Fencing - what is it? All about fencing as a sport

Fencing is a noble, very beautiful, elegant and romantic sport. However, this is an ancient martial art, which is both beautiful and deadly. Fencing is a battle of characters, in which coolness and nobility are not superfluous qualities. Today we will get acquainted with this fascinating sport more closely and learn what fencing is, how and where it originated, what rules it uses, what equipment is used, how the competitions are held and whether Russia has succeeded in this matter. Fencing has distant roots, we'll start with them.

Historical digression

The native land of fencing is considered to be Spain. It was here that the art of sword and rapier was born. In Spain, the famous Toledo blades were made for the whole world, which, being very light, had excellent strength characteristics. It was in this country, and later in all of Europe, dueling on cold weapons. It is believed that in Spain the first books were published, in which fencing was considered. Men loved to fight on cold weapons, and women mastered fencing much later. Over time, the first school of fencing appeared in the country. Italy, France and Germany did not lag too far. In the 1470s, a corporation of fencing teachers was established in Germany, and in England - an association of fencers.

By the beginning of the 18th century, several world schools appeared. The main ones were the French and Italian fencing schools. It was they who gave the world famous handles for blade weapons.

In the XIX century, the formation of sport fencing began. And by the end of this century, the first competitions were organized, in their modern interpretation. In 1913 the International Fencing Federation was established, which in 1914 approved the rules of the duel. By these rules compete to this day. To date, the International Fencing Federation includes more than a hundred national federations.

Fencing in Russia

For the first time interest in the art of fencing arose in Russia at the beginning of the XVII century. Peter I then made Rapier Science an obligatory subject for military and civil institutions. In 1816, a fencing school was opened in St. Petersburg to train teachers and instructors. The fencing coach who emerged from her walls was considered a respected person. In 1834, Russia developed the rules of fencing with bayonets. Gradually schools began to organize in other cities.

From 1899 to 1916, the St. Petersburg Athletic Community held the fencing championship once a year, in which all of Russia took part. Fencing of Russian masters in the international arena was held for the first time in 1910. One of the Russian athletes won the third place at that time. Two years later, the first Olympics took place in the career of Russian fencers. Fencing after that began to develop with great speed.

Later, the Soviet fencing school will become one of the best in the world. In the 21st century, blade masters from Russia managed to win several dozen gold medals and beat the records of the Soviet national team. Today, the fencing section is almost in all cities.

Sports fencing

This sport combines three disciplines. The main difference between them is the type of weapon used. Fencing can be sword, rapier and saber. The main purpose of sparring is to inflict an attack on the opponent and protect himself from his injections. The winner is the one who will be the first to conduct a certain number of attacks or achieve better results for a certain period of time.

Weapons

Fencing weapons consist of the following elements:

1. Blade.
2. Garda.
3. Gasket.
4. Lever.
5. Nut.

On the edge of the blade is a special tip. Weapons can be electrified and ordinary. The electric weapon is connected by means of a wiring with the device, which fixes the injections. The wire runs under the athlete's clothes. The tip of such a weapon has a special button.

The sword for the total length does not exceed 110 cm, and by weight - 770 g. The blade has a length of 90 cm. The diameter of the guard is a maximum of 13.5 cm. The weapon belongs to the stabbing. The flexible steel blade has a trihedral section.

The rapier differs from the sword in such parameters as: weight - up to 500 g; Diameter of the guard - up to 12 cm - and the cross-section of the maple - tetrahedral. It provides easier fencing.

The saber has a length of not more than 105 cm. At the same time, the blade's length reaches a maximum of 88 cm. The saber's weight is 0.5 kg. The saber refers to the piercing-cutting weapon and has an elastic steel blade with a variable trapezoidal section. The guard of the saber has an arch that connects it to the handle. He does not have a saber.

Surface affected

In the duel on swords are counted the injections inflicted by the edge of the blade in any part of the opponent's body. You can not beat only in the back of the head, unprotected by a mask.

Now we will discuss the duel on rapiers. In terms of rules, this is more sophisticated fencing. A rapier in the hands of an athlete requires more accuracy. In sparring on rapiers are considered nyxes only in the opponent's torso, both in front and behind. Blows to the head, arms and legs are prohibited. If the foistur has injected a shot outside the permitted zone, the duel is suspended, and all shots of this episode are not counted.

In a duel with sabers, it is permitted to inject and strike any part of the body that is above the waist, except the neck. If the saber fighter is outside this zone, he does not get points for a hit / stab, but the fight continues.

In the sparring of saber and foil players, an injection / blow is sometimes counted outside the permitted zone. This happens if the athlete, who is protected, intentionally closed the affected part of the body, unimpaired. For example, a foot that can often be found by looking at non-professional fencing. The rules also prohibit specifically touching the conductive surfaces with weapons, including their own suit, because this causes a false actuation of the electrical system.

