Fencing with the electric épée
Welcome
This course is aimed to take you from “complete beginner” to be able to join in
fencing matches at the club. The weapon taught is the Epée, which is the modern
equivalent of the Rapier, a duelling sword where thrusts can be made to any part of
the body. An achievement certificate will be issued on completion.
Whitchurch Fencing Club
Originally part of Whitchurch Adult Centre, has been running as an independent club
since 1987. The club is affiliated to Welsh Fencing. For full details, please see the
club website : www.whitchurchfencing.co.uk
Clothing & Warm-up exercises
Please remember that British evenings can be quite cold at 9.30-10.00pm at night –
so it’s sensible to have another layer of clothing for your return journey, eg if you
arrive in a T-shirt, after an hour exercising, you really need to have a fleece or hoodie,
or similar, to avoid getting a chill.
In your own interest, you need to ensure that you warm-up before fencing, to help
avoid any possible joint injuries. Your instructor will run through a simple warm-up
exercise for the first few lessons.
Safety
Please remember that you are holding a sword ! Safety is paramount,
- no messing
- hold swords ‘point down’ when not fencing
- when putting on a mask - either put on the mask with one hand, or if two hands
are required, put down the sword, or put on the mask, holding the sword point
downwards.
Welsh Fencing:
The cost of the course includes one year’s membership of Welsh Fencing via the
British Fencing Association (BFA).
As far as possible registration will be made
online, but please allow the BFA 2-4 weeks to process your application.
© 2010-2017 - Whitchurch Fencing Club
Illustrations from ‘Epee Fencing’ by kind permission of Terence Kingston, www.swordpricefighters.com
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Fencing with the electric épée – course notes for students
On Guard & Moving forwards/backwards
On guard (en garde) position
Knees slightly bent, feet at right angles, arm flat and slightly extended, with the
forearm behind the guard (the coquille).
A useful tip is to use the lines in the parquet floor to ensure that the feet are at right
angles.
Moving back & forward
Small steps, the front foot first, followed
by the rear foot. Retain a good
balance by keeping the knees bent, and
the feet a step apart.
© 2010-2017 - Whitchurch Fencing Club
Illustrations from ‘Epee Fencing’ by kind permission of Terence Kingston, www.swordpricefighters.com
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Fencing with the electric épée – course notes for students
The Lunge
Definition : an attack made by extending the rear leg and landing on the bent front
leg.
Extend the arm, and move your front foot, whilst straightening the rear leg.
Things to watch out for are,
- you are not over-extending
- the rear foot is flat on the floor.
© 2010-2017 - Whitchurch Fencing Club
Illustrations from ‘Epee Fencing’ by kind permission of Terence Kingston, www.swordpricefighters.com
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Fencing with the electric épée – course notes for students
Parries
Definition : a simple defensive action designed to deflect
an attack, performed with the ‘forte’ of the blade.
Lateral Parry
– blade moves right to left
[ Left handed person – blade moves left to right ]
Lateral parry is a ‘generic’ term, and you will often hear the above parry described a ‘Parry
Quarte’, because you have moved your blade from Sixte to Quarte, based on the traditional
fencing positions – but you do not need to worry about these at this stage.
Youtube video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ox70G3kRvss
[ courtesy of youtube]
© 2010-2017 - Whitchurch Fencing Club
Illustrations from ‘Epee Fencing’ by kind permission of Terence Kingston, www.swordpricefighters.com
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Fencing with the electric épée – course notes for students
Semi-circular Parry
– blade moves anti-clockwise from 12 o’clock to six o’clock
[ Left handed person – blade moves clockwise
from 12 o’clock to six o’clock ]
Circular Parry
– blade moves clockwise to “five past twelve” position
[ Left handed person – blade moves anti-clockwise
to “five to twelve” position” ]
Don’t forget - clockwise & anti-clockwise are as viewed by
the fencer themselves.
- the moves will of course appear anticlockwise & clockwise to someone standing opposite the
fencer.
Youtube video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ox70G3kRvss
[ courtesy of youtube]
© 2010-2017 - Whitchurch Fencing Club
Illustrations from ‘Epee Fencing’ by kind permission of Terence Kingston, www.swordpricefighters.com
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Fencing with the electric épée – course notes for students
The Ripostes
Definition : a counter-attack made immediately after successfully parrying an
opponent’s attack
Recap on the Parries
As
o
o
o
viewed by a Right handed person,
Lateral Parry
– blade moves right to left
Semi-circular Parry – blade moves anti-clockwise from 12 o’clock to six o’clock
Circular Parry
– blade moves clockwise to “five past twelve” position”
[ As
o
o
o
viewed by a Left handed person,
Lateral Parry
– blade moves left to right
Semi-circular Parry – blade moves clockwise from 12 o’clock to six o’clock
Circular Parry
– blade moves anti-clockwise to “five to twelve” position” ]
Ripostes
In theory, a Riposte to many different parts of the target is possible !
Here is our recommendation
o
Lateral Parry
– thrust to the forearm
o
Semi-circular Parry – thrust to the low-line, ie upper leg or waist
o
Circular Parry
– thrust to the forearm
Riposte to wrist
This is worth considering as an alternative, as the wrist is the nearest part of the target.
