Freshman Dominic Darby enjoys fencing in his free time and has participated in the sport for a few years now.
Darby explained that he has taken classes and is now in a fencing club. He also said that the community makes it more enjoyable.
“I’ve been fencing for about three years, one year of classes and two years of fencing club. I like how strategic it is and the people I fence with make it better. I [also] like the strategy side of it,” Darby said.
According to “Fencing 101” by USA Fencing, the goal of fencing is to score five to 15 points depending on the type of game being played. Fencing is not only a sport but a thrilling mix of strategy and athleticism that has been featured in the Olympics since 1896.
Darby said he started fencing due to lack of activities following COVID.
“I started fencing because after COVID I didn’t have anything to do so I tried it out,” Darby said.
The three fencing styles– foil, saber, and epee– are all different tools used for fencing. The foil is the lightest in weight and flexible allowing for attacks at close to impossible angles. The saber is similar in weight and length to the foil, but this tool uses not only the point of the blade but the edge of it to score points as well. The epee is similar in length to the foil but is a bit heavier, and it also has a much stiffer blade.
Darby explained the three different types of fencing which include, foil, saber, and epee.
“In fencing there are three styles/blades. You can fence foil, saber, and epee all with different target areas, [or] places you can stab your opponent. Foil being torso, saber being waist up, and epee in anywhere,” Darby said.
Darby explained that his strategy includes taking opportunities to attack and not just playing defense the whole time.
“The strategy don’t play it super safe if you see an opening take it. You have to attack if you play defense for too long your opponent will find away through it,” Darby said.
Fencers want to score this amount of points either before their opponent does or before the clock runs out. These points are gained each time a fencer scores a touch on their opponent.