The Art and Science of Fencing

by Nick Evangelista

Often thought of as an activity just for actors or an elite few, fencing is actually an ideal sport for people of all ages. Fencing develops dexterity, endurance, flexibility, grace, and overall fitness, while also allowing participants the opportunity to hone the mind's problem-solving abilities. It is easily learned and practiced by both young and old, men and women, boys and girls. It has even been molded to fit the needs of the blind and individuals using wheelchairs. This is truly a sport for everyone. The Art and Science of Fencing covers everything from the history of the sport to the specifics of fencing technique, including the psychology of fencing, types of fencing weapons, biographies of great fencers, and information on selecting a fencing school and getting started in the sport. This book is a necessity for everyone who's ever seen an Errol Flynn movie and thought "Hey, that could be me!"

Genres: Nonfiction, Martial Arts, Sports

296 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1996

About the author

With over 36 years of fencing experience under his belt, fencing master Nick Evangelista is one of the sport's most unique teachers. He has studied fencing in both the United States and Europe and has also collected a number of awards and medals during his years of competition. Over the past three decades, he has developed many fencers who have successfully competed in the United States fencing community. Maestro Evangelista teaches the traditional French school of fencing, sometimes referred to as "classical," and encourages his students and readers to consider in their actions and strategies, among other things, the question, "What if these weapons were sharp?"

Maestro Evangelista’s formative years as a fencer were spent under the guidance of one of the acknowledged great masters of the twentieth century, Ralph Faulkner, a former Olympian known as "The Fencing Master to the Stars" for his work with several famous Hollywood swashbucklers.

Nick Evangelista has many published articles to his credit. He currently has five fencing-related books: The Encyclopedia of the Sword, The Art and Science of Fencing , Fighting with Sticks, The Inner Game of Fencing, and The Woman Fencer. His work has also been quoted in numerous publications, including Smithsonian Magazine. He has acted as a consultant to the film industry, adding his talent to TV shows including: Magnum P.I. and The Highlander. As the fencing history editor for Encyclopedia Britannica Online, he updated their fencing information for the twenty-first century. Maestro Evangelista is also the editor/publisher of Fencers Quarterly Magazine, the only independent hard-copy fencing magazine in the world.

[Photograph and biography excerpted from The Nick Evangelista Homepage]

Reviews

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel I probably should clarify my rating. I really hated giving this book such a low rating because there are so few books on fencing available, but I just didn't really get anything out of this book.

This book is intended more for the complete novice, someone who has never touched a blade or seen a bout. It goes into a whole lot of detail as to what to expect if you decide to start fencing (from posture to etiquette on the strip) and kind of reads like those old Goofy sports shorts. It definitely has a lot of information and if someone I knew wanted to get into fencing and had absolutely no clubs nearby to learn from, I might suggest they read this book.

Really, it just wasn't for me. I was hoping that there would be a lot more on the history of fencing and maybe a bit more on the biographies of the great sport fencers, but that information took up maybe a chapter.

[Juliette · Rating 2 out of 5]

If I’d read the book before stepping onto the strip, I don’t think I would have even tried to fence. The way Evangelista tells it, fencing comes off as so boring!
Evangelista’s writing is rife with purple prose, and I am deeply suspicious of distracting language.

[Maria · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book had useful information, especially on foil fencing. I liked that it had history and some profiles of fencers. However, it did feel very dated and the overall tone of the author was very conservative/almost condescending. I may be biased because I am an épéeist and the bulk of the information was aimed towards foilists. Even though there are many similarities, I was hoping there would be more on épée specifically.

It was still interesting to read on a plane.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was pretty decent. Helped me make sense of some of the more difficult compound attacks and such.

[Fencer Ragav · Rating 1 out of 5]

Fuck u, totally waste of time, here nothing I get.

[Jason Metz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book for the beginner but could have used more pictures to demonstrate some of the techniques described.

[Chris · Rating 1 out of 5]

Pleh. Self-indulgent book about the author and his masters. Not a lot of useful information in terms of actual techniques or terminology, more of a "this is what you should do when you want to learn to fence" guide. Also very slanted on the French technique. I would've preferred something more academic.

[Noah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Considerably better that the last book on fencing that I tried to read, and I enjoyed this one. I liked the layout of the book, and the pictures were nice, and helpful. However, I thought that Evangelista was a bit biased, writing only about the French school. (If he doesn't really know anything about the Italian school, then this is probably a good thing.)

[David Hurst · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good introduction to fencing for the uniformed. It is amazing how every slight wrist or hand movement has a name, along with very specific guidance of how to execute the move. Too much detail for me... However I have to confess to being an arm chair fencer trying to understand the outcome my children's little battles.

[Guy Haley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book on my favourite sport. The author is overly didactic regarding what he sees as "proper" fencing, although I tend to agree with him. There's some interesting biographies, and the sections on each weapon are good basic texts, but the pictures are poorly reproduced and there isn't much for someone who is already in the sport and wishes to improve their game.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book, if you're interested in the sport.

[Jay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm feeling much more inspired to practice fencing after reading this book. Large sections of it are worth reading even if you don't yet fence.