A to Z: Epee

The A to Z Challenge is posting every day in April except Sundays (we get those off for good behavior.) And since there are 26 days, that matches the 26 letters of the alphabet. On April 1, blog about something that begins with the letter “A.” April 2 is “B,” April 3 is “C,” and so on. This awesome challenge is hosted by founder Arlee Bird at Tossing It Out, Damyanti Biswas at Amlokiblogs, Alex J. Cavanaugh, Tina Downey at Life is Good, DL Hammons at Cruising Altitude 2.0, Jeremy Hawkins at Retro-Zombie, Shannon Lawrence at The Warrior Muse, Matthew MacNish at The QQQE, Konstanz Silverbow at No Thought 2 Small, Stephen Tremp at Breakthrough Blogs, Livia Peterson at Leave it to Livia, L. Diane Wolfe at Spunk on a Stick, and Nicole at The Madlab Post

My A to Z theme is fencing and swordplay, focusing mainly on fencing terminology, but with a few favorite movie fencing moments thrown into the mix too. Why: I love fencing and swordplay!

E is for Epee: One of the three competition weapons in the U.S.F.A. and Olympics. a fencing weapon with triangular cross-section blade and a large bell guard; also a light duelling sword of similar design, popular in the mid-19th century; epee de terrain; dueling sword.

Epee with a French grip.

 

The target area for each weapon is different. The Epee target area is the entire body from head to toe with the exception of the back of the head and the back of the neck. The Epee is a point weapon where touches/points are counted when the tip of the weapon hits the opponents' target area.

The three competition weapons and those who fence with them have a tendency to draw stereotypes in personalities and manners. Epee fencers are often seen as graceful, ultra polite, quiet, and reserved.
(I never fenced Epee, but my coach and his youngest daughter did)

Four other "E" Fencing terms:

Engagement: when the blades are in contact with each other, eg. during a parry.

En Garde: also On Guard; the fencing position; the stance that fencers assume when preparing to fence.

Envelopment: an engagement that sweeps the opponent's blade through a full circle

Electrics - my second "main" term of the day, just for those who've asked about them, or thought that maybe electrics were like cattle prods . . . you know who you are :)

Electrics are used for competition, and the fencers do not get electric shocks from them. They make it slightly easier for the directors (referees) to judge the competition.

 A wire from a box is plugged into a "body wire" that the fencer wears inside their jacket and running down their sleeve (on their blade side), which then plugs into the "electric" fencing blade with has a sensor on the tip. When the tip is depressed, a signal runs through the wires back to the box, which is also attached to a center box that lights up and lets the judge know who hit first.

Of course, if you're in the Olympics, they have cordless electrics - way cooler.


Why are electrics useful? Competition fencing moves fast.

Why is the director still needed? A fencer, even if they hit first, does not always get awarded the point. The point is awarded to the fencer who has "right-of-way" and hits their opponent. The sensor helps the judge know if the "right-of-way" fencer actually made the touch.

We'll get to "right of way" with "R" . . . trust me, it's an interesting concept, and one that fencers love to argue over before, during, and after competitions.