What is Fencing? Typically, when people think of fencing, they think of sword fighting. We either get images of the flambuoyant, such as Gene Kelly's D'Artagnan, the Man in Black and Connor MacCleod of the Clan MacCleod or the sterile, lines of students, all in white, with their collective back arm curled up in the air, all making a lunge in unison. It's really something in between. Beyond historical reenactment, the modern sport of fencing has evolved into a game in and of itself. Many describe the experience as a sort of 'mental chess' where both athleticism and tactical thinking are equally important. A fencing bout, or encounter, take place on a 'piste' or strip between two fencers. The strip is a rectangular area which is 14 meters long and between 1.6 meters and 2 meters wide. There are en-garde lines for each fencer, 2 meters from the center, and warning areas (which must be marked) 1m from the ends. Some choice sections taken from the USENET rec.sport.fencing FAQ which is maintained by Morgan Burke (morgan@sitka.triumf.ca): The Olympic sport of fencing is comprised of three weapons: foil, epee, and sabre. All are fenced on a long rectangular strip, and electronic scoring aids are normally used to assist in the detection of touches. The rules governing these three weapons are determined by the FIE (Federation Internationale d'Escrime). Briefly, the FIE weapons are described as follows: Foil Descended from the 18th century small sword, the foil has a thin, flexible blade with a square cross-section and a small bell guard. Touches are scored with the point on the torso of the opponent, including the groin and back. Epee Similar to the duelling swords of the mid-19th century, epees have stiff blades with a triangular cross section, and large bell guards. Touches are scored with the point, anywhere on the opponent's body. Unlike foil and sabre, there no rules of right-of-way to decide which attacks have precedence, and double hits are possible. Sabre Descended from naval and cavalry swords of the late 19th century, sabres have a light, flat blade and a knuckle guard. Touches can be scored with either the point or the edge of the blade, anywhere above the opponent's waist. ... 1.12 What is right-of-way? Right-of-way is the set of rules used to determine who is awarded the point when there is a double touch in foil or sabre (ie. both fencers hit each other in the same fencing time). It is detailed in the FIE Rules of Competition, Articles 232-237 (foil) and 416-423 (sabre). The core assumption behind right-of-way is that a fencing bout is always in one of three states: nothing significant is happening the fencers are conceiving and executing their actions simultaneously one fencer is controlling the action and tempo and the other is trying to gain control. Since no points will be scored in the first situation, we can ignore it. In the second situation, the fencers' actions have equal significance, and it is impossible to award a touch. Both touches will be annulled and the bout will be resumed where it was stopped. The third situation is the tricky one. The controlling fencer has the right-of-way, and his hit has precedence over any hit from the other fencer. The job of the director is to decide which fencer was NOT controlling the action, and annul his touch. If he cannot decide, the director should abstain, annul BOTH hits, and resume the action where it left off. Control (and right-of-way) is taken whenever one fencer threatens the other with his blade. A threat can be either an attack (see question 1.15), or a "point in line" that is established before the opponent attacks. Control (and right-of-way) is lost when an attack misses, falls short, is broken off, or is deflected away from the target by a parry or other engagement from the defender. The defender has a split-second window of opportunity to return the attack (ie. riposte) before the attacker recovers; if he does so, he takes over right-of-way and the tables have turned. Otherwise it is a toss-up; the first fencer to initiate an attack will sieze the right-of-way anew. A nice overview can be found in An Invitation to Fencing written by Theo Norvell for Teletimes. References The Three Musketeeers (1948) "All for one, and one for all..." Directed by George Sidney Starring June Allyson, Gene Kelley, Vincent Price, Lana Turner... Written by Robert Ardrey, based on the novel by Alexandre Dumas Pere The Princess Bride (1987) "You see, I am not left-handed either!" Directed by Rob Reiner Starring Cary Elwes, Peter Falk, Fred Savage, Robin Wright, Mandy Patinkin... Written by William Goldman Highlander (1986) "There can be only one!" Directed by Russell Mulcahy Starring Christopher Lambert, Sean Connery, Clancy Brown... Written by Peter Bellwood, Larry Ferguson, Gregory Widden The Sikhs After the Sikh Society put on a display of sword-fighting in the Rocket, on the anniversary of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the founder of the Sikh Religion, a lot interest was evoked about the martial qualities of the Sikhs as to why the Sikhs are the only religion to possess arms. Therefore it is necessary to address this question in some depth. The Sikhs stand apart from others in tenets of faith, extroversion, dynamism, spirit of enterprise, progressive outlook