Equipment

We continue to study fencing. What is a fencer suit? This is a white suit, consisting of a jacket and trousers to the knees with suspenders. The jacket is called a stove. The fencer's clothing is made of dense fabric, capable of withstanding impacts with force up to 800 newtons. These costumes are used in international competitions. For simple training, it is enough for a fabric withstanding the impact force of 350 newtons.

On the feet of the swordsman wear long white gaiters and special shoes. From simple sports shoes, it is characterized by a flat sole, as well as an intensified toe and heel. There are low and high models. The latter are used when there is a need for fixing the ankle.

The mask is another important attribute, without which fencing can not be imagined. What is face protection? This is an extremely important aspect in such a beautiful, but harsh sport. The protective mask should not only cover the face from the blows, but also do not interfere with the athlete's ability to see the opponent well. Therefore, in the eye zone, the mask has a metal mesh. A special metal gate protects the neck.

For the sherds, the metal mesh is insulated with plastic shock-resistant pads on both sides. And the collar is made of material that withstands the impact force of 1600 newtons. For training, this figure is 350 Newtons.

Foamers apply the same masks, only with an electric collar. It all depends on what kind of blows this or that fencing allows.

Saber, as already mentioned, can be beaten on the face, so the masks for saber players have a non-insulated grid that conducts electricity. And in general the entire saber mask, together with the collar, is made of electrically conductive material.

A glove is put on the hand holding the weapon. In the case of fencing on sabers, it has an electrically conductive cuff.

Under the suit, described above, put on the panthers, who also withstand impacts with a force of 350 or 800 Newtons. To avoid bruising, under the panties, the plastic protection is also used.

Since the smashers have a striking surface that is the whole body, the described protection is quite enough for them. Foamers additionally put on a jacket a vest made of conductive material. It displays the surface on which you can strike. In the saber, in addition, a mask is attached to the waistcoat.

Shock recording

When an injection or punch is applied (for saberists), the recording apparatus gives information about this by turning on the green light bulb. If the attack was made by all rules, then it is counted and the attacking athlete receives a point. If the punch / prick was applied outside the permitted area, a white light will come on. If both the green and white light bulbs caught fire, then it was dealt two blows, and the first of them was invalid. Therefore, the second strike is not counted. Since fencing on swords allows any strikes, there are no white light bulbs. If the lights come on simultaneously from both sides, each player gains a point.

The fencer's costume can be connected to the recording device, both wired and wireless. In order for the electrical system to detect the impact, the pressure on the arrowhead must be at least 4.9 newtons or 0.5 kg for the rapier and 7.35 newtons or 0.75 kg for the sword. As for the impact of the sword, it must be brought to its logical conclusion. A simple touch here does not bring points.

It is difficult to imagine, but there was a time when the blows were fixed exclusively visually. This important mission was given to the four referees who surrounded the battlefield from all sides. In 1936, for the first time, the rules, according to which the injections of the rapiers began to be fixed with the aid of electrical devices, became effective. In 1957, according to this system, the foilists began to compete, and in 1988, the saberists also competed.

Fencing Path

Sparring takes place on the fencing track. Its length is 14 meters, and the width can vary within 1.5-2 meters. Like in any other sport, the battlefield has markup. In this case, it is represented by 5 lines perpendicular to the path. The first line is central. At a distance of 2 meters from her on both sides is the battle line. Two more lines are located seven meters from the central one and are called the lines of the rear borders.

Thus, at the beginning of the bout, while on the battle line, the athlete has 5 meters for retreat and 9 meters for the attack. On the sides of the path are 2-meter lengths that allow the athlete to accurately determine how much space he has left for retreat without turning around.

How is the duel

We already know in general what fencing is. What is a fencing suit and what markup has a battlefield, we also know. Therefore, it's time to move on to the most interesting - the process of the fight.

So, at the beginning of the battle, the opponents are on the line of the starting position sideways to each other. One leg crosses the line. The weapon is sent to the enemy, and the free hand is wound behind the back. The duel begins and ends when the referee gives the appropriate team. However, the end of the bout may also occur if a signal is signaled that the round has expired.

Traditionally, the judging is carried out in French. Before the start of the bout, the referee gives the command "An garde!", Which translates as "To battle!". Then he asks the athletes a question: "Hey woo pr?" To find out if they are ready. When both fencers answer, the judge gives the command "Alla!". If you want to stop the fight, he pronounces the word "Alt!", Which translates as "Stop!". By awarding glasses to one or another fighter, the judge says: "A druat", "A gosh" or "Ku double". This means: "right", "left" and "both", respectively. When registering an invalid strike, the judge says: "Pa kontte!" - "Do not count." After scoring points, opponents return to their original positions, and the battle continues. And if the fight was stopped without award of a hit, then it resumes at the same place where it stopped.

