IT'S THE WEEKEND: On guard with the fencers of Gwent Sword Club

AS SECRETARY and coach Carl Difford explained the basics of fencing at a wheelie bin where Gwent Sword Club keep their swords, about 20 people marched up and down the gym at the University of South Wales’ Caerleon campus in what seemed like a tribal dance.

They were led by Colin Hyndman, the club’s head coach.

But they were only improving their footwork so their fencing would improve. There was clearly a lot of technique and training in the sport that goes unappreciated by the uninitiated.

Carl said: “Everybody does footwork - it’s like the times tables of fencing. You want to be able for your feet to move automatically and concentrate on what your hands are doing.”

And as he said, there are three types of fencing. The foil was first used when the object was to 'kill' your opponent. For that reason, the target area for the sword in that type of fencing runs from the neck to the groin.

But things have changed from centuries ago. Thankfully, it’s less violent; it’s been toned down somewhat.

He said: “They used duelling swords, which are a bit sharp, and you’re not going to last long if you’re not good at it and you get good at it by practising. It’s not a good idea practising with a big pointed sword, so they scaled it down. We put buttons on the end and we still call the rubber on the end [of the sword] a button.”

The next type of fencing is epée, the branch of the sport used in the pentathlon.

According to Carl, at least in the days when people fenced to get hurt and impress with the duelling weapon, “all you want to see to gain satisfaction is your opponent’s blood.” So for this weapon, all the body is the target.

And the third branch of the sport is sabre. The object of the game with the other two types is to touch an opponent with a sword’s end. But with a sabre, an rival must be struck with the edge of the sword running from the tip to the base to score a point.

It originated when people started fencing on horseback, and the sabre was used from a considerable height. So the target for fencers is from their opponent’s waist and up.

At the club, there was a range of experience among members. There were beginners, who started two months ago, and fencers who have competed on an international stage and fought for years. Colin the coach is now 79. He competed for Wales in the 1950s.

There were also differences in ages. There were veterans – you have to be 40-years-old and over to be in that group – and youth internationals too.

The host of age differences seemed confusing. Carl said to be a youth, generally, you have to be under 18; in Britain you’re a cadet if you’re under 17; juniors are younger than 20.

Regardless of ages, to fight you have to wear the right garb. As much as Carl said injury was unlikely, no one wants to take a risk.

Carl showed me his plastron, a protective vest which covers half the body and is made out of a strong material to rebuff any possible piercing from a sword. The plastron sits on top of a T-shirt and is worn on the side a person fights with – on the right side if a person is right-handed, on the left if they are left-handed. On top of that, he wore a jacket. The seams are held in different places so that if one of them is ripped open in a feisty duel from the swipe of a powerful sword, there is still protection.

For women, as Carl’s daughter Abi showed, a chest protector is also worn. It is, essentially, a plastic moulded bra worn on top of clothes. Men can wear a version of that too, if they really want.

In international competitions, competitors’ clothing must be even stronger than the ones worn at clubs. Carl joked: “Perhaps they don’t want people bleeding to death in the public eye.”

Carl paid about £30 for his plastron and £50 for his jacket. His mask cost about £80, too, but he has only had two in the years he has been fencing; his glove cost about £30.

He only bought the kit once he had been doing it for a while because the club has equipment that can be borrowed.

And the equipment might be expensive but pay for the best and it will last.

Swords can cost about £30 but an expensive one which costs about £120 will tend to be a good investment. They break less regularly because they are stronger but more flexible – though they do break eventually – and last longer than cheaper ones.

The masks are dear but no one fights without one. To try on Carl’s was like trying on some giant sunglasses, and it was noticeably warm to wear. Anyone would sweat with one on.

And they do and eventually the mask's grate rusts and it mus be discarded. Carl said fencing in the summer with one on “is like going for a run with a coat on”. Yet he can keep his glasses on, out of necessity more than anything: he does not wear contact lenses and obviously needs to know where to aim.

But it is not a sport for everyone. Recently a woman joined the club but could not carry on fencing because she felt claustrophobic wearing the mask.

Everyone in the club generally competes against everyone else, despite varying skill levels.

Abi said on the difference in standard: “It doesn’t matter at all.”

She looks to improve on different techniques when she fences with people who might not be as advanced as she is.

And as people fight at the club, others are taken aside and given tutorials.

Several people walked around with WAL marked on their back to show they have fenced outside Wales. It is not a mark of international experience or fencing for Wales necessarily, but it shows that they have competed abroad.

But the Gwent Sword Club is particularly successful. It has three veteran internationals competing at a national level and two intermediate Welsh champions.

And Abi, 22, is an outstanding fencer. She is looking to compete in the Commonwealth Championships in Edinburgh next year but must compete at ranking tournaments to gain enough points to be chosen. The next one she will compete in is in Sheffield in December. Realistically, her dad said, she must be ranked within the top 30 fencers in the country to be picked to compete. Her six best results will be compared to her opponents’.

A stepson and stepfather were at the bottom of the gym after training sessions with Colin and Carl.

Peter Humber was standing while his stepson Jack Whitelaw was sat on the floor. They were waiting to compete.

Peter said: “It’s our first night with the big boys, so to speak.”

For the previous two months' worth of lessons, they were learning the basics of fencing. At the meeting, they were finally able to compete with the rest of the members.

They went on holiday to a caravan park a few months ago and Jack had a half-an-hour long taster fencing session and wanted to do more.

Peter continued, with his head soaked with sweat from wearing his mask: “So when we got back we had a look round, saw this on the internet, and he talked me into it as well. And I’m loving every minute. This is my release.

“The thing is, it looks so simple, but the technique is unbelievable. You think you pick up a sword and lunge around and run away but it’s all about technique and practise, practise, practise.”

Welsh women's intermediate foil champion Carlie Morgan joined the club just three years ago and is now competing at the intermediate level of competitions. In January, she will be competing at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff at the Welsh Closed competition.

She said: “I wanted to try something different, I suppose. I wanted to do something by myself without my friends because if you do something like zumba or gym or kettlebell all your friends come with you, whereas if you suggest something like fencing, they’re like: 'oh no, I don’t want to do that!'”

After being warned of the sport’s ferocity, it was a relief to see that the redness dripping down her head was only hair dye running with sweat - and not blood.

BLOB Gwent Sword Club are collecting names ahead of their next beginners' course, starting in January and suitable for over-11s. E-mail diffords@virginmedia.com for details or see gwentswordclub.co.uk