Fencing, explained

Fencing is actually 3 different events. Here's how to tell them apart.
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At the first modern Olympic Games in the summer of 1896, nine sports encompassing 43 events were played. Of those original nine, only five have appeared at every Summer Olympics since. One of those sports is fencing.
Fencing is split up into three different events based on the weapon used. There's the foil, epee, and sabre. They each have their own set of rules, and their roots can be traced back centuries.
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[@ItsMrSmurf]

Thanks Vox. As a fencer (foil) it's nice to see our underrepresented sport explored a little by the wider public.

[@Saturn-uz6jc]

Vox is really good at representing minorities.

[@FrenchSaladMac]

+Sal De'Friez lol I see what u did there

[@PvPjimenez]

This was beast

[@aliarab625]

Can an epee user challenge an saber one?? Or they should be from the same kind?

[@ItsMrSmurf]

Ali Arab afraid not.. well not in an official bout anyway

[@flyingspacemasterchief242]

I took a fencing class at my college once. I got my ass handed to me every time.

[@DylanJo123]

no shit, it was your first time

[@jwinthepro]

+odd135 one can only achieve his goal if he challenges himself

[@7yearsryugami169]

you ate your own ass? how?

[@DerrickRoseNate]

+7years Ryugami bol

[@ffmr4559]

Fencing ain't that hard, but of course only if you are passionate about it. I started when I was nine and I thought I would ultimately fail but now I am 12 and have come such a long way, and have won so many times, it's really become a motivation in my life.

[@borcolfasno3749]

not to brag, but i was a god at fencing in Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games

[@backiasara]

?

[@theboybrutus9894]

😂😂😂saaaame

[@alejandrayahuitl8769]

Backia Lakshmi you had no childhood

[@nocent6134]

Same dude.

[@lordrackable4358]

☠☠☠☠☠

[@maiaadolphs9128]

So my coach teaches Fencing theory at a nearby high school. He brought his midterms for all of us fencers with at least 4 years of experience to grade. I was grading one that just killed me. "If the basic forward movement is an advance, what is the basic backward movement?" the kid's answer? "Disadvance." "What the three main sports played in the olypmpics?" Poker, foil, and sabre. I had fun last night/

[@hunterm9]

Maia Adolphs fencing theory? What load of BS. Learn to fence, not how to fence.

[@florpyjohnson9531]

cmon man, don't be so salty. IT'S A SPORT! IF IT HAS STUFF TO LEARN ABOUT, YOU CAN LEARN ABOUT IT! that's like telling a school, "learn to teach, not learn how to teach" like it makes NO SENSE! this person was making a joke, and you talk about how stupid what his COACH is doing!? humanity, man..

[@cobrak1ngs]

Maia Adolphs what's wrong with disadvance

[@florpyjohnson9531]

its called a retreat in fencing

[@theblandcharlie822]

@@florpyjohnson9531 right! and the closest word to disadvance is disangage, which my teacher said is when you move your sword back

[@Hanjen-xb9vo]

not to brag but i fenced my whole backyard

[@fishnchips1641]

LOL

[@bestdadoftheyear7181]

Ur profile gives it away

[@zeepickens2712]

😭🤣😆🤣

[@Ryzek-ug5kb]

Haha😊

[@JesusLovesyou..1John3.6]

Nice 😊

[@anikam1383]

I learned fencing from Icarly lmao. Freddies mom was a beast

[@tjevans4800]

i Carly doesn't register with me but you said Freddie and I immediately thought of the movie Freddie Got Fingered. So....thanks for that!

[@valorthom3509]

THE FENCIN' BENSONS

[@austinbevis4266]

Ya I thought icarly made the sport up until my grandma talked about it once😂

[@thepeach03]

omg i totraly forgot about that episode

[@kaiofficial7168]

Anirudh Kamath Me too lol. It made me want to start and now I’ve been fencing for 4 years

[@MeepMeep88]

I still don't know anything about fencing

[@BhudhaLovesBudlight]

It's easier to understand it through playing it than just watching.

