Today I am going to talk about a basic duel and tournaments.
The word duel comes from the Latin word Duello, which derives from the words bellum, meaning conflict, and duo, meaning two. A duel begins with two fencers who check bells(hitting their opponents sword on the metal half circle that protects the hand) to check if the sword is working properly. Next, a fencer salutes and pulls the mask on. Once the referee says "engarde, ready, fence" the bout begins. Each fencer uses his or her reflexes and instincts to beat their opponent to a touch, for which they earn a point. Once a fencer reaches five points, they win the match. If both fencers reach four(4-4) they must take off their mask and salute again to show that they are a worthy opponent. Once there is a clear winner both fencers take off their helmet and shake hands with their ungloved hand.
Tournaments are not much different from bouts. The only differences are that the bout is to fifteen points, that a fencer does multiple bouts in about an hour, and that the age/gender groups can be split up. The age separation is roughly around thirteen and under, fourteen and up,and eighteen and up. Some clubs might have senior groups but that is up to the fencing club.
Really good fencers are ranked nationally on a scale from A to E. The only way to receive a rank is to win first place in a tournament. For people who haven't earned a rank yet they are categorized as "U". I think this ranking system is too high of a standard. Not everybody can win a tournament, which means they may stay a "U" for most of their fencing career.
Here is a montage of great fencing bouts. Enjoy.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjlXgSZ4djI&NR=1
The next tournament for my fencing club is March 26. I'll let you know how I do.
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