Though not the oldest sport known to man (but close, just after running and wrestling), the roots of fencing goes back to ancient times. There is evidence in Egypt of sword fighting with protective masks and blunted sword points going back to at least 1000 B.C.

Green and Roman civilizations were teaching their young men to use light swords and spears in 500 B.C.

Sword fighting was de rigeur for warfare. A man who was good with a sword lived and those who were not, well...were no more. The heavy swords of the dark ages though would soon give way.

Around the time of the Renaissance several fencing schools had opened to teach the noblemen of the day how to use a sword, but to also teach them agility, poise--fencing schools were the equivalent of "finishing schools."

The invention and widespread use of black powder for warfare allowed fencing to leave the battlefield for the silver screen and the sports arena.

Fencing was one of the first modern Olympic sports. Men's Foil and Men's Sabre were present at the 1896 first Olympiad. Men's Épée joined the Olympics in 1900. Women's Foil joined in 1924 but Women's Épée didn't become part of the games until 1996 and then Women's Sabre in 2000.

Admittedly it's hard to find fencing in the United States and American audiences do not get to see many fencing matches televised with the Olympics, but the spirit of fencing is still very much alive in the States. They may be hard to find, but there are fencing schools in just about every medium-sized city in the U.S. (In Dallas-Fort Worth, there are over a dozen.)

We at Rise love the sport of fencing and are working to share our passion with anyone who's interested. If you've read this far you're obviously interested... Come visit!