[@RussianBot69420]

if you get stabbed first you lose

[@BhudhaLovesBudlight]

TheCommieNextDoor Not in sabre

[@MeepMeep88]

I would like to see a gun duel in the olympics lol.. Let's see them duck from a gun Would be slow motion heaven that's for sure

[@comedyforage]

Or foil

[@funkysam1345]

Here after Bhavani Devi created history by representing India for the first time in Olympics in the 'Sabre' format of fencing. Hope more people will be educated about the sport and attracted to it.

[@ayushyash6021]

Yeah mann! This looks so cool. Bhavani Devi is a legend , I definitely wanna try it.

[@Sarthaknehavikas]

Me too, from bhavani Devi video

[@srutinayak1755]

Same.

[@rekhapai6214]

Same here 😁

[@Flavianjoelpnt87]

Did she won medal?

[@PopTartNeko]

Ah, the good old days when we used swords to settle disputes

[@RoyontheHill]

@@sofeakhan3397 ah yes that bring s me back (sounds of men crying in agony on the battlefield trying to push their entrails back in) the good old days

[@lewiscallaghan9527]

Sofea Khan way to spoil the statement

[@thekingoffist3610]

@@sofeakhan3397 Everything you mentioned is still a thing today. At least back in the day they still had values and and actually clean air/ water. Just saying.

[@kidkoopa6389]

@@sofeakhan3397 debt, cancer, mcdonalds... things change but somehow always remaim the same

[@frosttroll3411]

Now we use guns and drug money

[@spicynoodle8870]

I've been fencing for around 3 years and I can attest that it is by far the most fun I've ever had.

[@ghostchoice6476]

How about now?

[@VanessaDMusic]

It’s incredibly fun

[@Jordanthecool7]

I probably wouldn’t do fencing as I’m more into grappling combat sports. But I still respect the sport, they have great footwork and movement. Not to mention they are incredibly smart and tactical as well.

[@lordmaxson9631]

I've been fencing for almost 7 years now, so I guess I didn't realize that fencing could be so confusing to viewers.

[@Dani-ej1zl]

Heck, I've been fencing for about that long and I still can't keep up with sabre half the time.

[@lordmaxson9631]

+Jessica Wetli Well yeah, cause it's saber and saber is obnoxiously fast. (I use epee)

[@dannyrobins9700]

Well tbh I think most people got the "if you get stabbed first you lose" part but most people didn't know about the 3 weapons.

[@evans8639]

If you understand the rules foil is pretty easy to watch

[@Chris-uh2ie]

Same my dude , I started in 2010 , Foil , what about you? I just got a bronze medal ..

[@KittySYT]

I just learned something new, actually I do learn a lot of new things via Vox. Thank you Vox! 😘

[@austinbevis4266]

Have you learned about the good word of feminism and to hate the "cis scum"?

[@henryuradu3744]

Nicely memed XD

[@waffles6555]

Where are these videos/video I would like to know, Austin

[@alexplays9060]

Kitty S a emoji using an emoji huuuuuuu never seen before

[@animelover5207]

*me: wow fencing looks so cool i want to try it* also me: *disappoint* oh i've forgotten that i have a really bad eyesight

[@suugarush2555]

Poor us, buddy 😂

[@cornbreadloverrr]

*points straight at your face * "hold up where'd the blade go-"

[@cassiemag-usara5763]

It's harder than you think no offense but you need to be fast and highly skilled

[@capivara6094]

me: wow fencing looks so cool i want to try it also me: disappoint oh i've forgotten that I live in the middle of nowhere

[@zoyamaknojia328]

Hey. I fence in the US and I have horrible eye sight. I where glasses and contacts when I fence. I recommend fencing but be warned it’s extremely tiring and you get very sweaty

[@ishbelcoulter8681]

1:17 HER FEET AAAH THE FRONT FOOT OH NO PLEASE

[@madelinekim1489]

Omg ikrrr she's doing like a walking side skip

[@diegouy8277]

@@madelinekim1489 our comments are late. Ive seen worse beginners, become great adversaries.

[@eliegbert8121]

I know

[@taakotuesdays]

NOOOOO

[@Soundstorm745]

AH THAT HURTS MY SOUL

[@aka.kesavan]

Im curious about this sport because of 2521

[@vcookie718]

Came here interested to know about fencing after my current fav kdrama twenty-five twenty-one

[@mariafitaqueliza4059]

Me too❤

[@CrystalWong]

where my fencers at???

