Few sports have as gruesome a background as fencing. The art of swordsmanship used to be a matter of life and death and, while the stakes are not quite so high these days, the basic skills required have remained largely unchanged for centuries. I went along to North Kesteven Sports Centre to film a Flipguide on the sport, and have a go myself.

The first thing that struck me when I entered the hall was the number of people taking part; fencing is a sport that attracts people of all ages, shapes and sizes. After a quick chat with John Carleton of the North Kesteven Fencing Club, we took a step back and filmed the regulars do their thing.

To the uninitiated, it is difficult to tell exactly what is happening throughout a duel, and who is scoring points. Fortunately, there is an electric system in place to take care of all that, with a light and high-pitched buzz going off when a hit is made.

There are three types of sword used, with different rules accompanying each. Épée, derived from the rapier, is the heaviest sword, and the only discipline where the entire body is on target. In fact, there don’t appear to be many rules at all. Whoever strikes their opponent first wins the point.

Then there is the sabre. The main different between the sabre and the épée is that the sabre is a slashing weapon, as opposed to the thrusting method used with the épée. The other different is the target area, which is from the waist up. The reason for both of these, as John explained to me, is rather gory. In horseback battle, thrusting your sword into an enemy would be effective in taking them down, but would leave your weapon impaled in your poor victim’s body, leaving you unarmed to take on his compatriots seeking revenge. Thus, a slashing method is used.

The reason for the target being the waist up also derives from the battlefield. While you may wish to fell your enemy, you want to keep his horse healthy, should you need replace yours at any point.

Finally, there foil, the baby of the group. It is the starter sword, designed to teach budding fencers attacking and defensive techniques, and the one I would be using myself. When using the foil, the front of the body from the waist up is on target, minus the arms and head.

After a quick-fire tutorial, I donned a helmet and took on fellow Flipsider Declan in a first-to-5 battle. I took the early advantage to lead 3-2, before being penalised for illegally blocking with my arm. With my confidence clearly knocked, Declan took advantage to win 5-3.

Being slightly competitive, the result came as quite a disappointment. However, it was a cracking experience, and the kind folk at North Kesteven Sports Centre were most welcoming. If you want to learn more, take a look at the full interview with John below, and click here for the Flipguide.