Word of the Day
Epee (ay-PAY)
Common clues: Fencing rapier; Fencer's weapon; Olympic weapon; Blunt sword
An épée is a modern version of the dueling 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 concaved triangle in cross-section.
U.S.
Air Force 2nd Lt. Weston Kelsey (right) fences for advancement
against Russian Ivan Tourchine (left) in the second round of the
Olympic Men's Individual Epee event at the Helliniko Fencing Hall
just outside Athens, Greece, on Aug. 17, 2004. This was Kelsey's
first Olympic attempt and he did not advance to the third round.
DoD
photo by Master Sgt. Lono Kollars, U.S. Air Force.
Épée is French for "sword".
Épée is the only one of the three fencing weapons in which the entire body is considered a valid target area, and there is no right of way. Also, double-hits are allowed. That is, if both people hit each other within 40 milliseconds of one another, then both get a point - this symbolizes duels to the death or to first blood in the past, and happens more than one may expect judging the timings needed. Only hits made with the tip of the weapon are scored. The modern epee typically has a blade which measures 90 centimeters, and weighs around 770 grams.
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Épée".
|
|