[@Darek_B52]

Crystal Wong well I'm a HEMA (Historical European Martial arts) fencer...longsword but I think I can still drop in.

[@mrstabilo5541]

here

[@arjunswayamkumar2507]

British fencer boi

[@stefaniaioanaa3914]

hereee

[@mmhopen2743]

Not a fencer, but I'm almost fifteen. Is it too late to get serious about it?

[@FamilyFriendlyFire]

Makes us fencers feel appreciated and noticed. (I fence Epee (: )

[@redku2822]

Same

[@starridreams4653]

I agree (I fence sabre btw)

[@melody2163]

Same but I fence Sabre 😁

[@Aubreysquires]

I fence foil

[@yellowtae197]

Here after 2521

[@zeldric7373]

Same after the ending

[@yellowtae197]

@@zeldric7373 ahhh, such a sad ending😭

[@Pc118Gamer]

I thought this was a video on the art of keeping people off your lawn

[@the_really_tired_one]

Pc118Gamer Gaming and Animations Well... with a sword you can XD

[@princeofyeonderella9505]

I know you are here because of 25&21💀

[@janicegale9733]

You’re watching this because of Na Hee Do

[@HANAROSENBLUE]

You got me😩

[@______2859]

I am here after watching twenty five twenty one

[@rudranshkhandelwal1206]

😂😂Lol me also

[@______2859]

@@rudranshkhandelwal1206 😂😂

[@aja0862]

Lol that person who taught u is my fencing instructor too.

[@ObtuseMoose]

Reverend yeah o.k

[@frogman4700]

you are one lucky guy, i've always dreamed of having a good fencing coach, here in florida thats a bit of an issue

[@helpimnew3657]

Nickolay Mavrodiev Same, I just moved to taiwan and there’s only one coach and 11 students in the club I’m going to. Also, there aren’t a lot of pro’s in taiwan at my age(U12 or Y12)

[@bruhmoment3731]

tell him I'd like to challenge him to a duel

[@falloutjustcause]

I'm 18 and wanna get into fencing should I still try to start?

[@EZZP75]

yes

[@semi-relatablerants3964]

If you wanna go competitive you will have to work really hard, most big Olympians start in between 8-15. But otherwise you should.

[@lolpope]

what about using a longsword? try HEMA :)

[@littlemisscupcake9280]

You might regret it in the future if you don't. I'm about to start my sophomore year in high school and I want to join the fencing club. :)

[@arturia-leafgreen5127]

I don't really think there is as much of an age limit for fencing as there is in other sports, If you wanna try it go for it.

[@TheKevlar4]

As an Epee fencer this was a really great video. Hopefully helps a lot of the general public.

[@michaelzacariasbenjamingla4651]

what prompted a fencing vid?... It has always been a fav... thank you for making this video

[@YouTuballer]

I'm guessing the Stephen Colbert interview with the fencer but maybe that's just a coincidence

[@kuhenelan]

Didn't you hear? America has a fencer who is being allowed to participate in a hijab. Groundbreaking stuff.

[@nexus3101]

+Kukendran K. Savage

[@therandomsoup3763]

Came here because of Twenty five twenty one kdrama.🥺😂

[@ashleymaestrado9413]

Every time she said epee (as a foil fencer) I screamed at my device

[@SlimTony]

Typical foil fencer ;)

[@redku2822]

ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ epee is the best

[@josephinechang3309]

I think she did research because formally (i asked the bout committee once at nationals) i think it can be pronounced the way she says it but most fencers pronounce it the way the coach did when it's announced over the loudspeaker at NACs and the SN, they always pronounce it the way she does

[@mimipanzica581]

SAME! FOIL IS INFINITELY HARDER AND BETTER

[@matthewchufong-sprague4563]

@@redku2822 You wack. Foil all the way.

[@aisyahfarah4991]

i'm here because 25 21 korean drama

[@alnarahman8180]

LEGENDS COME HERE AFTER WATCHING NA-HEE-DO FENCING IN TWENTY-FIVE TWENTY-ONE LOL

[@florpyjohnson9531]

just wanna clear this out, at 0:37 the foil and epee grips are used in both types of fencing. you have the pistol grip, the one shown as foil, and the french grip, shown as epee. the more advanced foil fencers use a french grip, while most beginners use a pistol grip. when i first started fencing, i was in foil and they had both grips. eventually, we got to pick our style, and i chose sabre. i have been doing sabre for a while now, so yeah.

