We all have an activity or hobby that we enjoy, one that we get excited to do whenever we are able to do it. For me, this was when I joined my local university's fencing club. I have always been introverted and the idea of fencing seemed like a fun sport I could try, and in the process would allow me to meet new people as well as work on my social skills. Now reflecting back on it, I am glad I did. Through this experience, I have been able to make good friends and teammates in a safe environment, while being able to do something that I have always dreamed of doing. Whenever I go to practice I am looking forward to learning something new and perfect the skills I already have.

Now, even tough it is a fun sport, it is also a complicated one that requires a lot of work, like most sports in general. But first some background. Fencing originated, or evolved, from the art of dueling. There are three types that are to be considered. The first one being that of Foil, which originated from the idea of dueling in which two people will fight to the death. In foil, the valid target area, the place where you can hit and get a point, is the chest area and the neck, symbolizing the vital organs in which someone dueling would try to aim for to kill his opponent. The next type of fencing is that of Epee, the blade that I fence, which originated in another type of dueling, where the opponents, instead of killing each other, duel until one draws first blood. In this style of fencing, the valid target area is the whole entire body, symbolizing where a person would hit in order to win. The final type of fencing is called Sabre. This style of fencing was created from its origin where an opponent would ride into battle on a horse, aka the Calvary, in which the rider would take his blade and proceed to cut off the head of the enemy. In its modern day use, Sabre is more aggressive than the other two blades and where the other two are more thrust weapons, Sabre is more of a slashing method. It is also much faster in terms of movement and timing.

The reason that I love fencing is because, in a way, it is like a complicated version of chess, where you manipulate your opponent into doing something and then exploiting that movement to score a point. Also, in fencing, every day is leg day. Out of everything, fencing has been a fun and great learning experience for me which I will continue to do and will also improve my skills as I progress.