The foil's development began in the 1700's when some guy decided to make a training version of the small sword used in dueling. Up until this point training weapons had been the aging rapier foils, blunted swords, or glorified sticks. These weapons hit hard, the swords were expensive, and the sticks prone to breaking.

Because of these issues he decided to make a light metal sword specifically for training the small sword. The advantages of doing this would be: Lightness, low cost, and a more forgiving nature. The lightness would make it easier for the new beginner to learn fine motor control, the low cost made it a less expensive proposition to run a Salle de Armes, and the more forgiving nature meant that techniques could be practiced like they would be applied, without harm to weapon or partner if a mistake was made.

Shortly thereafter another devised the fencing mask to protect the eyes of the fencers. Soon people began competing, soon it became a combat sport and by the late 1800's it became the sport we know and love. The modern sport retains some similarities with its beginnings, having lost some of the more violent techniques, and gained more rules. That is okay, because as a sport it is much safer and still teaches the basics just as well as it did 200 years ago.

Modern Competitive play introduced yet another important development in the sword's history. This is the development of electric swords. The standard fencing weapons were hooked into electric scoring machines that made telling who hit who in fast paced competitive tournaments no longer a matter of human opinion, but a concrete fact. Without this new development the sport would have been doomed by the athleticism of its participants. Something no sport deserves.

Where will the sport go from here? That is anybody's guess. I think we will still see it in a couple hundred years. Combat sports have a way of standing the test of time, because when you train fighters, they need to be stronger, faster and posses better reflexes than their enemies. We can all benefit from that.

Erik Schlagel, December 7, 2009
  

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