The
sabre is one of the three weapons of modern sport
fencingFencing is a family of sports and activities that feature armed combat involving cutting, stabbing, or bludgeoning weapons that are directly manipulated by hand, rather than shot, thrown or positioned. Examples include swords, knives, pikes, bayonets, batons, clubs, and similar weapons...
, and is alternatively spelled
saber in American English. The sabre differs from the other modern fencing weapons, the épée and
foilA foil is a type of weapon used in fencing. It is the most common weapon in terms of usage in competition, and is usually the choice for elementary classes for fencing in general.- Components:...
, in that it is possible to score with the edge of the blade; for this reason, sabreur movements and attacks are very fast. For the other two weapons, valid touches are only scored using the point of the blade. Like foil, sabre uses the convention of right-of-way to determine who acquires the touch.
The term
sabreur refers to a
fencerFencing is a family of sports and activities that feature armed combat involving cutting, stabbing, or bludgeoning weapons that are directly manipulated by hand, rather than shot, thrown or positioned. Examples include swords, knives, pikes, bayonets, batons, clubs, and similar weapons...
who fences with a sabre.
Sabreuse is the female equivalent.
Sabre was the last weapon in fencing to make the transition over to using electrical equipment. This occurred in 1988, 31 years after
FoilA foil is a type of weapon used in fencing. It is the most common weapon in terms of usage in competition, and is usually the choice for elementary classes for fencing in general.- Components:...
and 52 years after Épée. In 2004, immediately following the Athens Summer Olympics, the timing for recording a touch was shortened from its previous setting dramatically altering the sport and method in which a touch is scored.
The target area originates from dueling sabre training. To attack the opponent's leg would allow him to "slip" that leg back and attack one's exposed arm or head given that the higher line attack will outreach the low line (there is a classic example of the leg slip in Angelo's ). The target area is from the waist up excluding the hands. Right-of-way applies, much as it does to foil.
A common misconception concerning the origin of sabre's target area is that the legs are removed as targets due to sabre's origin as a cavalry weapon. Essentially, this line of reasoning goes, the legs of a horseman were not a valid target in war, since cutting the leg of a man riding a horse would not stop that man from continuing his charge. This myth has largely been refuted and several older texts demonstrate low sabre parries to protect the mount's flanks and the fencer's legs.
The weapon
The cross-section of the sabre blade is Y- or V-shaped, unlike the quadrangular shape of the
foilA foil is a type of weapon used in fencing. It is the most common weapon in terms of usage in competition, and is usually the choice for elementary classes for fencing in general.- Components:...
, but not as stiff as the épée. Adult (Size 5) blades are 88 cm (35 inches) in length. At the end of the blade, the point is folded over itself to form a "button", although no actual button exists. The bell guard of the sword is curved around the handle, giving the fencer hand protection. On electrical sabres, a socket for the body wire is found underneath the bell guard. A fastener known as a pommel is attached to the end of the sword to keep the bell guard and handle on. The handle of a sabre is standardly a French grip, as most other grips are incompatible with the bell guard. The entire weapon is generally 105 cm (41 inches) long, and 500 grams (1.1 lb) in weight. It is shorter than the foil or épée, and lighter than the épée, making it easier to move swiftly and incisively. Many equate the sabre's blade to a matchstick, in that they are easy to snap but relatively cheap to replace.
Unlike the other two weapons, there is very little difference between an electric sabre and a steam or dry (non-electric) one. The blade itself is the same in steam and electric sabres, as there is no need for a blade wire or pressure-sensitive tip in an electric sabre. An electric sabre has a socket, which is generally a 2-prong or bayonet
FoilA foil is a type of weapon used in fencing. It is the most common weapon in terms of usage in competition, and is usually the choice for elementary classes for fencing in general.- Components:...
socket with the two contacts shorted together. Early electric sabres were equipped with a capteur socket. The capteur was a device that was intended to detect a parry by use of an accelerometer. If a parry was detected, the electronics were supposed to invalidate any subsequent closing of the scoring circuit due to the flexible blade whipping around the parry. This device never worked as intended and was quickly discarded, and the whipover effect was greatly mitigated when the FIE mandated stiffer sabre blades in the S2000 specification. The electric sabre also has insulation on the pommel and on the inside of the guard to prevent an electrical connection between the sabre and the lamé. This is undesirable because it effectively extends the lamé onto the sabre, causing any blade contact to be registered as a valid touch.
Target area
The target area for sabre consists of the torso above the waist, as well as the arms and head (excluding the hands). When fencing with electric equipment, a
manchetteA manchette is a term used to describe a sleeve or glove covering the hand or forearm or as a printing term to describe a vertical heading within a newspaper or similar publication...
, or sabre cuff, is used in conjunction with the
laméIn fencing, a lamé is an electrically conductive jacket worn by foil and sabre fencers in order to define the scoring area . Foil lamés, although traditionally a metallic grey, are becoming more and more popular in an array of colors. In foil, the lamé extends on the torso from the shoulders to...
and electrically conductive mask to ensure that the entire target area forms a single
circuitAn electrical network is an interconnection of electrical elements such as resistors, inductors, capacitors, transmission lines, voltage sources, current sources, and switches....