[@joeblair9350]

Florpy Johnson that's not true if you look at top foil fencers they nearly all use pistol grips

[@florpyjohnson9531]

when i first started fencing, i started in foil because that was what you were required to start in. on what, my third day? my coach was showing a person who had been doing foil for a while now the french grip. maybe we just have different stuff here, but im just saying that's what happened to me.

[@joeblair9350]

Florpy Johnson yeah well basically all the Olympic foilists are using pistol grips

[@lewribaedi5997]

You can use either grip in either weapon but yeah, top level foilists only use pistol grip as it much easier to control accurately. Epee it's more mixed, as the potential extra reach of French grip is very useful in Epee.

[@tequilasunset6567]

This was very professional and informative. Awesome.

[@MrJethroha]

I'm still waiting for the first international gladiatorial games, now THAT would be thrilling

[@aperfecte]

great video. never knew they were 3 types of fencing. felt smarter after watching this

[@btoombstertriesyt6532]

As a fencer I appreciate the attempt to teach people how it works

[@nicholasthope]

I used to fence many years back, for a period of 7 years. Was formally trained in Foil and Epee, but did try Sabre as well. And yes, the video was accurate about how we all tried the flick. Of course, there were many tricks up any fencer's sleeves too that the video didn't cover, such as stop hit, feint attack or the Flèche. I personally was exceptionally good at stop hits while extremely risky for foil since I would not have the right of way, but it works beautifully many occasions as a last-minute surprise attack. But now, I have stopped training because of my slower reaction (due to lack of regular training and also with age I guess), unable to set aside time consistently to go for training as well as the cost associate with the sport. But yeah, I had many fun moments with fencing.

[@mikachan74]

Whos here after kdrama 25 21

[@angelacheung147]

Coming to this video after Hong Kong got a gold medal from Tokyo Olympics

[@francheskacatral2351]

I was taught by Brando Messine as a foil fencer. He was a great teacher in Nyack Fencing Academy!

[@seaweedryujin1511]

came here from 2521

[@elliotts5574]

Fencer (Foil and Sabre). Thank you for this. It does a good job explaining fencing to beginners.

[@danicalim1415]

who’s here because of twenty five twenty one? 💗

[@f.dr.3975]

Everyone should watch fencing, I personally fence foil, and it's awesome

[@itimelord473]

Thank you Vox for helping our fencing community get explored more. I am a national and international level saber fencer btw :p

[@chrisdooley6468]

Wow this was fascinating. I never understood how the sport worked. Thnx for the vid

[@isabellasopo3555]

I’ve been fencing for two and a half years now! I’ve never been all that good with teamwork, as the shy and quiet kid, and found this an awesome way to get my aggression out. Some of the kids who fence are actually super impressive! Super fun sport and I 100% indorse it

[@willerwin3201]

Fencer with 10 years' competitive experience here. According to the instruction I've received from multiple coaches, the foil and sabre have a right-of-way system because they come from martial traditions, where the intent is to fight and win on the battlefield or in a duel to the death. Epee evolved from the "first blood" dueling tradition.

[@UmbrellaGent]

I trained classic (not sport) fencing and we fought with apees incredibly fast. Also in classic fencing you can do anything, even punch or grab your opponents as long as it earns you a hit.

[@RycoreXIII]

Been fencing for about five, so pretty good video. The only problem I have is that you kind of indicated Sabre to be the most intense and challenging, which it isn't. Epee isn't as fast but it's a lot more strategic.

[@Rhydderch69]

A nine minute epee DE bout is roughly on par with a 3k run in terms of physical exertion.

[@henryhayter7547]

average epee cope:

[@randoml97]

what you should really know about how to watch fencing: to tell them apart, epee wear all white, foil has a what looks like a vest of siver, saber has silver jacket. If the weapon has a silver target area they have right of way (which means a ref has to decide who was attacking and therefore gets the point).

[@Kkummi04]

As a epee fencer I feel really honored to watch this video. But still epee is very interesting and I recommend it to every one.

