by Ashley Smith

Created on: May 11, 2009   Last Updated: May 17, 2009

Epee is french for sword and it is called this due to its connection to the ancient dueling art of many years ago. The blade is stiffer then a foil blade and has a v shaped edge to it, the handle end has a bigger cover for the hand and naturally the over blade is heavier. There are three types of fencing practised, namely epee, foil and sabre. The epee version is the only one of the three where the whole of the opponents body is a valid target, with the other two variations there are restrictions on targets.

THE SWORD

The epee sword came about as a variant on the sort of short sword the general population may hold in late 17th century. This design was used for traditional duels to the death over following years. When the authorities got fed up with the body counts they had the design changed to the epee variety with the flexibility built in to the sword, this allowed a first blood drawn victory as opposed to a first dead one. This meant the skill factor became more prevalent as drawing blood on the opponents hand could be a winning move as could the smallest cut to any part of the body. In order to prevent simple hand cuts the protective piece around the hand was designed wider in later models. This design is the one that is still used today.

SCORING

Before electrical scoring was used the epee had a three point prong on its end , this meant the sword would tangle in the opponents clothing to show contact with out piercing skin. The electrical age left the blade with a plastic. button on the end in place of the prong. When contact was made with the body an electrical circuit is made which show the hit to the judges of the bout. The equipment is so advanced it can decide who hit who first even if a fraction of a second apart. In the days of the prong you could tell a fencer by the holes in their jacket made by the spikes, today of course their should be no punctures due to the protected end of the blade.

ELECTRONIC SCORING

The electronic version means that the fencer is wired up underneath the protective equipment to allow the sensors to pick up the hit. The rules state that there must be two sets of wires used to ensure no loss of connection when the hit is made and the circuit is formed for the scoring. The bout will last until a pre-determined score is reached by one side or until a time limit is reached, in all cases the president(main judge) will decide on scoring and when to stop players during an attack.

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