Fencing was one of the original nine sports in the inaugural modern Olympic Games played in Athens, Greece in 1896. It is one of only four sports that has been featured at every single Olympic competition since 1896.

The sport of fencing is like a game of physical chess, a tactical masterpiece of skill and prowess that harkens back through the annals of history, where the sport originated in ancient Egypt to where it reached its heyday in Elizabethan England. The sport of fencing incorporates agility, strength, coordination, balance, timing, and strength. In fencing, physical ability is just as important is having a strong mental edge.

The competitors of a fencing match wear protective gear, including a jacket, knickers, glove, and mask.

The sport of fencing features three different weapons, which include the foil, epee, and the sabre.

In foil fencing, touches are scored with the tip of the blade. The target is the torso. Fencers wear a metallic vest, or lame, to register touches electronically. Beginners learn the foil method first because it is the most technical form of fencing to execute and requires the most legwork. The foil method also incorporates all the basic elements of fencing.

In epee, points are also scored with the tip of the blade, but this time, the entire body becomes the target from head to toe.

In saber fencing, points can be scored with the tip or the sides of the blade, and the target is the bend of the hips to the top of the head. This is by the far the most physical of the types of fencing.

Fencing is a very aerobically-challenging sport, featuring lunges, attack, parry and repost. The fencing area itself covers a 14m x 2m surface, which traces back to the days when competitors scratched lines in the dirt to contain the playing surface. Back then, competition was about heroically confronting an opponent in a confined space, turning your body away was considered cowardly.