Resources

The world of fencing can be pretty intimidating and confusing at times. To help find you find your way around, we have created this resource page to hopefully answer some of your questions!

Of course, if you don't find the answer here, the talented and knowledgable coaching staff is available to answer any of your questions the next time you visit us!

USA Fencing Membership

USA Fencing is the national governing body for the sport of fencing in the United States. It is recognized by the FIE, the international governing body for the sport, as well as the International Olympic Committee and the U.S. Olympic Committee, TeamUSA.

Not only a necessary membership to compete at tournaments, a membership with USA Fencing is required to be a student at Sebastiani Fencing Academy.

To explore USA Fencing's vast body of resources and sign up for a membership, visit their site using the button below.

USA Fencing

Tournaments

AskFRED

Once you've mastered the basics of fencing at practice, it's on to the competitions! The best place to find them is on AskFRED, the Fencing Results and Event Database.

AskFRED

On AskFRED, you are able to search for local and regional tournaments. Competing at those events can earn you USA Fencing letter ratings and regional points, which can qualify you for national events! Also, competitions are fun. AskFRED is the tool Sebastiani uses for club members to register for in-house tournaments, such as the annual Winter Tournament and Spring Championships.

To visit the site and discover more tournaments for yourself, click the button below.

Competitive Categories in Fencing

Fencing in the United States is broken down in three main ways: first blade (epee, foil, and saber); then gender (men's, women's, or mixed); and finally age group (Youth-8 through Veteran-80). Continue reading for a full breakdown of each of these categories.

Blades

Epee, foil, and saber are the three distinct disciplines, and more commonly known as the three blades. Each one has its own specific rules, style, and aesthetic.

Epee is the slowest and most chess-like in its pace and actions. Fencers are only able to score points by pressing a button at the tip of their sword (also referred to as their blade) onto their opponent, but they are also able to hit their opponent anywhere on their body, unlike foil and saber.

Foil is the most technical and methodical. Similar to epee, a button at the end of the blade must be pressed by hitting the opponent, however the area a foil fencer must hit to score a point is limited to the opponent's torso! Additionally, a priority system is used to award only one or neither of the fencers points after a hit, whereas in epee double touches frequently occur!

Lastly, but not least, saber is the fastest-paced and aggressive of the three blades. Similar to foil, there is a priority, or right-of-way, system at play, but the two key differences from the other blades are that (1) the target area is everything waist-up, besides the hands, and (2) as long as any part of the blade meets the opponent a point can be scored--there is no button on this blade!

Gender

Events and sometimes practices in fencing are separated by gender. Per USA Fencing policy here are men's events, women's events, and mixed events. Mixed events are those that include both men and women.

Ages

Although seeing Youth-14 (also shown as Y14) or Cadet can seem like just another code you have to remember, it is really much more simple... mostly. This age system is specific to the United States, although other fencing leagues around the world use similar notation for distinguishing age categories.

Youth-8 or Y8: fencers 8-years old and younger.
Youth-10 or Y10: fencers 10-years old and younger.
Youth-12 or Y12: fencers 12-years old and younger.
Youth-14 or Y14: fencers 14-years old and younger.
Cadet: fencers 17-years old and younger.
Junior: fencers 19-years old and younger.
Senior: fencers 14-years old and older.
Veteran or Vet-: beginning at Vet-40, Veteran categories are those designated for those older than the age market. For example, Vet-50 is for athletes 50-years old and older.
Open: events or practices marked as open mean that all age categories are welcome!