[@Thoughtsoutloud2]

I watched a series called "twenty five twenty one." So here i am.

[@sillyman2013]

I honestly don’t know what style of fencing I want to do when I get to choose at my fencing school, but probably Epeé or Saber.

[@tianxingcao9552]

Vox: *talks about the flick* Me: don't do it... Don't do it... Vox: *shows a clip of Max Heinzer* ...dammit

[@ro55a78]

Once you know what you're doing in fencing, everything becomes natural and simple. It comes over time, so I can understand how someone just clicking on a video and watching two people try to stab each other at incredibly high speeds could be confusing. Lovely to see our sport get spread to the world.

[@asta8173]

İ ve got over 20 concusions thanks to fencing, though its worth it, if you dont include the 5, 3 hour lessons i need to attend weekly

[@sarcastamusraconteur6881]

00:03 ,i didn't know that nude running was such a big part of fencing.thanks for burning me vox.i just woke up,it's far to early for pork and beans....

[@adigrunert3836]

As a fencer I am so happy someone done this

[@apollo1694]

I've played Fencing for 8 years and I still can't tell who got a point 50% of the time

[@SamraiCast]

2:47 You can actually also make the opponent miss an attack which also gives you the right of way.

[@aadarshpradhan9732]

Recommended after 4 years. After Tokyo Olympics

[@brylenoviem1110]

Who else I here because of 2521✨

[@IzukuMidoriya-ly8hh]

I’m a foil fencer, probably the hardest of them all because of how hard it is to hit somebody

[@jacktraveller8290]

I see so many 'intro to fencing' videos stating that the foil is a descendent of the rapier. Nice to see you guys have done your homework, it is indeed descended from smallsword.

[@I.Daisies]

Always been interrested in Fencing, I'm finally learning to undertand the sport!

[@imsupershyy.]

I know I’m not the only one who came here because of the drama Twenty-five Twenty-one!! >

[@sayuumi]

haha yeahh lolol im so late but ehhh

[@orikarin714]

i am a fencer for quite a lot of time and i learned something from this video:) Touche!

[@MrPanetela]

fencing became a very important study in Bruce Lee search for the versatile fighting style. Watch his last movie and you will see elements of the flick, lounge, riposte...ecetera...

[@bananian]

Fencing explained: You try to stab the other guy in the face. end video.

[@BulletsToBrainRatio]

Torso

[@holdthatlforluigi]

not necessarily torso. it all depends on whether its epee, sabre, or foil.

[@secutorprimus]

Fencing explained: Ya boop em with your stick

[@Narokkurai]

No, the fundamental rule of fencing is: first, do not get stabbed. Stabbing the other guy should come as a natural and inevitable consequence of not getting stabbed first.

[@CyreneDuVent]

@@Narokkurai Interestingly enough, that's not quite true. Originally, not getting stabbed was the deciding factor; The name of the sport comes from the word defence, after all. However, the rules of scoring were changed so that the advantage goes to the fencer who scores the most hits. Basically, if two fencer have the same number of bouts won and lost, they are placed based on the number of hits they scored minus the number of hits scored against them. However, if this number is the same (let's say, for simplicity's sake, that they both won all their matches 5-0 expect for one, where fencer A won 5-4 and fencer B won 4-3) then you need some way to decide who should be placed ahead. Originally, it would have been the person with the least hits scored against them, so fencer B. With the rule change, it is now the person who scored the most, making the winner fencer A. With this change, the fundamental goal of fencing is now to stab.

[@sugarwaffle]

As an epee fencer, I agree with everything you said Fencing is very underrated

[@getlostlser]

As a fan of boxing and striking, I think this is a highly underrated sport. And I wished there would be a Boxing version of this

[@noelhann5262]

Everyone, fencing is so fun! Try it out! It’s so fast paced that it only takes a few seconds per bout, but some of the most intense few seconds you can have. You learn that you can react and move faster than you ever thought possible. When you’re in a bout, everything falls away but you, your sword, and the person in front of you. You make plans, change them on a dime, improvise, and trick all in a moment. It’s seriously like no other sport.

[@Na5iR11]

Any mention of TV frame rates and watching fencing?

