Archive-name: sports/fencing-faq/part1 Last-modified: 2002-Nov-18 Version: 5.46 FENCING This is a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) with answers, compiled for the UseNet newsgroup rec.sport.fencing.  It is intended to reduce repetitive discussions on the Net by addressing commonly raised topics. This document is maintained by Morgan Burke ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ). Contributions, corrections, and suggestions are welcome. Most of the questions and answers pertain to FIE (Olympic) Fencing; Japanese fencing (kendo, kenjustsu, iaido, etc.) is treated in a separate FAQ list ( Japanese Sword Arts ) that can occasionally be found in the newsgroups rec.sport.fencing or rec.martial-arts, or on the IAIDO-L mailing list (see section 3.8 for details).  The Japanese Sword Arts FAQ is maintained by Neil Gendzwill ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ). The Fencing FAQ is presented in three parts: 1. GENERAL: common questions about starting fencing, training, and    rules of competition 2. EQUIPMENT: fencing equipment, maintenance, and troubleshooting 3. REFERENCE: organizations, suppliers, reading materials, net    resources, glossary, etc. All parts can be found on the UseNet newsgroups rec.sport.fencing, rec.answers, or news.answers.  Otherwise, consult section 3.8 for information on finding archived copies of this document.  An HTML version is available on request. Here's a quick guide to some of the more persistent topics on rec.sport.fencing:   - Finding equipment retailers - see section 3.2   - Finding a fencing club - see section 1.10   - Modern sport vs. classical martial art - see sections 1.2, 1.3   - Legality of Spanish and Italian grips - see section 2.7.1   - Analysis and priority - see sections 1.13, 1.14, 1.15, 1.16   - Flicks - see sections 1.14, 1.17   - Weapon maintenance and repair - see sections 2.8, 2.10, 2.12, 2.14, 2.15, 2.16, 2.17