Foil (fencing)

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(Redirected from Foil (sword))

Image:Foil-2004-A.jpg

A foil is a type of weapon used in fencing.

It is a very thin weapon with a blunted (or foiled) tip. Foils are designed only for thrusting, though modern competitive fencers often use a technique known as a flick, which uses the foil's flexibility to bend around the blade of an opponent (often in response to an attempted parry) and plant a hit upon the back. Foil blades are flexible enough to bend upon striking an opponent, in order to prevent injuries. There are three main types of foil grips: the French style, with a grip (handle or hilt) designed to facilitate greater finesse, the Italian style, which is designed more for control and power, and the orthopedic, or pistol-grip, which takes the need for a firm hold on the weapon even further. Critics of the pistol-grip, (who are almost invariably adherents of the classical philosophy), claim that this leads to a "deathgrip" on the foil that sacrifices speed and maneuverability for strength and stability (viewed as inferior by such critics), thus inhibiting true mastery. Still, the pistol grip remains the most popular, and it is almost invariably the grip of preference for the contemporary foil fencer.

[edit] History

The modern foil is descended from the training weapon for the small-sword, a lighter version of the rapier that was the common sidearm of 18th century gentleman. (Rapier and even longsword foils are also known to have been used, but they were very different in terms of weight and use.)

The target area for modern foil is said to come from a time when fencing was practised with limited safety equipment. Another factor in the target area is that foil rules are derived from a period when dueling to the death was the norm. Hence, the favored target area is the torso, where the vital organs are.

[edit] Foil today

Image:Fencing foil valid surfaces.svg

In modern sport fencing, the foil is used as a thrusting weapon only. Any contact with the side of the blade (a slap) is discounted. Modern foils average 35 inches or 89cm in length, and have standardized, tapered, quandrangular blades which are designed to present a blunt (and therefore non-lethal) tip should it snap.

To score a touch one must touch an opponent with the tip of the foil with a force of at least 4.90 newtons (500 grams-force).

As with any fencing weapon, protective equipment must be worn when fencing with foils; this includes a jacket, glove, mask, and knickers (known as breeches in the UK). In electric fencing, the foil's tip must be depressed while in contact with the opponent's lamé (wire-mesh jacket which covers valid target area) to score a touch.

In 2005, foil underwent a major rules change: the time during which the tip must be depressed to score a hit was increased to 15 milliseconds. This was primarily done to discourage the action known as "flicking", in which a fencer attempts to score a touch by whipping his or her blade towards the opponent. The flick could be used to circumvent classical parries, and many fencers considered the action to be detrimental to the sport. Whether the new timing has eliminated the flick is a matter of debate.