What I’m working on with a blade in hand. Épée, the heaviest of the three weapons, and in my opinion the most honest of them.
There is no right of way in épée. Whoever lands the touch first wins it. If both fencers land within 40 milliseconds of each other, both score. The whole body is target, from the toes of the front foot to the back of the mask. That changes the entire game compared to foil or sabre. You can’t argue priority, you can’t talk your way into a touch. The light goes on or it doesn’t.
I picked it up because it felt less like a choreography contest and more like a duel. You stand on a long strip, you measure your distance, and most of the time you are doing nothing visible while you read the other person’s wrist.
(y-) Core Concepts
| Concept | Épée Specifics |
|---|---|
| Target Area | The entire body. Toe, knee, wrist, mask, back, everywhere. |
| Right of Way | None. First touch scores. Simultaneous touches inside ~40ms award one to each fencer. |
| Weapon Weight | Around 770 grams, the heaviest of the three. Slower and stiffer than foil, which favours opposition and point control over flick attacks. |
| Tip Pressure | The point must depress with at least 750 grams of force to register, much stiffer than foil’s 500g. |
| Distance (Mesura) | Long. The wrist is closer than the body, so most touches happen at the edge of lunge distance, not in the chest. |
| Default Strategy | Patience. Most touches come from drawing a committed action and stop-hitting the exposed wrist or forearm. |
(y-) Why Épée Suits How I Think
- No priority means no judging panel deciding who “had the action.” The box tells you who hit first. It is the closest thing in fencing to a scientific experiment.
- The wrist is the highest-percentage target. Half the bout is about defending your own wrist while baiting theirs.
- Bouts can be slow, then explosive, then slow again. The tempo shifts feel like chess with running shoes.
- Foot touches are legal. Nothing is more satisfying than dropping the point onto a toe.
(y-) Notable Modern Épéeists
| Fencer | Country | Style Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Koki Kano | JPN | Paris 2024 Olympic gold, 2025 world champion. Compact stance, fast hand, precise toe touches. The benchmark of the cycle. |
| Lucas Malcotti | SUI | 2026 world champion. Cool under pressure, won the Hong Kong final 13-12. New name at the very top. |
| Davide Di Veroli | ITA | 2026 Worlds silver. Spearhead of the deepest program in the sport. |
| Mohamed El-Sayed | EGY | Most consistent man on the 2025-26 World Cup circuit, two legs. Épée’s spread beyond Europe. |
| Yannick Borel | FRA | Tall, patient, dominant blade work. Picks the wrist apart with measured prises de fer. |
| Andrea Santarelli | ITA | Wrist sniper. Counter-attacks and point-in-line specialist. |
For the full 2026 results and the current circuit, see (y-) 2026 Season.
Sources
(y-) Stances | (y-) Footwork | (y-) Parries | (y-) Bladework | (y-) Point Control | (y-) Toe Touch | (y-) Distance Drills | (y-) Tactics | (y-) Doubles, Priority & the Clock | (y-) Bout Analysis | (y-) Competition Day | (y-) Fencing Lefties | (y-) Equipment | (y-) 2026 Season | (y-) Workout | (y-) Stretching | (y-) Glossary