Modern fencing is the purview of the US Fencing Association (USFA) and the
Federation Internationale d'Escrime (FIE), the two governing bodies for national and international (respectively) competitive fencing that is electrically scored. This is the type of fencing that is featured on cable sports channels such as ESPN2 on rare occasions in this country. It is also the type of fencing that is
contested at the Summer Olympics every four years. It is very fast and very athletic. The weapons used are the foil, the epee, and the sporting saber.
Historical fencing is practiced by a number of small groups all over the United States and in other countries as well. The weapons used vary widely, but include rapier, broadsword, sword and dagger, single stick, and others. The approach is that of a martial art -- not a sport -- supported by a great deal of research and study into past fencing practices. Competitions are unusual. The closest thing to a governing body is a fledgling organization called the
Association for Historical Fencing
(AHF). The Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) also engages in historical fencing (with degrees of historical accuracy that vary widely). Historical fencing tends to be slow and deliberate, as the weapons are heavier and the consequences of error are higher.
Classical fencing is practiced by an increasing number of fencing clubs throughout the United States. It has no governing body as yet, but it does have a voice in the form of
Fencers Quarterly Magazine (published by author and fencing master Nick Evangelista). Classical fencing (as defined here) is both a sport and a martial art. It maintains its roots in the traditions of European dueling, but also supports competition and purely recreational fencing.
Unlike modern fencing, classical fencing is an excellent spectator
sport (you won't see massive
arenas filled with fencing strips and no place for spectators to sit and
watch a "game" they cannot follow). Classical fencing
promotes clean fencing with action that spectators (and jury) can follow
and understand -- no buzzers, lights, or apparently random scoring. And
classical fencing is a great aerobic, co-ed activity that can be participated in by people from age 12 to 60+.
The weapons used are the standard (non-electric) foil, saber, and epee equipped with French or Italian grips. The rules are essentially identical to those of modern fencing, except for the scoring system. All scoring is either on the honor system (recreational) or by a jury (competitive) -- no electrical scoring apparatus is used. There is a strong emphasis on form and clarity. The principle of right-of-way (or the priority of touches) is strongly maintained. Touches must be properly made in a manner that is consistent with the use of a sharp weapon -- even though the weapons are blunt and dull. The pace of classical fencing, which de-emphasizes pure athletic ability, is slower than modern fencing, but faster than historical fencing.
In short, classical fencing is fencing as it was done in 1930s, 40s, 50s, and well into the 60s. In the 1960s (and even more so in the 1980s), the USFA began to promote changes in fencing that are really only now showing results. And the results are not pretty. Modern fencing has become a very fast game of tag with 3-foot-long pieces of skinny steel and funny
clothes -- derided by some critics as the game of "Whippo" . Modern fencing has divorced itself completely from its roots as a martial art, except for the fact that it uses "swords".
As a result, modern fencing (as promoted by the US
Fencing Association) has become a sport of the athletic elite,
largely focused on competition and winning at all costs. Classical fencing simply didn't change, and remains what modern fencing used to be. Modern fencing did change.
The result is two different sports. One is not better than the
other, but they are as distinct as tennis and badminton. To quote a
classical fencing master I know, "I like lots of tennis players, too, without wanting to play their game."
How can I learn more?
If you would like to learn more about classical fencing, please contact
Salem Classical Fencing or one of our affiliated
clubs. They can tell you everything you need to know to get started
in an activity that is both sport and martial art.
