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 Swordfighting as a sport has existed since ancient Egyptian times and has been practised in many forms in various cultures since then. Although jousting and tournament combat were popular sports in the European middle ages, modern F.I.E. fencing owes more to the unarmoured duelling forms that evolved from 16th century rapier combat. Rapiers were edged having a military role for thrusting into chinks of heavy armour. The original Spanish school, under masters such as Narvaez and Thibault was steeped in technical precision requiring much practise to master. In the late 16th and early 17th centuries, rapier fencing spread to Italy and masters like Agrippa and Capo Ferro developed a more pragmatic school, introducing linear fencing and the lunge.
By the 18th century the rapier had evolved to a shorter, lighter design, popularised in France, called the small sword or fleuret (due to the leather safety tip resembling a flower). The small sword often had an edge, to prevent the opponent from grabbing the blade, although the weapon was mainly used for thrusting. The light weight made a more complex and defensive style possible, and the French masters developed a school based on subtlety of movement, double-time parries and complex attacks. The small sword is identical to the modern foil.
By the mid-19th century, duelling was in decline as a means of settling disputes, partially because victory could lead to a jail sentence for assault or manslaughter. Non-fatal duelling forms were preferred as a result and the duelling sword, or epee, became popular.
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 Cutting swords have been used in blood sports such as backsword prize-fights at least as far back as the 17th century. Broadswords, sabres, and cutlasses were used extensively in military circles. Training was performed with wooden weapons and stick fighting remained popular until Italian masters formalised sabre fencing into a non-fatal sporting/training form with metal weapons in the late 19th century. These include the Italian sciabola di terro and German schlager. Early sport sabres were significantly heavier than the modern weapon and necessitated a strong style with the use of moulinets and other bold movements Hungarian masters developed a new school of sabre fencing that emphasised finger control over arm strength, and they have dominated sabre fencing for most of the 20th century.
Duelling faded away altogether in the early 20th century. The last widely acknowledged formal duel occurred in France in 1954, ending with a scratch on the arm. German fraternity duelling has persisted longer, and may still occur with some frequency.
The first modern Olympic games featured foil and sabre fencing for men only. epee was introduced in 1900. Single stick was featured in the 1904 games. Epee was electrified in the 1936 games, foil in 1956, and sabre in 1988. Early Olympic Games featured events for Masters, and until recently fencing was the only Olympic sport that has included professionals. The introduction of electronic scoring equipment has resulted in recent disruption to both foil and sabre rules. Foil was further complicated by the new, aggressive, athletic style coming out of Eastern Europe at the time. The first contested foil for Women took place in 1924, and epee as late as 1996, although it has been part of the World Championships since 1989. Women's sabre has grass root support but has not yet made much impact yet on the national and international scenes.
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