- This article is about the sword. For the founder of public deaf education, see Charles-Michel de l'Épée.
An épée is a modern version of the duelling sword. It is similar to a foil, but has a stiffer V-shaped blade, has a larger bell guard, and is heavier. The blade is a concave triangle in cross-section.
Épée is French for "sword".
While modern sport fencing has three weapons (foil, épée and sabre), each a separate event, épée is the only one in which the entire body is considered a valid target area. The guard of the épée is grounded to the system to prevent touches to it from scoring. Unlike sabre and foil, in épée there are no right of way rules regarding attacking; that is, touches are awarded solely on the basis of which fencer hit first. In épée competitions double-hits are allowed. That is, if both people hit each other within 40 milliseconds of one another, then both get a point - this harkens back to the weapon's origins in dueling where opponents could wound each other simultaneously. Only hits made with the tip of the weapon are scored. The modern épée typically has a blade which measures 90 centimetres, and weighs up to 770 grams.
The tip of an épée must meet several requirements. The tip is generally held together by two small screws that go into groves on either side of the point, however there are screwless variations on this. The weapon must support a weight of 750 grams without registering a touch, as that is the tension needed to break skin, relating once again to the days of dueling. Finally an épée tip must allow a shim of 1.5 mm to be inserted, and when a 0.5 mm shim is inserted and the tip depressed, it should not register a touch. These are tested at the start of each bout and whenever a weapon is replaced.
History
The épée evolved from civilian weapons such as the rapier in the late 15th century and the true dueling weapons of the 18th & early 19th centuries before becoming known as a sport fencing weapon (19th century).
See also
External links
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