and historical antecedents. This is because Sikhism is qualitatively different from other faiths, both in its metaphysical postulates and social dynamism. The Sikh Gurus introduced new modes of thought, formulated new concepts of man's relations life with God, his role in society and the goals of human life. The earlier Indian religious tradition had laid stress on asceticism, monasticism and "sanyasa"as means of attaining salvation. Guru Nanak propounded a positive philosophy of life and world-affirmation and brought about a far-reaching transformation in the outlook of people. He completely disapproved of the practise of those who were unwilling to fight the battle of life, or withdrew from the world for the purpose of cultivating spirituality. In a religious milieu marked by negative and complacent trends, the Guru laid down for man a new religious path of universal love and brotherhood of man, which accepted no distinction based on caste. In the integrated vision of the Guru, there is no dichotomy between the spiritual and empirical realms of human existence. Life is one whole, and cannot be segregated into separate compartments, religious, social and political. The view finds concrete expression in the miri-piri doctrine and the consequent ideal of sant-sipahi. The Guru envisaged a new world based on the ideals of equality and fraternity, freedom and fearlessness, peace and harmony. Love for liberty and justice is the basic element of the Sikh psyche. Sikhs cannot be run-aways from life. They assume active responsibility for the society in which they live. They cannot be silent spectators to any act of injustice, oppression or violation of human rights, or exploitation. They have developed a tradition of struggle and sacrifice for the cause of righteousness. The daily Sikh Prayer ends with the invocation 'Sarbat da bhala' (Welfare of all). In Sikh theology dharam stands for righteousness and Dharam Yudh stands for a fight for righteousness, not a holy war, as misinterpreted by many. Their faith and training have conditioned them to a new way of life, and given them a fervour and single-mindedness of purpose which determine their ethos and functioning. The tradition of suffering and martyrdom for righteousness form a prominent part of the Sikh Heritage. The first example of martyrdom for the cause of religious freedom was set by the fifth Guru, Arjun Dev Ji. The next to follow in his footsteps was the ninth Sikh Guru, Tegh Bahadur Ji. He declared, "Sacrifice your head but do not desert those whose hand you have taken as a protector. Lay down your life, but do not give up your dharam (righteousness)." The Gurus sacrifice strengthened the forces of resistance against the policy of religious persecution followed by the Mughals. With creation of the Khalsa, the tenth Guru, Gobind Singh Ji released a new dynamic force into the arena of Indian history. The Guru aimed at creating a nation, pure and strong enough to free itself from oppression of the rulers as well as exploitation of the priests. Surcharged with divine inspiration, the Guru's Sikhs was urged to combine in him the virtues of a saint and the strength and sternness of a soldier. In the Guru's army, each Sikh called himself a unit of one lac and a quarter. The Khalsa was to be God's agent in the world to ensure justice and righteousness (Khalsa Akal Purkh Ki Fauj). Martyrdom of the tenth Guru and his four sons for the cause of righteousness is unique in the annals of mankind. After the tenth Guru, Baba Banda Singh Ji Bahadur and his men took up the banner of freedom, and with their decisive victories shook the foundations of the mighty Mughal Empire. Fighting against overwhelming odds, they kept their cool even in the face of torture and death. They preferred defiance to submission, death to slavery. The eighteenth century was a period of intense persecution for the Sikhs but they never bent their heads in servility. The community continued its struggle even in the face of threats to decimate and wipe out its entire population. The Mughal Governor Mir Mannu had fixed a price on Sikh heads, but the Sikhs accepted his challenge. Their grit and will to survive was articulated in the well-known couplet current in those days:"Mannu is our sickle, we are his grass. The more he cuts us, the more we grow". These words have echoed down to us through the centuries. The martial tradition of the Sikhs gives a place of pride to sacrifice and battle against oppression. The undying sparks of rejuvenation kindled in the Khalsa never fail to flare into a flame in times of crisis. Hardships strengthen the Sikh resolve to resist oppression and fight for righteousness. Out of adversity and heavy odds, the Sikh spirit emerges with renewed vigour. Malcolm says, "From the ashes of the martyrs, phoenix-like, they rise into higher splendour from every attempt to crush them". A Sikh is brought up on the tales of sacrifice and valour of men like Bhai Taru Singh, Baba Deep Singh, Bhai Mani Singh, Nawab Kapur Singh, Sultan-ul-Qaum Jassa Singh Ahluwalia, Sardar Baghel Singh, Jassa Singh Ramgharia, Sardar Hari Singh Nalwa, Akali Phula Singh Nihang, Sham Singh Attariwala, Maharaja Ranjit Singh Shere Punjab, Sardar Uddam Singh, Sardar Bhagat Singh, Baba Jarnail Singh Bhinderawala and countless others. The