Epee

Page content: Weapon : Target area : Rules

Weapon

The epee has a large, bell-shaped guard, to protect the fencer's hand and forearm. The 90cm long blade has a triangular cross section, and is heavier and stiffer than foil and sabre blades.

As with foil, hits may only be scored with the point of the weapon. When using electrical scoring apparatus, the epee has a plunger tip connected to a wire which runs down a groove in the blade to a socket behind the guard. A second (well insulated) wire is worn under the fencer's jacket: one end plugs into the weapon, and the other into the scoring apparatus.

Target area

When fencing epee, hits may be scored to any part of the body, including the head, hands and feet.

Because the entire body is target area, epeeists are not required to wear metallic jackets. However, this means that an epee will register, no matter what the fencer hits. Thus, the metallic piste (field of play) is particularly important in epee, as it can be earthed out: this means that hits to the floor will not register.

Rules

Unlike with foil and sabre, there are no priority rules in epee: whichever fencer hits first, scores the point.

If both fencers hit within 1/25th of a second of each other, this is known as a "double hit", and each fencer is awarded a point.