[@alexiszhao5327]

Thanks. Wow didn't imagine fencing could be...actually really fun to watch!

[@miyukiendo]

thank you for correctly and simply explaining our sport. (sabre fencer here, hope to see y’all other fencers at the summer nationals !)

[@maddiegeier]

As a fencer I appreciate your accuracy!

[@colinmurphy2214]

0:01 this mans junk has been immortalized

[@MomoSenzatii]

"Keep your stance wide, keep your body lowered, as your moving forward balance is the key. right foot left foot now go even faster and as you're moving backwards keep you're eyes on me." -Pearl

[@the_really_tired_one]

Momo Senzații rlly?

[@MomoSenzatii]

Dominic Tan yes :D

[@alexismarquez3674]

LEARN TO FENCE IS A SPLENDID HOBBY.

[@cinnamon7406]

i came here after watching twenty five twenty one

[@yoskole]

if i get 100 likes of this comment i wont vote for trump.

[@tjevans4800]

Should of said you wouldn't vote for Hillary....you'd be at least 100 already...

[@yoongsengtan9553]

why'd you want to vote for trump at the first place?

[@yoskole]

***** the only one that is gonna cause ww3 is hillary clinton none other

[@tjevans4800]

Trump is racist and fascist? I really don't want to get into this argument. But tell me a sentence he said that makes him that

[@JosephStalin11]

I'm voting for Trump, so I won;t give you a thumbs up. If you had Hillary I'd definitely give you a thumbs up.

[@phillipcruz3123]

Made me smile to see the plates fro. Joachim meyer and the i.33 present as part of this video. I am a HEMA fencer (german longsword and side sword systems)

[@notfromkanadea9720]

vox is always there to answer my question

[@TheSuperpinkstar1]

2521

[@chi8514]

can everyone see the obvious hipster

[@Nyanino]

Ah yes. Social Warrior Justice!

[@chi8514]

+Nyanino I think you mean sjw

[@Nyanino]

chi I was pointing out the error in Symon Mailhot comment.

[@chi8514]

+Nyanino mkAAY

[@NickHunter]

Is it you?

[@nigelwang2447]

I loved fencing when i was in high school! I've done many sports but few really got my heart going like fencing did. It's so exciting. Edit: I still love fencing today, I just do not participate anymore like I did back then.

[@RokasSkeivys]

Love the sound design

[@Eidlones]

A reporter once showed up at our fencing club to do an article, and she described it as "Running a marathon while playing a game of chess". I love that description. Made us seem like badasses lol

[@johnmcgrath200]

Are you familiar with the Hungarian fencing term: "Hosszu Gorcs"?

[@popfan125]

I’m about to do that today as part of a trip to the Outdoor Pursuits Centre in Leicester with my school.

[@kayfeilum]

thank you i needed this i signed up for a fencing interschool competition even though i have never once fenced in my whole life and i don't know one things about fencing

[@akioshipton2607]

she looks like the literal human imbodiment of tumblr

[@kaiofficial7168]

As a fencer I love to see my sport get more attention

[@TyLarson]

Check out hema such as classical fencing with smallsword, sabre, or singlestick or even older forms like longsword, rapier, messer, dussack and even unarmed like ringen or abrazare or icelandic glima.

[@GiaGDixon]

This was so endlessly fascinating! Thank you for this.

[@enterchannelname2508]

"That means the blade is moving almost as fast as a bullet" Uh no not exactly..

[@thiagodunadan]

The right of way rule is stupid and epee is the only fencing that makes sense.

[@spike_-pw9iz]

it's not stupid with out right of way in sabre and foil you couldn't tell who tf hit cus they attack to fast

[@nirjhar4803]

*I’ve seen “real sword fighting” and it’s so slow and not as intense as most fencing bouts* No you haven't, If you've seen real sword fighting rules implemented in fencing then you wouldn't be saying any of that. And fencing IS supposed to be real sword fighting, fencing was created as an art to teach you how to sword fight in real life and settle disputes in duels (where the right of way rule and other rules in modern fencing restricting the versatility in a duelist is not applied, you could punch, grab and shove).

[@geoffreyguestion2843]

They should add historical martial arts to the Olympics. Each country has to bring their native historical fighting style. Like the first UFCs, but with sharp things!