Fencing in the middle ages

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Fencing in the middle ages
Introduction
Fencing is a sport activity that involves the use of bladed weapons like the sword. It has been a popular sport, listed among the modern Olympic Games such as swimming, gymnastics, athletes, and cycling. The game of fencing uses three weapons, which include Sabre, Foil, and Epee.
The history of fencing in the middle Ages
Fencing origin traces back to 1190 B.C., when the men started practicing swordsmanship in order to prepare themselves for warfare or duels. The Germans were among the first people to practice swordsmanship while settling injustice or grievances. This practice became an integral chivalry part and spread throughout middle Ages. The Catholic Majesties rule in Spain was the first to ban duels at around 1458 and 1471 (William 1). This period marks the beginning of fencing in the scientific art concept.
Later, Spain became a major power block in Europe, and its armies employed fencing tactics in main battlefields such as the south of Italy. During that period, fencing spread to the northern parts of Italy. Universities taught it, and it attracted many students from all over Europe. In Italy, great fencing schools with a tradition in fencing were established. At first, the weapons were mainly for offensive purposes and blows avoidance was through body shifts. Later, defensive mechanism used the left arm to carry a shield, dagger or cloak.
As fencing became more developed, the weapons became lighter and the sword for parrying purposes. The instructions included writings and lessons from the famous masters. The Greeks, Romans, Persians, Ancient Babylonians and Egyptians had various fencing forms. In Egypt, the activity started as a sporting competition during Pharaoh’s celebrations of Egypt victory against the Libyans (William 1). The weapons consisted of bronze plated sticks with buttoned ends. The hands protection resembles that of the sabre. Some fencers had mask protection for their faces. They non-sword hand was useful in parrying blows and was protected by a shield. The game had spectators who encouraged their favorites and judges who were determining the winners.
Over the years, fencing received various improvements and modifications. The XIX th century, concluded the evolution of the three weapons- sabre, epee and foil. The weapons and styles used follow reliability, safety, behavior, time and the competition rules. The French masters, made remarkable contributions to terms definition, teaching methods and actions classifications (Martinex 1). The Italians and French preserved their original swords although they made various improvements on them. The Spanish swords gradually modified and later kept in the museum. The European armies shifted the use of the Sabre but later shifted to modern firearms. Nowadays, fencing is among the Olympic Games with international recognition (Reuters 2). The Italians, Spain and French have the leading fencing schools in the world.

Weapons involved
Sabre is a light thrusting weapon, which targets the body right above the waist, but not the hands. However, if the sword touches the wrong places, it does not stop the game (Tom pp 1-3). If both participants touch the right places at the same time, the referee decides who gets the points. Foil is a weapon, which, unlike sabre aims at the torso and back, but not the arms. It is only through touching with the tip that the player scores. Once the blade touches the body, the game continues without scores. The referee uses the rule of ‘right of way’, once the two players touch at the same instance. Finally, there is the Epee, which is a heavier forcing weapon that aims the whole body. The touch by the tips makes the score. However if, the blade touches the body, the game continues. The players use protective clothing such as jackets, knickers, masks, gloves, and chest protectors for women.
How the weapons evolved
Fencing started back in Egypt and Rome during barbaric days. Other than being a sport, it is a form of arts. It started as a practice for swordsmanship in order to prepare men for warfare. Since the year 122 B.C, fencing represents a sporting in Egypt. Carvings show the men in protective weapon tips, and masks with judges watching them (William 1). The Greeks, Babylonians, Persians, all had some type of fencing. The broadsword used against the armor, required strength in hacking and not skill. Development of firearms is what brought swordplay back since the use of firearm after renaissance made armor obsolete. Soldiers received trainings on how to use the sword as a pass time. By the fifteenth century, modern fencing emerged with Spain being the first fencer. The Italians however, had an extensive use of Rapier. They used the right hand to hold the blade while the left hand held the dagger or shield.
Techniques used in fencing
Fencing is a sport based on speed and not skill, and developed when Italy produced a