How to Choose a Foil for Fencing

Video Transcript

So, how do you choose the sword that works for you? You want to look into a few things. You want to choose a sword that has the weight and the balance and the flex that you like. So when we talk about flex we're talking about how the blade moves. First of all, one thing you can do if you're handling the blade first, is to a quick floor test. That is if you have a new blade, and you push down, from the top of it, does it bend smoothly or does it bend mostly in one place? So, what you want, is a nice, solid arch down the blade, and if it tends to kink up in one place, then it's probably not the blade that you're looking for. Also, most fencers decide that they would like a little bit of a bend in the front, near the tip of the blade, because when you are thrusting, that's going to create that sort of C-curve that you want to land a good hit, and keep your blade from glancing or bouncing off. So you can put that bend in yourself, or you can actually, if you're ordering from someone else, let them know what it is about how much bend you like, or how close you like it to the edge, and they'll go ahead and do it for you. If you're not sure, you can just, when you're placing your order, if you you're using like fencing.net, you can let them know how it is that you fence, or that you'd like a bend put in it for you. If you do happen to bend it yourself, and something happens and the blade breaks, you should be able to return that blade immediately because that's a defective blade. Other things to look for, if you're looking for defects on a new blade, you want to check for black spots. Those are bad. Don't pick that one. And also, of course, how the blade handles--how the foil or the epee handles in your hand is important. Is it lightweight, does it move well, does it feel balanced for you? And as you fence, if you use a variety of swords, you'll get a good idea. Like, I like a blade that's pretty light but also on the stiff side, then you can, like I said, if you order, let them know. Or even if it's a certain way that you know that certain techniques that you use a lot in fencing, or if you tend to break blades more often, what is it they would recommend. They'll actually go ahead and pick one out for you. So, you don't need a lot of knowhow to buy a fencing blade, but the more you fence, the more you'll get an idea of your taste. And that holds the same for epee as well as saber. Epees a stronger blade and a less flexible blade, but there's still a certain amount of flex involved, and you definitely get an idea of how it is that you like the guard and the epee to feel in your hand.

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