Introduction to fencing!
Do you know your epee from your foil? Your sabre from your stab? Well, have no fear, We are Girls in Sport is here to help with the stuff you need to know about the sport of fencing.
Tamsyn Grieg is a former Commonwealth Games women’s sabre bronze medallist and women’s team sabre gold medallist for England. She describes fencing as ‘physical chess’ since the fencer needs to employ their psychological mind, as well as their body in order to win. There are three types of fencing played on a piste and each one requires different strategies and has different rules. Typically fencing athletes specialise in just one. Here are the outlines of how they’re played, each with their own sword and face mask.
Image courtesy of Tamsyn Tremeer
Epee
For this type of fencing, the fencer uses a stab movement and anywhere on the opponent’s body can be targeted. When the fencer is attacking there are specific rules (which are different to those for the other types) and it is considered very tactical – you’re always planning your next move.
Foil
In foil, you also stab but you can only ‘stab’ the torso (don’t forget that you are wearing protective clothing!). There are different tactics to be employed on attack and different rules.
Sabre
For sabre fencing, you use the side of the blade and you can aim for anywhere above the waist. Again, there are different rules and tactics that you can use when attacking. Tamsyn describes sabre as “a lot of fun.”
The interviews
And now onto our interviewees, Tamsyn Greig (was Tremeer) and Gaby aka Fencing is Fun (@fencing_fun).
Tamsyn wasn’t always a fencer – she started out as a swimmer, attending a specialist sports school in England called Millfield to fine tune her technique and improve. She loved winning and the buzz of competitions, the physical feeling of being that quick and the sense of achievement – “I felt as though I was flying down the lane.”
Her school timetable consisted of a lot of pool time plus a little gym time (she admits that she wouldn’t get away with that now! Today’s swimmers spend a long time in the gym strength building) and she also managed to try other sports such as judo, trampolining, netball, fencing and squash which, she tells us, requires similar skills to fencing – agility, abstract moves, a lightness of movement and, importantly, tactics, but she wasn’t to know that at the time.
At Millfield, teen Tamsyn participated in the epee discipline of fencing and enjoyed the lighter training schedule. In her last term before she left for university, she was fencing for England.
After a go at university rowing, the sabre discipline in fencing opened up to women to bring it in line with the epee and foil, and Tamsyn became a ‘project’ for her coach who had his sights on the Fencing World Championships.
Tamsyn made the World Championships and became a Commonwealth Game medallist twice over: she won gold in the women’s team sabre event and bronze in the individual women’s sabre event and made it into the top 50 female fencers in the world!
Tamsyn fencing on her wedding day!
What we love about this story is how Tamsyn tried lots of sports. This allowed her to develop many sporting technical skills as well as develop psychologically too – resilience, perseverance, discipline etc. Since retiring Tamsyn has tried roller blading, open water swimming, adult gymnastics and adult ballet as well as medieval long sword! That’s quite a variety of sports, wouldn’t you agree?!
Tamsyn might have retired from fencing (for now anyway) but Gaby in the US is just starting out. We asked her some questions over email, and this is what she had to say.
I started fencing at the age of six, and it’s been already two amazing years! My mom is a coach for minor categories, so we started sharing this passion as soon as I was able to hold the sword. I fence Épée, which is the biggest of the three weapons (others are foil and saber). It requires a good physical condition and a lot of confidence, and this is something we are working on, day by day.
Gaby and her mom
When you start fencing, you will mostly need sport pants, T-shirt and shoes. Normally, clubs provide you with a jacket, mask and plastic weapon; specially if you are a small kid, like me. After some lessons you will need more appropriate equipment to ensure safety: fencing pants and jacket, chest protector (mandatory for girls of all ages), underarm protector, long socks, and fencing mask. With all equipment in place, ours is one of the safest sports.
I normally train one and a half hours twice a week, at a wonderful club. Sessions consist of general conditioning (with lots of games and fun), footwork (basic positions and movements), blade work (actions with the weapon), and bouts (finally fencing!). Also, I receive individual lessons with mom, to complete my week. Even during the pandemic, I trained and we just tried to make it fun all the time.
As of today, I’ve only had participation at my club competitions, where I’ve been able to achieve second place in my category. Competitions are exciting and make us grow as fencers, but when we are off the strip, we are all friends. We are kind and respectful to each other. And something I love about fencing is that everything I learn at the club can be applied into my real life.
I think fencers like fencing in fancy clothes!
Image courtesy of Fencing is Fun
Fencing has helped me become a better person. Knowing that I am part of something bigger (my club, my team), makes me be responsible, courteous and friendly. I am also working on my social media, with the purpose of sharing what I’ve learned in a fun way, so other kids can understand it, too. There, I love to combine games, music, dance, make up and costumes with fencing. I love to highlight other ladies’ participation in fencing, through history. Also, I’ve helped mom teaching kids with special educational needs, and it makes me happy when new friends allow me to enter their world.
If you are considering joining a fencing class, I would tell you: What are you waiting for? Fencing is a fun and easy way to stay in shape, both physically and mentally. It trains you to look for opportunities and think fast while taking good decisions! In fencing, you are always ready, or as we say, you are always En Garde!
I would like to learn as much as I can, and enjoy every step, while spending my time with good friends. That will take me to my best level of fencing in every category, and then I could make my best in the competitions. Let’s see where this long road will go!
Image courtesy of Fencing is Fun
Are you tempted to give fencing a try? Tamsyn describes it as a very inclusive sport and on that note, we must mention Italian, Beatrice Vio. She’s the star of the Netflix and Paralympic docu-film, ‘Rising Phoenix’ and it is after her that the piece is named.
Paralympic fencing
Beatrice or Bebe as she is known, was already fencing when she suffered from meningitis as a child and in order to save her life, both her legs had to be amputated below the knee and both her forearms. She returned to fencing after rehabilitation and has since gone on to be a poster girl of para-fencing.
At the Rio Paralympic Games Bebe won the gold medal in memorable style in the women’s individual foil and she repeated the feat in Tokyo 2020 too. She is known for her dominant fencing and the passion that she exudes. Bring on Paris 2024!