.
Because touches can be scored using the edge of the blade, there is no need for a pressure sensitive head to be present on the end of the blade (thus having the button). When fencing "electric" (as opposed to "steam" or "dry") a current runs through the sabre blade. When the blade comes into contact with the
laméIn fencing, a lamé is an electrically conductive jacket worn by foil and sabre fencers in order to define the scoring area . Foil lamés, although traditionally a metallic grey, are becoming more and more popular in an array of colors. In foil, the lamé extends on the torso from the shoulders to...
, the electrical mask, or the
manchetteA manchette is a term used to describe a sleeve or glove covering the hand or forearm or as a printing term to describe a vertical heading within a newspaper or similar publication...
, the current flows through the body cord and interacts with the scoring equipment.
Scoring
Sabre uses two lights (red and green lights, known as primary or scoring lights) on the scoring device (generally referred to as the box). A red or green light shows a positive touch, red being a touch from the left fencer and green being a touch from the right fencer.
A sabre action has three possible outcomes. Either one of the scoring lights turns on, both turn on, or the referee stops the action before either turns on.
Lockout
A lockout is when only one of the scoring lights turns on even though both fencers have hit each other. This occurs because the scoring apparatus measures the time between the earlier fencer's hit and the later fencer's hit and if the time delay is over a prescribed threshold, the later fencer's hit is not registered.
The lockout time for sabre was originally 300 to 350 milliseconds (varying by the reliability of the machine used). In 2005, however, the
FIEFédération Internationale d'Escrime is the international governing body of Olympic fencing. It was founded on November 29, 1913 in Paris, France. Today, its head office is in Lausanne, Switzerland...
voted 51-33 to decrease the lockout time. They then proceeded to vote 50-32 to decrease it to the specified time of approximately 120 milliseconds.
Changing the lockout timing effectively changed the way sabre is fenced, perhaps equivalent to if a piece used in chess had a different movement pattern assigned to it - although the essential nature of the game would remain the same, the strategies for attack and defence would need to be rethought.
The timing change was initially greeted with a degree of controversy, as many fencers were accustomed to having the longer timings. This made the techniques, currently employed, vulnerable to fast stop-cuts (a hit made by the defender that lands whilst the attacker is still beginning their attack) or
remisesThe remise is a renewal of an attack in fencing. It is performed when one fencer's attack has failed, either because their opponent has parried or they missed. If the attacker immediately continues their attack in the same line, they have executed a remise...
(a second attack made by the original attacker after the first has technically finished). It was commonly regarded that the shorter timings would only encourage poor technique and a 'attack only' mentality, negating much of the art of the sport.
Remises and stop-cuts would not normally score a point as a hit by the attacker would take priority. However the hit made with priority may arrive too late under the shorter timings to register and so the stop-cuts and remises would indeed score.
As a result of the narrower timings, the efficacy of attacks into preparation was increased, meaning that it was now more critical that the preparing fencer must already have begun an attack by the time the two fencers were in hitting distance of each other.
The techniques of how to parry and riposte have been extended. The solid parries, used extensively before the change of timings, would be supplemented by an additional step back by the defender to avoid the attacker remising (continuing to push their blade after their attack has technically done) or else the defence to be performed as a beat-attack, an extending arm that deflects the oncoming attack halfway through the extension before hitting the original attacker's target area.
With hindsight, the shorter timings seem to have encouraged a tightening and refinement of the original techniques with smaller, neater moves so that, on the whole, sabre became faster and more precise than it had ever been before.
Right of way
When both lights turn on, it rests upon the referee to decide which fencer scores the point. The decision is based on the concept of Right of Way (RoW) which gives the point to the fencer who had priority, i.e. the attacking fencer. Priority is gained in many ways:
- Establishing a point in line prior to the opponent initiating an offensive action
- Attacking the opponent. (In fencing the word attack is defined as: is the initial offensive action made by extending the arm and continuously threatening the opponent‘s target, preceding the launching of the lunge or flèche. In sabre the threat may be established with the point or the cutting edge, and the end of the attack coincides with the moment the front foot touches the strip).
- Executing an attack which is preceded by a beat on the opponent's weapon
- Deceiving the opponent's attempt to beat the blade
- Executing an immediate return offense following the opponent's failed attack; this can be the result of a parry, or because they have fallen short of the target.
- By continuous offensive action; avoiding an opponent's defensive actions and continuing to maintain a threat, by compound attack or by redoublement.
If neither fencer has priority in a double touch situation, the action is called simultaneous and no point is awarded.
