Fencing Gear and Terminology

The language of fencing stems from France, so a great deal of the terminology is French. Fencing gear bears less resemblance to the origins of the sport than it does to the necessities of protecting the athlete from getting hurt.

Some of my favorite fencing terms are “en garde” - be on your guard, I’m going to attack. I also like the word “fleche”. I saw one definition that said “fleche” was what got bruised when smacked with a sword. Cute.

Fleche is really an attack where the main force comes from a push on the fencer’s front leg and can end in what is known as a running attack.