USFA

The United States Fencing Association (USFA) is the recognized NGB for the sport of fencing in the United States. The USFA was founded in 1891 as the Amateur Fencers League of America (AFLA) by a group of New York fencers seeking independence from the Amateur Athletic Union. The AFLA changed its name to the United States Fencing Association in 1981.

Historical Mens Sabre Team Victory in Beijing

USFA Fencing for Parents article

ASKFRED

ASKFRED is a is a self-serve service for fencing tournament organizers and fencers to coordinate participation in Tournaments. You can browse tournaments, register, see who is going to participate and view results of the tournaments. Very useful resource for competetive fencers

About Fencing

Fencing became very popular recent years due to the success of the American fencers at the international arena.

We won Gold and Bronze medal in women sabre at the 2004 Olympics in Athens.
At Olympic Games in Beijing, 2008 our women sabre team sweep the medals in individual tournament and took bronze in team event. Men's sabre team coached by IFA co-founder Yury Gelman won silver medal. Women foil team also won silver medal. US Junior fencing team is among the strongest in the world. U.S. Fencing Athletes Finish Olympic Games With a Total of 6 Medals!

What is Fencing?

The Olympic sport of fencing is comprised of three weapons: foil, epee, and sabre. All are fenced on a long rectangular strip, and electronic scoring aids are normally used to assist in the detection of touches. The rules governing these three weapons are determined by the FIE (Federation Internationale d'Escrime). Briefly, the FIE weapons are described as follows:

Foil:

Descended from the 18th century small sword, the foil has a thin, flexible blade with a square cross-section and a small bell guard. Touches are scored with the point on the torso of the opponent, including the groin and back. Foil technique emphasizes strong defense and the killing attack to the body.


Epee:

Similar to the dueling swords of the mid-19th century, epees have stiff blades with a triangular cross section, and large bell guards. Touches are scored with the point, anywhere on the opponent's body. Unlike foil and sabre, there no rules of right-of-way to decide which attacks have precedence, and double hits are possible. Epee technique emphasizes timing, point control, and a good counter-attack.

Sabre:

Descended from dueling sabres of the late 19th century, which were in turn descended from naval and cavalry swords, sabres have a light, flat blade and a knuckle guard. Touches can be scored with either the point or the edge of the blade, anywhere above the opponent's waist. Sabre technique emphasizes speed, feints, and strong offense.