Referee
The referee may halt the action for reasons such as a safety hazard, fencer injury, or violation of the rules. When the referee says "halt", no further action may score a point. For cases of rules violation, the referee may choose to either warn the offender or show him or her a
penalty cardA penalty card is used in many sports as a means of warning, reprimanding or penalising a player, coach or team official. Penalty cards are most commonly used by referees or umpires to indicate that a player has committed an offence. The referee will hold the card above his or her head while...
. A warning has no scoring implication. Cards, on the other hand, have further penalties:
- Yellow Card: Offender's touch is usually annulled
- Red Card: Offender's touch usually annulled, point awarded to opponent
- Black Card: Offender is removed from the tournament and the building. The team (if on one) is also removed.
Technique
At sabre, it is generally easier to attack than to defend (for example, the timing favours remises) and high-level international sabre fencing is often very fast and very simple, although when required, top sabreurs do display an extended repertoire of tactical devices. In response to the relatively high speed of sabre fencing, the rules for sabre were changed to prohibit the forward cross-over (where the back foot passes the front foot) - it is now a cardable offence. Thus, the
flècheThe flèche is an aggressive offensive fencing technique used with foil and épée.-Background:In a flèche, a fencer transfers his weight onto his front foot and starts to extend the arm...
attack is no longer permissible, so sabre fencers have instead begun to use a 'flunge' (
flying
lunge). This attack begins like a flèche, but the fencer pushes off from the ground and moves quickly forward, attempting to land a hit before their feet cross over. Similarly, "running attacks" - consisting of a failed flèche followed by continuous remises - have also been eliminated.
Sabre defense comprises the three primary parries:
- Tierce, high outside
- Quarte, high inside
- Quinte, head
and three secondary parries:
- Prime, generally taken in a sweeping motion to cover the entire inside line - often used instead of quarte when moving from quinte
- Seconde, either guarding the low outside line - often used instead of tierce when moving from a "point-in-line"
- Sixte, Blade up and to the outside, wrist supinated. This parry can be Lateral or Circular.
It follows from the nature of sabre parries (they block an incoming attack rather than deflecting it as in foil and épée) that they are static and must be taken as late as possible to avoid being duped by a feint attack, committing to a parry in the wrong line and being unable to change parry (which often involves completely altering the orientation of the blade while moving and rotating the wrist and forearm) to defend against the real attack quickly enough.
World Rankings
MEN
- 1. Nicolas Limbach
Nicolas Limbach is a German fencer and Olympian. He is the 2009 world champion in Men's Sabre. He competed for Germany in the 2008 Olympics.He defeated Rares Dumitrescu of Romania to win the 2009 Sabre title....
(GER)
- 2. Nicolas Lopez
Nicolas Lopez is a French sabre fencer.Lopez won the gold medal in the sabre team event at the 2006 World Fencing Championships after beating Ukraine in the final...
(FRA)
- 3. Aldo Montano
Aldo Montano is an Italian fencer and Olympic champion in sabre competition.He received a gold medal in sabre individual at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.-References:...
(ITA)
- 4. Julien Pillet
Julien Pillet is a French sabre fencer. He is a three-time Olympic medalist as he won the gold in the team event at the 2004 Summer Olympics and also at the 2008 Summer Olympics...
(FRA)
- 5. Luigi Tarantino
Luigi Tarantino is an Italian fencer and Olympic medalist in the sabre competition....
(ITA)
- 6. Rares Dumitrescu (ROU)
- 7. Gianpiero Pastore (ITA)
- 8. Tamas Decsi (HUN)
- 9. Alexey Yakimenko
Alexey Yakimenko is a Russian fencer, who won a bronze medal in the team sabre competition at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens together with Alexei Diatchenko, Stanislav Pozdniakov and Sergey Sharikov...
(RUS)
- 10. Jorge Pina (ESP)
WOMEN
- 1. Mariel Zagunis
Mariel Leigh Zagunis is an American Olympic sabre fencer, of Lithuanian heritage. She won the gold medals in the individual sabre at the 2004 Summer Olympics and the 2008 Summer Olympics. She is only the second American ever to have won a gold medal in Olympic fencing.-Biography:Zagunis is the...
(USA) - TwiceThese are the results of the women's sabre competition in fencing at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. A total of 24 women competed in this event. Competition took place in the Fencing Hall at the Helliniko Olympic Complex on August 17.-Medalists:...
-Reigning Olympic Champion
- 2. Olga Kharlan
Olga Kharlan is an Ukrainian fencer and member of the team which won the gold medal in sabre at the 2008 Summer Olympics...
(UKR)
- 3. Sophia Velikaia (RUS)
- 4. Ekaterina Diatchenko (RUS)
- 5. Ilaria Bianco (ITA)
- 6. Xue Tan (CHN)
- 7. Leonore Perrus (FRA)
- 8. Azza Besbes (TUN)
- 9. Irene Vecchi (ITA)
- 10. Olena Khomrova
Olena Khomrova is an Ukrainian fencer and member of the team which won the gold medal in sabre at the 2008 Summer Olympics....
(UKR)
NOTE: These rankings are accurate as of AUGUST 13, 2009