The history of fencing stretches back to the days of ancient Egypt and Rome. It has developed over many centuries, through the fast and elegant Renaissance period and into the modern and popular sport of fencing that we know today. Fencing has always been regarded as more than just a sport; it is an art form and a deeply personal, individual form of expression. Fencing is and always has been a fundamental part of life, from early duelling and battling to the widely captivating movies such as Zorro and The Princess Bride.

Fencing is about mastering the art of swordplay and there are three types of weapon used:

The foil is the lightest of the three weapons and was originally used by individual swordsmen to train with before combat.  It has a fairly flexible blade with a sprung tip at the end. The Foil is a thrusting weapon. A hit will only be registered if its point makes contact with the opponents’ target area with the required force - 500 grams. The valid target area in Foil Fencing is the torso (the area from the shoulders to the groin) front and back. It does not include the fencer's arms, legs or head.

The epee is the heaviest of all three weapons and is closest to actual duelling as the whole body is valid as the target area. This is because in later duels (from the 19th Century onwards) the aim was no longer to kill the opponent, but rather to disable them with crippling thrusts to the legs or arms. To this day, hits on the arms and feet are a speciality of Epee Fencing.

The sabre is descendent of a slashing cavalry sword and about the same length and weight as the foil. The Sabre is unique among modern fencing weapons, as it is a cutting as well as thrusting weapon. This means that hits are registered with the cutting edge of the blade as well as the tip. Another peculiarity of Sabre Fencing is that an off target hit doesn't mean the end of the phrase. The valid target area is just the upper body down to the waist, including the arms and head - simulating the target area of a person on a horse.