child hears how the Sikhs humbled the pride of the dreaded Pathans and Afghans through heroic feats of endurance displayed by the Sikh armies who marched for days on end, 20 to 30 miles a day, carrying heavy packs on their backs The valour and sacrifice of the Sikh Community in repulsing a thousand-year-old wave of Persian and Afghan invasions from the North-West of India form a glorious chapter in the history of India. No amount of force or coercion could crush the passion for freedom, so deeply implanted in the Sikh psyche. Stories of Sikh heroes, and their matchless exploits are a part of the Sikh heritage. A couplet current in the 18th and 19th centuries was:('Eh Singh Bahadur sure; Apne hath de pure'). (These brave Singhs possess limitless spirits and determination). Ultimately the valour and blood of Sikh martyrs created a fertile soil for the seeds of Sikh glory to sprout under Maharaja Ranjit Singh Shere Punjab, who never wavered from the injunction laid down by the Guru: "To exercise forbearance in power, and humility in victory". The four decades of peace, prosperity and communal harmony which the Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs enjoyed under Ranjit Singh was a unique phenomenon in the annals of Indian history. His large-hearted, broad-minded spirit of religious tolerance was a product of the liberal Sikh ethos. He ruled over a vast empire, and had a powerful army, and was admired by all who knew him, this also included the British. During his reign, not a single person was sentenced to death. After the fall of the Sikh Kingdom, the galling yoke of foreign rule could not thwart the Sikh identity. Always conscious of their heroic past, they lived upto their ideals. Echoes of the famous song 'Pagri Sambhal Jatta' (Redeem your honour O, you brave son of Punjab) reverberated through the length and breadth of Punjab. The spirit with which so many Sikhs mounted the gallows, speaks volumes for their resolve to preserve their freedom at any cost. Baba Kharak Singh, a veteran freedom fighter, who was fully nurtured in the Sikh tradition, once remarked: "In the fight for India's freedom if you find a bullet in my back, do not count me as one amongst the Sikhs of the Gurus, and do not cremate my dead body according to the Sikh rites. A disciple of the great Gurus is a saint-soldier, and is supposed to fight in the vanguard and face the bullets in the chest and not in the back. The Sikhs shall never allow any foreigner to rule our motherland, and shall brook no injustice". He said this while presiding over the All India Sikh Conference, held in Lahore in 1929. The British, on their part, were fully conversant with the mainsprings of the Sikh ethos and were always cautions in dealing with the Sikhs. Sir Richard Temple, who delved deep into the Sikh psyche, wrote in 1880. "Sikhism, though quiet and loyal at present, is one of those inflammable things of which a spark might kindle into a flame. Its idiosyncrasy and susceptibilities are thoroughly understood by the Punjab authorities and its fidelity to the Empire is well-preserved. It would stand proof against many trials and temptation, but if tried overmuch, it would re-assert itself and would assume the leadership of a national movement". But none could comprehend the Sikh spirit better than the famous Punjabi poet, Prof. Puran Singh. His masterly articulation of the Sikh ethos can be seen in the following lines: These carefree spirits (Sikhs) They mock at death, they are not afraid of dying. They are ever ready to lay down their lives. They can be tamed and won with love, But none can bully them into submission. At present the Sikh community is passing through a very turbulent phase. The crisis has been aggravated due to lack of vision and direction on the part of the people in power and their failure to understand the socio-political urges that have animated the dynamic Sikh community over the years. A London based journalist, R.H. Greenfield, who visited India soon after the 'Operation Blue Star,' correctly understood the Sikh psyche. He observed, "Mughal emperors and British governors alike tried military solutions to the Sikh problems and succeeded only in adding to the roll of martyrs cherished by the proud and prickly people. Sikhs also have long memories. They have never forgotten or forgiven the day. in 1919, when General Dyer ordered his troops to open fire in the sacred city of Amritsar, and Mrs. Gandhi may well have cause to rue the day she did the same." Yet optimism (Chardi Kala) and faith are the chief ingredients of Sikhism. Arnold Toynbee studied the Sikh psyche closely and was able to fathom what had made Sikhism so charismatic. He wrote, "They (Sikhs) are the burliest men on the face of the plant, tough and capable and slightly grim. If human life survives the present chapter of man's history, the Sikhs for sure will still be on the map." This article was published by Dr. Gurdarshan S. Dhillon, in "Abstracts of Sikh Studies", the U.N.L. Sikh Society holds this book along with many others in the biggest Sikh collection at Eden Grove. Having purchased books on Sikh Philosophy, History, Ideology, Mysticism,and Ethics, also holding Punjabi/English Dictionaries, Encyclopaedias and a translation of the Sikh Scriptures the Guru Granth Sahib.