Individual duel is divided into three rounds of 1 minute. The break between the rounds is also a minute. The winner of the round is an athlete who will score first 15 points or will lead in the account at the end of the round. If, at the end of three rounds, the score indicates a draw, an additional fourth round is awarded. At the same time, before it starts, a draw is made, in which the winner is chosen in case an extra minute does not help.

Now consider team fencing, the rules of which are somewhat different. If the competitions are team, then every fencer must compete with each athlete of the opposing team. Since the team consists of three people, the match between the two teams includes 9 individual fights. In this case, the first battle is completed, when one of the sides collects 5 points, the second - 10 points, and so on to 45.

Fencer, who attacked first, receives the status of an attacker, and his opponent, respectively, defending himself. With concurrent attacks / injections, the attacking athlete takes advantage. Alternately, the priority of the action passes from one fencer to another. If the electronic system recorded a blow / shot, but it was inflicted with a violation of the priority of the attack, the points are not awarded. With mutual hits, the referee acts according to the situation. The strike / shot inflicted after the command "Stop!" Is counted only if the movement started before the team.

Briefly on the technique and tactics of combat

Let's look a little deeper into such an exciting sport as fencing. What is a fight? This interaction of the blades, which involves a lot of subtle, cunning, verified movements and techniques. This is the main difference between fencing and fights on heavy weapons.

When a direct attack is impossible, the fencer tries to neutralize the counter attack and counterattack. And in order to eliminate the threat, it is not necessary to shy away, you can repel the blade and immediately strike a counter strike.

Fencing plays an important role in fencing. This can be: disguise, which helps to hide the intentions of the athlete; Feints that constitute threatening movements; A challenge that provokes the enemy to take decisive but not always deliberate actions, and so on.

Modern fencing, depending on the type of weapon used, has some differences in technique, tactics and rules, caused by stories of the origin of weapons. The saber came from the blade that the cavalrymen used. They fought in equestrian matches, so the chopping blows were applied above the belt. This fact predetermined the size of the surface to be struck in sports fencing with sabers.

The sword in its origin is a duel weapon. The outcome of the duel could determine the injection in any part of the body. Therefore, it was extremely important to inflict it first and defend against it from a retaliatory attack. The same principle was transferred to modern fencing.

The rapier was originally created as a training weapon. Therefore, the conditions of struggle among the fencers are the most sparing. It is with rapiers that fencing begins. Women once had the right to fight only on rapiers. Since the weapon weighs little, even children can handle it. By the way, fencing for children we will consider a little lower. Such a concept as "tactical rightness" also arose from the needs of a training battle, which was to prepare a person for a real fight.

Penalties

If an athlete steps in for a side-line with at least one foot, he is awarded a penalty of 1 meter. This means that the fight is resumed at a distance of 1 meter from the place of violation in the direction of the offender. Thus, he has less room for a retreat per meter. If the fencer is behind the back line, one point is counted for the opponent. This is called a "punitive injection". In fencing are unacceptable:

1. Attack by running.
2. Intentional physical contact.
3. Push the enemy.
4. Turn your back to the enemy.
5. Beat the gun on the floor.
6. Any action by a free hand.

To remove the tip from the weapon, attempt to repair it and carry out other actions is prohibited without the permission of the judge. Leave the field and remove the mask without the appropriate team also can not. For deliberate violations of the rules athletes get penalties.

A yellow card is given in case a fencer is warned. If the competitor breaks the rules a second time, he gets a red card. It does not matter, he repeated his violation or allowed another. The red card, unlike the yellow card, not only warns, but also punishes, through a penalty injection. A black card is given for gross violations of rules, unsportsmanlike behavior and in the event that a fencer repeats a violation for which he was awarded a red card. A black card denotes a disqualification.

Olympics

Fencing has long been an integral part of the Olympic Games. At the modern Olympics, the country is represented by 18 athletes, two of whom are spare. The team consists of both men and women. The Olympics program includes personal and team competitions in all three types of weapons that modern fencing allows. Women, as well as men, can fight on swords, rapiers and sabers. The program includes 10 rooms, 6 of which are personal, and 4 teams. At the last Olympics in Rio, Russian fans were proud to watch fencing. Men won two awards, and women - 3 gold, one silver and one bronze. In the overall medal standings, Russia's fencing team was in first place.

Children's fencing

Fencing for children today is developed not less than other kinds of sports. The section usually accepts children from 9 years. In good schools they are taught not only the technique and tactics of combat, but also tolerance in relation to the enemy. A decent fencing section is in every major city. Without this, the sparring of fencing would have turned into a mere slaughter of the blades.