Information AboutEpee |
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An épée is a modern version of the Duelling Sword . It is similar to a Foil , but has a stiffer V-shaped blade, has a larger bell guard, and is heavier. The blade is a concave triangle in cross-section. ''Épée'' is French for "sword". BACKGROUND While modern sport Fencing has three weapons (foil, épée and sabre), each a separate event, épée is the only one in which the entire body is considered a valid target area. The guard of the épée is Grounded to the system to prevent touches to it from scoring. In high level competitions a grounded metal piste is also used to prevent floor hits from registering. Unlike sabre and foil, in épée there are no Right-of-way rules regarding attacking; that is, touches are awarded solely on the basis of which fencer hit first. In épée competitions double-hits are allowed. That is, if both people hit each other within 40 milliseconds of one another, then both get a point - this harkens back to the weapon's origins in dueling where opponents could wound each other simultaneously. However in one-hit epee competitions a double-hit will result in both competitors losing, this mirrors the realism which one-hit competitions attempt to recreate. Only hits made with the tip of the weapon are scored. The modern épée typically has a blade which measures 90 Centimetre s, and weighs up to 770 Gram s. The tip of an épée must meet several requirements. The tip is generally held together by two small Screw s, called grub screws, that go into grooves on either side of the point, however there are screwless variations on this. The weapon must support a weight of 750 grams without registering a touch, as that is the Tension needed to break Skin , relating once again to the days of dueling. Finally an épée tip must allow a shim of 1.5 mm to be inserted, and when a 0.5 mm shim is inserted and the tip depressed, it should not register a touch. These are tested at the start of each bout and whenever a weapon is replaced. HISTORY The ''épée'' evolved from civilian weapons such as the Rapier in the late 15th century and the true dueling weapons of the 18th & early 19th centuries before becoming known as a sport fencing weapon (19th century). SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS |
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