Weapons
There are three weapons in fencing: foil, épée, and saber. Each weapon has a different shape and feel, requires different fencing techniques, and adheres to different rules. Your first weapon will be a practice foil, with a basic French grip handle and a plastic tip on the point of the blade. Later, when you compete at tournaments, you will need electric equipment and will probably switch over to a pistol grip, for more control.
Foil
When you begin fencing lessons, you will start with a foil. Foils are close to three feet long and are flexible, allowing fencers to sometimes flick the blade and make surprise attacks from odd angles and directions. A “touch” occurs when a fencer gains right-of-way and manages to hit the opponent’s target area with the tip of the foil, exerting a certain amount of pressure. The torso, front and back, is the target area for foil; off-target areas are arms, legs (including buttocks), and head. The rules of right-of-way are complicated, involving, among other things, defensive parries and ripostes, as well as the offensive attack and remise.
During practice competitions, a referee (called a Director) and possibly side or corner judges determine who gets each point. Once you start fencing competitively, you’ll switch to electric scoring. An electric foil has a blunt, spring-loaded tip and is wired so that when the tip hits your opponent’s electrically-wired vest (lamé – pronounced lah-MAY) with enough force, the scoring machine displays a hit. A referee is still present during electronic bouts, to start and stop the action and make final judgments and decisions.
Practice Foil – Cost: $26 to $35
Electric Foil – Cost: $41 to $159
Épée
Épée (pronounced EH-pay) is the French word for sword. The epee is heavier than a foil and has a stiffer, thicker blade. Touches are scored only with the point of the blade, but the target area is the entire body, from head to toe. Epee requires a harder touch to score a point, and right-of-way rules do not apply.
Consequently, there has been some discussion in recent years that epee bouts are becoming overly-violent and that referees must be more watchful and establish more stringent rules. Like a foil, an electric epee has a spring-loaded tip that is wired to record hits (touches) on every part of the opponent’s body (a lame is not worn). Even your opponent’s shoes or mask are fair targets, although hitting your opponent’s blade or the floor will not register as a touch
Practice Epee – Cost: $34 to $38
Electric Epee – Cost: $47 to $179