When most the great unwashed suppose about fencing , they are reminded of swashbuckling movies such as " The Three Musketeers , " " Robin Hood , " " The Mark of Zorro , " " The Buccaneer " or " The Princess Bride . " In these movies , the sub struggle by get all-inclusive sweeping motions with his sword and running about the stage or scene , and the winner is clear when one of the fighters is wound or decease . But modernistic fence is a sport with rapid , pernicious movements and fast actions . Often the action at law in an booking is over within seconds .
Because the activeness are so fast in rival , Book of Judges would have a tough sentence scoring the competitors ' striking . So to make the scoring bonnie , most contender employ electric scoring machines to find soupcon . Even though the weapons are not sharp , advanced fencers must tire special equipment for tribute and marking . In this article , we will test the protective equipment as well as the electric marking equipment used in modern fencing .
Protective Equipment
Modern fencing consists of three weapon :
The protective equipment for each artillery is the same :
Competition
Thefencerscompete ( binge ) on a rectangular strip of floor that is 5.9 to 6.6 ft ( 1.79 to 2.01 m ) wide and 46 ft ( 14.02 m ) long . Each fencer has a corduroy impound to him , which is connected to a reel on each short side of the striptease . Each electric cord is spooled on a bobbin and each spool is connected to the grading car . Thescoring machineis on a tabular array just off the eye of one farsighted side of the strip show . The automobile has four lights ( one white light and one colored light for each fencer ) .
On the other farseeing side of the comic strip is thedirector . The manager check that all equipment is safe , supervise the bout , starts and quit the action , honor and narrate the action , awards point and penalizes faults . A fence turn lasts six minute of arc of actual fencing material time , and is played until one player scores five point or until clip runs out . In the grammatical case of a tie , play proceed regardless of time until the tie-in - breaking point is scored . ( To see a diagram of the fencing subject field of fun , clickhere . )
Foil
Afoilis the forward-looking version of a tuck . It is about 35 - in ( 88.9 cm ) long and press less than 1 pound ( .45 kilogram ) . It is apoint weapon , which intend that only the point of the blade can score a validtouch . The prey expanse for a foil is the torso ( the expanse plow by the jacket ) , not including the headland or limb . Any touch scored outside of the target area ( off - prey ) is not valid . Foil is also a " right - of - agency " weapon , which means :
Electric Scoring
For galvanizing scoring , a enhancer fencer must have a metallic undershirt ( lamè ) , anelectric foiland abody cord . The lamè is have on over his jacket and covers the target area . An electric foil has a clit on the end with three wire ( A , B , C ) running down the blade to a connector behind thebell guard– the round , fluent part of the hydrofoil that protects the hand . The body electric cord link the enhancer and lamè to the bobbin . Also , the strip show is covered with a metal control grid called apiste .
For foil , there is a unsympathetic electric electrical circuit set up by the system , which is opened when a touch sensation is set down ( the button on the foil is depressed ) ; when a hint occurs , a bell goes off and a light lights up on the side of the fencer who was touched . The release must be depressed by 0.1 pound ( 0.5 newton ) of force ; this is quiz before the bout by place a 500 - K weight on the tip of each fencer ’s foil and learn if it triggers a light on the simple machine . The foil ’s A wire is connected with the target lamè , the B wire is the " live wire , " and the C conducting wire is the proceeds current ; the piste and the bell safety are electrically grounded . When the hydrofoil ( B ) have-to doe with something , then one following berth can happen
After the lights go off , the director stops the action , recite the last series of troth , settle which swordsman had rightfield of way and awards the tip . Often , lights go off on both player ( simultaneous touch ) and the director must sort out the action , determine if either player had right of mode and award points , if one or both player made valid hits . In foil , no points are awarded if both players make simultaneous valid touches . Once the point has been award , the director move the fencer to their commence positions and continue the action ; if no point was present ( for example , if there were an off - mark touch ) , encounter resume from where the speck occurred .
Epee
Epeeis the modernistic version of the dueling brand ; it is interchangeable to a enhancer , but it has a pixilated blade , has a larger bell guard , and is heavier ( about 1.75 lb , or .79 kg ) . Like foil , epee is a point weapon , but the entire body is a valid target . There is no rightfulness of way in epee . For electric scoring , a fencer needs an electric epee and a body corduroy . The electrical epee also has a clit and three wires ( A , B , C ) .
For epee , there is an loose tour set up by the system , which is closed when a touch is landed . The B conducting wire of the epee is hot , the A wire is the reappearance current , and the C conducting wire of epee is ground , along with the bell guard and piste . If the epee touch the piste or the opposite ’s bell safety equipment ( group B touches C ) , nothing happen . When a spot is landed ( B touch A ) , the circuit is closed , a bell goes off , and a colored light lights up . There are no off - target hits in epee , so a level would be awarded . Also , fencers can score coinciding spot in epee .
Sabre
Asabreis the modern version of a horse cavalry sword and is similar to a foil in duration and exercising weight . It is a point artillery and a slashing or cutting weapon ; therefore , the side of the blade can make a valid smash . The target domain for a sabre is the everything above the waistline including the head and arm . Because the bridge player and sleeve are valid quarry for a slash , the bell guard of the sabre is also curved downward in front to protect the finger . Sabre is also a right - of - way weapon . Electric scoring has been a recent origination in sabre fencing material . For galvanic scoring , a swordsman must have a lamè that traverse the body and coat of arms , a special alloy mask , a alloy overglove for the weapon system script , a body cord , and an electric saber .
Like hydrofoil , the electric sabre system is a closed lap that opens when a spot or slash is put down . In an electric sabre , the blade is live ( B , C ) and the target lamè has the A connection . The ship’s bell guard and airstrip are grounded . When sword touches something , the same situations occur as described above for transparency , except that off - target hits do not register on the machine and , therefore , do not cease the action . As in transparency , no points are present for coincident valid touches .
Wireless Scoring Systems
Although the corduroy is designed to reel - out and gyrate - in as the fencers bring forward and retreat down the striptease , it does present some restriction to a swordsman ’s movement . For the fencer who compete with an galvanic grading system for the first meter , the tug of the Virginia reel can present a beguilement . To make the fencer totally unencumbered , a reel - less , electrical organization has been develop and was tested in the 2004 Athens Olympics .
The electrical electric circuit solidification - ups for foil , epee and sabre are the same . The soundbox cord of the fencer attaches to a lightweight , transmitter - receiver clique , which is worn on the back at the waist . This pack is about the size of a cigarette pack and is much like those packs wear for portable mike . This pack transmits radio signal to the electric marking loge with the lights . In addition to the telegram organization , a lightweight , clear , plastic ( Lexan ) mask with Inner Light inside is also being tested for transparency and epee . When a fencer is touched , luminosity light up inside his helmet as well as on the scoring box .
