Generally, a foil is a light, flexible sword; the style of foil requires
that all touches (aka points) be scored with the very tip of the blade.
Often a valid touch will result in the foil bending visibly, but this is
nothing to be alarmed about- the bending of the sword protects the target
from a nasty bruise or worse! This weapon requires finesse and skill to
stab straight into the target area, often at different angles. Target
area is the torso itself, both front and back. The weapon style also
dictates that a touch must be legally scored according to right of way.
In other words, the person attacking receives the point, even if both
people hit. So... either you move first, or you learn to parry and then
attack back, and many an excellent foil fencer will lie in wait for his
opponent and play mental games in order to defeat the attack and score
a touch.
EPEE
To the observer's eye, an epee (pronounced EP-ay) looks just like a foil,
only heavier and stiffer. The style of attack is the same, but the whole
body is target! Even your feet, if you're not light enough on them to
get them out of the way. This weapon, however, has no right of way. If
you both hit simultaneously, you both score a point. As a result, epee
people tend to fight very defensively out of necessity. These folks often
wind up with some
interesting bruises as a result of the stiffness of the blade.
SABER
This weapon is the one that looks most like an actual sword, and it has
a so-called 'edge' with which you can score points. It's not only a
stabbing game, but also a hack-and-slash game, and in the hands of an
inexperienced fencer can often turn into an inelegant, sloppy windshield
wiper. That doesn't do a whole lot of good, even if it does look
flashy! Your target area is waist and up, including arms and head, and
saber's style also calls for right of way. Despite a hack-and-slash
approach, experienced saber fighters rarely bruise each other; the game
is to move as quickly and as lightly as you can. Occasionally, only the
sound of the blade on cloth gives away the fact that you've been hit.