Equipment
All the necessary equipment will be provided by the club. If you have your own feel free to bring it out with you, but it will not be needed. The basic equipment we use in a fencing match is as follows:
Mask: A mask to protect the face; must be subject to 12kg punch test
Bib: This is protection for the throat and usually attached to the mask.
Mask: A mask to protect the face; must be subject to 12kg punch test
Bib: This is protection for the throat and usually attached to the mask.
Gloves: These should have a leather construction in the fingers and palms and a cuff to cover the sleeve opening.
Armor: The jackets and gloves are padded to take the sting out of the harder hits.
Blades: Blades come in five different sizes with five being the longest and most common. The shorter blades do have their advantage in that they are quicker and useful in "infighting".
Grip: There are various designs of grips for holding the foils and epees; the sabres are all generally the same.
Scoring Apparatus: These are various devices that make it clear when a player has been struck and to whom the points belong. In the simplest version both fencers' weapons are connected to the box via long retractable cables. The box normally carries a set of lights to signal when a touch has been made. (Larger peripheral lights are also often used.) In foil and sabre, because of the need to distinguish on-target hits from off-target ones, special conductive clothing and wires must be worn. This includes a lamé, a jacket of conducting cloth.