Can Fencing Be Used for Self-Defense?
BY IGOR CHIRASHNYA ON JANUARY 29, 2024 IN MOSAIC
I recently came across an inspiring news story about self-defense that underscores the remarkable skills and courage honed by a former Italian National Fencing Team coach, Attilio Fini, who is now 93 years old. Just a month ago, he found himself in a perilous situation that required quick thinking and action.
As he was returning home one evening in Milan’s Piazza De Agostini, Fini noticed a shadow drawing too close for comfort. He soon realized that the approaching figure was pointing a gun directly at him. In that critical moment, he relied on the reflexes and instincts instilled in him during his fencing days.
Fini’s fencing background proved to be invaluable. Without hesitation, he disarmed the armed robber, striking his hand and causing the weapon to fall to the ground. He didn’t stop there; with a swift push and punch, he further incapacitated the assailant, sending him tumbling amidst parked scooters. Two brave bystanders joined in, helping to immobilize the attacker until the police arrived.
The assailant, as it turns out, was wanted for murder in Algeria, his home country, and faced charges for multiple robberies. Fini’s remarkable response to this dangerous encounter can be attributed to the fearless mindset and quick reflexes fostered by his fencing training.
While fencing is not typically associated with self-defense, it undeniably played a pivotal role in Fini’s ability to respond effectively to a life-threatening situation. His story serves as a powerful reminder of the transferable skills and attributes developed through sports, which can unexpectedly prove crucial in real-life scenarios. But also, it raises an interesting question – can fencing be used for self-defense?
Fencing is a combat sport. Much like karate or ju-jitsu, fencing is the act of facing an opponent and coming into physical contact with them in order to gain the advantage. That connection to the combat sports arena gives a lot of people the idea that maybe fencing teaches self-defense skills.
So it’s a good question! We’re going to explore this idea, but we want to start off by being very, very clear: sport fencing is not meant for self-defense. That is not what we’re training for. We are training to get points against our opponent in a controlled situation. Period.
With that as our foundational point, we can start to explore how fencing has a legacy of self-defense and the ways that fencing could help in a combat situation. Though every kind of physical fitness activity would be beneficial for someone facing a dangerous situation, fencing does is a special case.
Dueling vs. sport fencing
We all know that fencing has its roots in dueling. Centuries ago, there was significant training in fencing for people who were in the military or needed to know how to take on an opponent for a duel or some other kind of battle.
Our sport originated from life and death, mortal combat encounters. Dueling meant protecting your life from the opponent, and these duels were to the death. The danger was serious, and so was the need to protect yourself. Swords were sharp, and the risk of getting injured was massive. Even in training. Schools of swordsmanship across Europe taught their pupils rigorously about how they could protect themselves. The parry and riposte were developed to prevent real injuries!
The moves that we do in sport fencing today are legacy movements that are related to avoiding being struck by an opponent or actually striking and opponent. The piste is actually not that different from the narrow streets on which those classical European sword duels took place. It’s important to understand that what we do today in sports fencing has a clear track back to the wound-making realities of dueling.
That’s another important point that differentiates sport fencing from dueling – wounds. Though sport fencing causes the occasional bruise or a stray small cut here and there, injuries are incredibly minor. Competitive fencers especially learn to push past these minor injuries to keep on going, but they are so minor.
Sport fencing is not made for self-defense
The use of weapons in fencing is particularly important, and weapons have a clear advantage in a self defense situation. That being said, is anyone really going to have their epee out with them when they run into trouble and need to use self-defense? The answer here is a resounding “no.” There is almost no chance that a fencer would ever have to use self-defense when they actually have their weapon with them.
Beyond that, there is a reason it’s called “the sport of fencing”. Whereas sport judo or sport taekwondo is still effective in a real world situation, sport fencing is much further from its original form. The techniques that we use have their history in real combat techniques, but the gear that we use and the weapons that we choose are so very different. This is why fenciing has such a low rate of injury, even though it is a combat sport.
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