. Dueling became fashionable among the nobles, but was outlawed by Louis XIV due to too many deaths. It was at this point that fencing actually began to become the sport we know today.

Fencing was reintroduced into modern day Olympics in 1896 and has been going strong ever since. An electrical scoring apparatus for epee was introduced in the 1930’s and was followed in the 1950’s by apparatus for foil and in the 1980’s by apparatus for sabre. The development of an electrical scoring apparatus and more concise rules has made the sport more exciting than ever.