Is Fencing Fundamental to Stage Combat?

Swordplay for the stage and the mainly French terminology that actors and stunt performers use came initially from sport fencing. The first fight choreographers in film were fencing champions, and fencing was a part of most private schools and professional actor’s training.

Stage combat evolved from fencing because the sport had largely replaced historical swordplay. But times have changed.

The Historical Progression

The development of staged sword fighting can be traced from historical rapier dueling and sidesword techniques through the evolution of the smallsword, then foil fencing, and ultimately to modern theatrical combat.

Fencing provided a unified vocabulary for almost every conceivable foot motion or sword movement - all in French. This standardization became the foundation for theatrical training and communication between fight choreographers and performers.

A Field in Disruption

But several factors are now disrupting this traditional approach:

Accessible Historical Sources: The internet has made historical combat manuals available to anyone interested. We can now study actual Renaissance swordplay rather than its sport fencing derivative.

Disappearing Sport Fencing: Fencing has largely vanished from educational curricula. Most actors no longer arrive with fencing fundamentals already in place.

Rising Historical Martial Arts: Programs like ours at Academie Duello are gaining popularity over sport fencing. Students increasingly want authentic historical technique rather than stylized sport movements.

What Actually Matters

The core skill that transcends all styles - sport, historical, or theatrical - is creating the “illusion of violence.” Performers must maintain safety while convincing audiences of deadly intent.

This requires mastery of:

• Distance - knowing exactly how far your weapon can reach
• Target control - placing strikes precisely where you intend
• Timing - coordinating actions with your partner
• Partner cooperation - building trust through reliable technique

These skills don’t require sport fencing as a prerequisite.

A New Approach

I propose teaching actors the essential illusions first - how to make movements look dangerous while remaining safe. Then add unarmed combat techniques. Finally, introduce historical weapon training that gives performers authentic movement vocabulary.

Unless you’re specifically simulating a modern fencing match, there’s no reason to start from sport fencing anymore. If we want historical and emotional authenticity in our entertainment, fencing can actually be counter-productive.

At Academie Duello, we balance traditional fencing terminology (which remains useful for communication) with historical weapon training. Students can pursue rapier study, longsword instruction, or both, gaining authentic movement skills alongside theatrical technique.