1977 Les qualité de l'escrimeur

1977. French. "Fencing in France, a sport that owes a lot to swashbuckling novels."
In the INA archives, a report from France 3 Limoges from 1977, broadcast in the program “Sports from 5 to 15”, gave the floor to a fencing master, who evoked the cultural roots of the French attraction for fencing: “ [The practice of] fencing [comes] through knowledge especially of swashbuckling films that children see on television, in the cinema, they are made aware of [this culture] and come often in fencing. Or at school they often talk about it, someone has done fencing, they come first to see how it's done, and then, little by little, they come to the club. »

According to this professional of this sport, there would therefore be a cultural persistence of a practice which has taken place for many centuries in France, this is what the author of the report summarizes, asking: “ Who d 'among us as children never dreamed of fighting on the Pré aux Clercs [a field today located in the 7th arrondissement which was used under the Ancien Régime as an ideal field for duels between nobles, Editor's note], like the it was said in the 17th century, who among us adults has not envied the skill of the fabulous characters of Alexandre Dumas […], always sword in hand in defense of the weak and the oppressed. The sword, the foil, the sabre, noble weapons which have retained a certain appeal in France for centuries.”

The report then focuses on the qualities required to become a good fencer. According to the fencing master, this sport requires many qualities, both muscular and nervous, and it can be practiced from the age of 7. “ In the past,” he explains, “we started later, we started around the age of 9, 10. Now we start them early, because it takes at least 4 to 5 years to train a good fencer who can compete nationally. »

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