All bout fencing *part of 1st yr exam*

Fencing
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This article is about the sport, which is distinguished from stage fencing and academic fencing (mensur). For the boundary structure, see Fence. For other uses, see Fencing (disambiguation).

Fencing advertisement for the 1900 Summer Olympic GamesIn the broadest possible sense, fencing is the art of armed combat involving cutting, stabbing, or bludgeoning weapons directly manipulated by hand, rather than shot, thrown or positioned, of European origin. Examples include swords, knives, pikes, bayonets, batons, clubs, and similar weapons. In contemporary common usage, "fencing" tends to refer specifically to European schools of swordsmanship and to the modern Olympic sport that has evolved out of them.

Fencing is one of the four sports which has been featured at every modern Olympic Games. Currently, three types of weapon are used in Olympic fencing:

Foil — a light thrusting weapon; the valid target is restricted to the torso; double touches are not allowed (see priority rules below).
Épée — a heavy thrusting weapon; the valid target area covers the entire body; double touches are allowed.
Sabre — a light cutting and thrusting weapon; the valid target area includes almost everything above the waist (excluding the back of the head and the hands); double touches are not allowed (see priority rules below).
Etymology: The word 'fence' was originally a shortening of the Middle English 'defens', that came from an Italian word, 'defensio', in origin a Latin word. The first known use of defens in reference to English swordsmanship is in William Shakespeare's Merry Wives of Windsor: 'Alas sir, I cannot fence.'[1]


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