To do this effectively, you will need to step back and angulate the blade to reach the wrist,
and is most easily done from the Circular Parry.
The sequence is
(i) parry
(ii) step back with left foot
[ right foot, if left-handed ]
(iii) step back with right foot,
[ left foot, if left-handed ]
place point on wrist, with angulation.
This is not an easy move to master, but worth trying, nevertheless !
© 2010-2017 - Whitchurch Fencing Club
Illustrations from ‘Epee Fencing’ by kind permission of Terence Kingston, www.swordpricefighters.com
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and
Fencing with the electric épée – course notes for students
Compound attacks
Definition : an attack incorporating one or more feints to the opposite line, in which
the action finishes.
There are many variations of these – here are 2 of the more straightforward,
 the ‘One-Two’
fencer
– feint with a straight thrust (eg) to the forearm
opponent
– lateral parry
fencer
– deceives with clockwise disengagement under the blade, and then
thrust (eg) to the forearm
 Doublé (pronounced ‘dooblay’)
fencer
– feint with a straight thrust to (eg) the forearm
opponent
– circular parry
fencer
– deceives with anticlockwise Counter-disengage (which follows round),
and then, thrust (eg) to forearm
In both cases, the feint has to look real.
effective timing & distance.
This takes practice to find the most
Beat attack
Definition : an attack to knock the opponent's blade aside or out of line, by using
one's foible or middle blade against the opponent's foible.
Foible
Middle
Forte
Surprise is the element in this move. Initially it will be taught as two moves, but in
practice when fencing, it obviously appears as one move.
- If you have come On Guard in a fairly flat ‘en garde’ style, as taught, you will need
to raise the tip of your blade before commencing the move.
- Beat your blade against the opponent’s blade by controlling your blade with the
forefinger & thumb, and using the bottom three fingers to perform the beat. At the
same time flick your wrist slightly, without moving the forearm.
- As there is no point in making a beat on its own, to be effective, this move should
be followed immediately with an attack.
This is therefore two moves in quick succession !
(i) beat
(ii) thrust.
© 2010-2017 - Whitchurch Fencing Club
Illustrations from ‘Epee Fencing’ by kind permission of Terence Kingston, www.swordpricefighters.com
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Fencing with the electric épée – course notes for students
Stop Hits
Definition : a counter-attack that attempts to take advantage of an uncertain attack.
A properly performed Stop Hit allows a fencer to counter-attack into an oncoming
attack, and hit their opponent.
Again, there are many variations of these – here are 2 of the more straightforward.
 with Absence of Blade
opponent
– attack to leg
fencer
– straight thrust to forearm
( and pull back your front foot a half step, if the attack is to foot ).
 with Opposition
Opponent
– attacks with step, or lunge
Fencer
– one movement, as lateral parry, but then extending quickly &
smoothly into a hit on upper arm or torso.
© 2010-2017 - Whitchurch Fencing Club
Illustrations from ‘Epee Fencing’ by kind permission of Terence Kingston, www.swordpricefighters.com
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Fencing with the electric épée – course notes for students
Renewals
 Remise
Definition : immediate replacement of an attack that missed or was parried, without
withdrawing the arm
fencer
opponent
fencer
– straight thrust (eg) to the forearm
– lateral parry, but is slow to riposte
– angulate blade, and re-thrust to forearm
fencer
opponent
– straight thrust (eg) to the forearm
– circular parry, but doesn’t close the line completely, eg stops
“at 12 o’clock”
– re-thrust, & angulate blade, if need be
or
fencer

Redoublement 1
Definition : a new action that follows an attack that missed or was parried
fencer
opponent
fencer
1
– straight thrust to the elbow
– (eg) circular parry
– disengage & thrust
Not to be confused with the Doublé.
Remember – the REdoublement is a REnewal
Prise de fer - literally 'taking of the blade'
There are several forms of this, and the move described below is useful in creating an
opening against someone repeatedly attacking with a straight arm.
Envelopment
Start with the blade slightly below, and to the right of the opponent's blade. Then
bring the blade under the opponent’s blade, and up, in a clockwise direction. At the
same time, push forward and slightly to the right to push the opponent’s blade out of
the way, ie "with opposition"). Aim for their shoulder or upper arm (preferably), or
else torso.
(For a left handed fencer, it’s
Start with the blade slightly below, and to the left of the opponent's blade. Then bring the
blade under the opponent’s blade, and up, in an anti- clockwise direction. At the same time,
push forward and slightly to the left to push the opponent’s blade out of the way, ie "with
opposition"). Aim for their shoulder or upper arm (preferably), or else torso. )
This is most suitable when the opponent has their arm fully extended.
© 2010-2017 - Whitchurch Fencing Club
Illustrations from ‘Epee Fencing’ by kind permission of Terence Kingston, www.swordpricefighters.com
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Fencing with the electric épée – course notes for students
Fencing electric
Well done on your progress so far !
Now it’s time to fence electric épée.
Before you go on the piste
- ensure you are wearing a plastron, and that your mask & jacket are a good fit.
