Kamil Al Ziyarat - everything you need to know about ziyarat
Fencing is a sport of sword fighting that challenges the athlete in mind, body, and soul. Not only does one train vigorously in strengthening the muscles of the upper and lower body, but one must discipline the mind to focus on the technique and strategy of the sport. It requires a presence of mind and deep concentration in order to recognize the subtle movements of an opponent, which may indicate their next attack or feint. In writing this article, I hope to shed some light on a sport that is not very well known to the public but one that has been a great influence in my personal and athletic development.
The art of swordsmanship has been around for thousands of years, however, the origins of modern Fencing come from 15th century Europe. The three main types of weapon are the Foil, the Epée, and the Sabre. What distinguishes each weapon type is the target area on the opponent as well as the technique of swordplay. The match occurs on a specifically marked out strip called the Piste and each bout consists of two combatants trying to score five hits within a time limit. Each fencer is connected with a wire that completes a circuit between their sword and the scoring apparatus. A successful hit registers a green light while a hit off target registers a red light. A referee stands between the combatants to make the call of which combatant is to be awarded the point based on who makes contact first and who successfully initiates or defends an attack.
The weapon that most beginners use is the Foil, which uses the technique of straight thrusting upon a target area confined to the front torso or upper body of the opponent. Forbidden areas include the arms, the head and below the waist. The Epée is the second weapon choice, which, in contrast to the Foil, has a target area that includes the entire body, including the tips of one’s head and toes. The Epée uses the same technique of thrusting the sword as the Foil and both weapon types have hard-wired push-buttons on the end of each sword. As the sword makes contact with an opponent, the tip of the sword must make contact with sufficient force to press the button and complete the electric circuit to register a successful hit. The third weapon type is the Sabre, which compared to the Foil and Epée is a much faster method of combat requiring quick continuous movement up and down the piste. The target area includes the entire upper body up to the head and the wrists and points can be scored by making contact with the opponent using either the tip or the edge of the blade of the Sabre. The use of the Sabre is reminiscent of the swordplay one normally associates with pirate ships and thus is usually a favourite weapon choice of many experienced fencers.
fencing clubs exists in local communities and take registrants from as young as five years of age. More commonly one can find fencing clubs at major universities across the country. While an undergraduate student at Queen’s University, I joined the Fencing Team first as a novice eventually making it onto the competitive team. Like any sport, fencing requires dedication, patience and lots of practice. At the competitive level, we would usually meet for training four days per week for 2.5 hours at a time. Training consists of a combination of strength training, cardiovascular exercise, and technical skill development such as offensive and defensive sword strokes. A set amount of time is also spent on visualization exercises to help focus the mind and hone instinctual reflexes. While I started out with zero technical skills upon first taking up the sport, by my final year at Queen’s University, I helped our team win the Ontario University Athletics Championship Banner securing two individual medals along the way.
Fencing is a noble sport that challenges you in every way to be the best that you can be. I encourage you to open yourself to this experience and join a select community of athletes around the world.
