Ye Noble Science of Defence

Well - that's what it used to be called. It's been a Science, an Art, a Sport - all sorts of things. Nowadays, the trendies are even calling it the "European Martial Art". It goes from playing with wooden or rubber swords right up to the intricate foot and bladework of the olympics, taking in Basil Rathbone, Errol Flynn, Scaramouche, Cyrano, and loads of other chandelier-swinging candle-chopping loonies on the way.

But that's only my version. Here's the semi-official FAQ.

The Modern Sport
Fencing is the fastest combat sport there is. It combines speed, agility, reflexes, stamina, and strategy. Despite this, it doesn't take long to get to a level where you can enjoy fencing others at your own level, and from there, improvement is made at whatever speed your coaching and practice will allow.

There are three weapons used in modern fencing. In all three weapons, the aim is to score a number of "hits" or "touches" on the valid target of you opponent. Each weapon has a different target area, and the rules for scoring hits are also different.


Foil
The first and probably most common is the foil. This started out as a practice weapon, to teach the defensive part of sword-fighting. It is the weapon on which most beginners start, because even if they eventually move to another weapon, foil fencing contains many actions which are also relevant to the other weapons.
The valid target area for foil is the trunk of the body, ending at the neck, arm and leg seams. On the back, the target goes down as far as the waist.
Hits are made with the point of the weapon only, and the fight is also stopped briefly if a hits falls off-target, although the hit doesn't count. There are rules which determine "right of way", which decide who is awarded the point if both fencers hit at the same time.


Epée
The epée is a much heavier weapon than the foil. Again, hits are scored only with the point of the weapon, but the whole body is counted as valid target. Unlike foil, there are no rules determining "right of way".
With epée, whoever hits first is awarded the point. If both fencers hit each other at the same time, they are both given a point.


Sabre
Sabre is a weapon which evolved from the cavalry sabre, and so has a few differences from the other two. Because of its origins on horseback, anything above the waist is counted as valid target area.
Also, points may be scored in two different ways. It is possible to score with the point, as with the other two weapons, but most of the time, points are scored using the edge of the sabre, in a cutting motion. "Right of way" rules similar to those in foil are used to determine who is awarded the point when both fencers are hit.