On the piste
Don’t “go wild”, or try to win by
using unorthodox moves !
Use the moves you have been taught,
so that you can see how they work in
practice.
Piste conventions
o Test your weapon on your opponent’s guard (coquille) to ensure hits on the
guard do not register.
o If you need to test your own weapon, either press the point yourself, or touch
on your foot. Out of courtesy to the Sports Centre, do NOT test it by pressing
it on the floor !
o Salute the President (referee) & your opponent.
o At the President’s command, come On Guard
o Stop fencing immediately the President calls Halt.
o If you need to adjust your mask, sword etc, raise your non-sword arm, and ask
the President’s permission.
o At the end of the bout, remove your mask, and shake hands with your
opponent, with your non-sword hand.
/Now you’ve completed your course …
(Proficiency Awards & Acquiring your kit)
© 2010-2017 - Whitchurch Fencing Club
Illustrations from ‘Epee Fencing’ by kind permission of Terence Kingston, www.swordpricefighters.com
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Fencing with the electric épée – course notes for students
Now you’ve completed your course …
Your Course Fee includes membership of Welsh Fencing for a year, as a Social
Member. This means you are covered under the British Fencing Insurance scheme
whilst fencing. Please see the BFA website for full details.
Proficiency Awards
After completing your Beginners Course, you may be interested
in taking one or more of the BAF Proficiency Awards which are
available
These can be taken at three levels:
Bronze
Silver
Gold
Please ask your Instructor for further details.
Bronze Award – Supplementary Material
As the syllabus for the bronze award is very similar to the syllabus for the Beginners
course, much of the Beginners material may also be used as reference.
The following topics are included in the Bronze award, but outside the scope of the
beginners course, and are covered (briefly) here, for completeness.
En garde in Quarte
This could be used when facing an opponent who frequently attacks wide of the inside highline. For the stance, please see the illustration of the ‘Parry Quarte’ on page 4.
En garde in Octave
This could be used when facing an opponent who frequently attacks wide of the outside lowline. Stance – very similar to the ‘regular’ en garde position ie en garde in ‘sixte’, but
- hand in ‘supination’, ie palm upwards
- point lower than the hand, angled slightly outwards
Definition of a double hit
When both competitors register a hit on each other simultaneously, and the difference of time
between the two hits is less than 1/25 of a second
Penalties
- Forcing corps à corps
– Yellow Card 1st Offence, Red Card 2nd offence
- Turning back to opponent – Yellow Card 1st Offence, Red Card 2nd offence
/Acquiring your kit …
© 2010-2017 - Whitchurch Fencing Club
Illustrations from ‘Epee Fencing’ by kind permission of Terence Kingston, www.swordpricefighters.com
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Fencing with the electric épée – course notes for students
Acquiring your own kit
After completing your Beginners Course, you may be wondering about purchasing
your own kit.
Firstly, as a recent beginner, you are welcome to use any kit available in the Club,
when not required for use by new beginners. However, in the long run you will
probably wish to acquire your own kit. This can be expensive, and you wish to
earmark something as a “birthday present” from a relative, or friend.
In terms of prioritising what you buy, it is probably best to acquire a mask & jacket
first, as these are essential, and a sword and breeches later. You will however also
need a glove and plastron, as these are safety items, and if fencing electric, a body
wire. Please remember that breeches are essential for fencing electric.
Fencing suppliers
Some well known suppliers are
Allstar Uhlmann UK
Blades Brand UK
Leon Paul
SwordPriceFighters
There is also a list on the BFA web site
Two other options worth mentioning are
i) Leon Paul invariably have a stand at the Welsh Open, each November, in the
Welsh Institute of Sport, Sophia Gardens, and
ii) ebay, via the internet.
Buying second-hand
If buying second-hand, or using equipment passed on from family & friends, you must
bear in mind that safety is paramount. Fortunately injury in fencing is rare - however
as almost all serious fencing injuries are caused by broken blades, do not use any
equipment which is damaged, or has visible signs of wear and tear, or rusting.
Note that masks should have an elastic (or similar) back strap.
© 2010-2017 - Whitchurch Fencing Club
Illustrations from ‘Epee Fencing’ by kind permission of Terence Kingston, www.swordpricefighters.com
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Fencing with the electric épée – course notes for students
BFA standards *
Over the years the standards for fencing equipment have tightened, and the BFA have
stipulated the following, in terms of ability to withstand the force of an opponent’s
blade, as measured in newtons (N), the international unit of force. Equipment from all
reputable suppliers will have its strength in newtons clearly marked on it.
It is advisable only to use equipment of the correct standard, in order to obtain
maximum protection.
Jackets
Plastrons
Breeches
Mask
Fencing / practicing with
non-electric weapons
350N
350N
Trousers with openings /
pockets zipped/ closed
350N
Fencing / practicing with
electric weapons
350N
800N
350N
350N
International (etc)
competitions
800N
800N
800N
800N
* Information believed correct at time of writing – please see the BFA web site for full details.
~
© 2010-2017 - Whitchurch Fencing Club
Illustrations from ‘Epee Fencing’ by kind permission of Terence Kingston, www.swordpricefighters.com
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