About the Class

Intermediate and Advanced Fencing occur simultaneously, giving students an opportunity to receive instruction for multiple quarters.  The classes continue the concepts introduced in the Elementary class. We begin with tactical footwork lessons and then move into higher-level concepts for foil fencing. The drills we practice will be based on making choices to solve tactical problems. There are, therefore, higher-level drills, requiring some prior experience with fencing. Also, we will spend more time sparring in ES 1-13B and 1-13C than we did in the Introductory Class (ES 1-13A).

NOTE: all participants in Intermediate and Advanced Fencing must have prior fencing experience equivalent to at least one quarter of instruction.

Fencing is a high-impact sport.  It moves fast, and participants will get a work out.  Participants are required to wear proper athletic attire, including non-marking, athletic shoes. A PE uniform, consisting of a UCSB Rec Sports shirt, shorts, towel, and locker, is provided as part of the course fee. The uniform must be returned at the end of the quarter or an additional fee will be charged. 

Fencing is a .5 unit class graded as Pass/No Pass. Students with more than four absences will receive a grade of "No Pass." Two absences can be made up. Contact the instructor for more information.

Graduates of this class will be encouraged to continue with the Advanced fencing classes, as well as join the UCSB Fencing Club and Team. Highly motivated and interested students will be eligible for internships (ES-193).

About Fencing

Although swordplay has been around since ancient times, it was not until the 18th Century that equipment was safe enough for sport, and rules of engagement were codified. What developed was the basis for modern fencing, one of four sports to appear in every Olympics since 1896. It is a fast, athletic game, made up of three events:

Foil – Dubbed the "Sport of Kings," the foil is a descendant of the light, court sword formerly used by nobility to train for duels. It has a flexible, rectangular blade approximately 35 inches in length and weighing less than one pound. Points are scored with the tip of the blade and must land on valid target: torso, from shoulders to groin in the front, and shoulders to the waist in the back.

Foil employs rules of right of way. The fencer who starts to attack first is given priority should his opponent counter-attack.

An electrical scoring system detects hits on valid target. Each foil has a blunt, spring-loaded button at the point of the blade that must be depressed with a pressure of 500 grams or more to register a hit. The foil fencer’s uniform features an electrically wired metallic vest called a lamé - a hit to the lamé causes the scoring machine to display a colored light on the side of the fencer that scored the touch.


Épée – The epee (pronounced “EPP-pay” - literally meaning "sword" in French) is the descendant of the dueling sword. It is heavier than the foil, weighing approximately 27 ounces, with a stiffer, thicker blade and a larger guard. As in foil, touches are scored only with the point of the blade; however, in epee the entire body, head-to-toe, is valid target - much like in an actual duel. There is no concept of "off-target" in epee. Some people refer to epee as "Freestyle Fencing" because anything goes.


Saber – The saber is the modern version of the slashing cavalry sword. As such, the major difference between saber and the other two weapons is that saberists can score with the edge of their blade as well as their point. In saber, the target area is the entire body above the waist, excluding the hands. In addition, saber has rules of right of way which are very similar to foil but with subtle differences.

Course Syllabus (Under Construction)

Days 1-3	Footwork review New footwork concepts and actions Footwork patterns Sparring
Days 3-9	Hand tempo Positive and negative (broken) tempo actions Sparring
Days 10-13	Hungarian "Moments to Go" Sparring
Days 14+	Counter tempo Feint in tempo Sparring
Days 17+	Review Sparring

Reference Material

• The Art of the Foil, Barbasetti (1932)
• The Theory and Practice of Fencing, Castello (1937)
• On Fencing, Nadi (1943)
• Fencing, Vince (1962)
• Fencing, Lukovich (1975)
• Fencing and the Master, Szabo (1977)
• Foil, Saber, and Épée Fencing: Skills, Safety, Operations, and Responsibilities, Garret, Kaidenov, Pezza,  (1994)
• By the Sword: A History of Gladiators, Musketeers, Samurai, Swashbucklers, and Olympic Champions, Cohen (2003)
• Fencing: A Practical Guide for Training Young Athletes, Handlemann (2010)
• And I could name a few dozen more books, if you really want them.