Fencing is one of the oldest and most respected Olympic disciplines. Although fencing is not that popular in the era of team sports, it still has thousands of fans around the world. Accordingly, from time to time Russian betting fans are interested in the specifics of betting on this sport. We offer them material about the peculiarities of fencing, the types of bets that can be found in bookmakers, as well as about the offices themselves that are ready to accept bets on this sport.

From duels to the Olympics

The first information about fencing in its modern sense dates back several centuries, but the first drawings with images of such a hobby can also be found on historical monuments: even before our era, something similar to fencing was practiced in ancient Japan, China and Egypt. And in medieval Europe, fencing became widespread as a way to resolve conflicts – well-known epee duels.

Fencing began to acquire a truly sporting essence in the 15th century, with the widespread use of firearms. Using swords to resolve conflicts and win wars was now not at all effective, so possession of melee weapons became, rather, a rule of good form, as well as a reason for holding the first tournaments.

As with many other sports, universities began the sporting development of fencing. The rules of the first competitions among students, where fencers fought to the first blood, now seem wild: over time, fencing acquired an increasingly civilized look, along with the complication of equipment and rules.

Fencing weapons: foil, epee and saber

Men’s and women’s, single or team fencing competitions are held in three disciplines, each of which has its own peculiarities in the rules and tactics of fighting.

The rapier is a thrusting weapon. The main distinguishing feature of foil fencing is a small affected area – only injections in the torso and neck are counted. There is also a priority of actions, that is, mutual jabs do not bring points, and the foil fencer in defense must first reflect the opponent’s attack in order to get priority for his attack.

The epee is a thrusting weapon with a flexible trihedral blade, more massive than that of a rapier. In epee fencing, effective injections are practically any area, except for the back of the head. With the lack of priority of actions, the tactics are simplified, with mutual thrusting, both fencers are awarded a point.

The saber is the shortest of the three weapons that deliver both thrust and slash attacks. The area of ​​impact is wide enough, only attacks below the belt are not counted. Like the rapier, the saber has a priority of action, but fights are more dynamic due to the variety of attacking possibilities.

Types of fencing bets

Since 1896, fencing has invariably been featured in the Olympic Games, which have become an excellent arena for this once aristocratic sport. Now the members of the International Fencing Federation (FIE) are 153 countries participating in various tournaments under the auspices of the FIE all year round.

In addition to the Olympics, the central events are the European and World Championships. It is on these three tournaments that the largest volume of bets is made, and bookmakers are especially generous with a variety of lines. Let’s note the main types of bookmaker offers.

Who is higher . The player must choose which of the two designated fencers will take the higher place at the end of the tournament. This type of bet can be profitable for those who closely monitor the form and performance of individual athletes, taking into account the seeding and complexity of the tournament grid for each.

Bet on the winner . A more complex forecast sentence. Fencing tournaments are playoffs, and even the strongest athletes can unexpectedly stumble. The swordsman’s long winning streak is required to win the bet, but the reward is usually worth it – the odds in the line per tournament winner are high.

Hit the top . If you are confident that the swordsman is in good shape, but are not ready to take risks, then it is quite possible to insure yourself with this bet. Top-3, top-8, first round pass – depending on the level of the athlete, offers may be different. To win this bet, the selected fencer only needs to be in the prizes or get into the designated stage of the playoffs.

For a separate fight . Quotes for individual fights can not be seen at all stages of the tournament – mostly only in the decisive phases of the competition.

Handicaps, totals are sometimes added to the two-variant outcomes for the victory of the first or second fencer (fights are conducted up to 15 hits, up to 45 – for teams), as well as a bet with the most random outcome – on the author of the first hit.

How to bet on fencing: what to look for when choosing

Learning about each individual athlete is key to developing a betting strategy that is profitable over the course. Here, not only dry statistics on the results will be important, but also live viewing and analysis, so for successful bets you will have to watch a lot of fights.

The ideal saber fencer, foil fencer or epee fencer must be fast, have excellent reaction and balance of the body, have great command of the weapon, and also be psychologically resistant. In fencing, concentration at a particular moment decides a lot, because often the fate of a point is decided by some fractions of a second. In such conditions, the athlete should never be nervous, so watch matches and celebrate fencers with a cool head.

The history of head-to-head fights matters. When evaluating the tournament grid, note the fencer’s potential encounters with old competitors. With a psychologically unstable athlete, the desire to take revenge for past defeats can play a cruel joke. And in the case of past successes, on the contrary, the swordsman usually acts more confidently, with a sense of superiority, which can give him a tactical head start.

The prestige of the tournament and the motivation of the athlete are not the main factors for the forecast in fencing, but nevertheless they are worthy of attention. This is especially true for older athletes who try to dose the load according to the season.

For experienced fencers, getting in perfect shape for the July World Championships is more important than, say, jumping over your head in June at the European Championships. And in the season of the Summer Games, all the hopes of the athletes are directed to the Olympic tournament.

In all individual events, the shape of the athlete is important, and fencing is no exception. Many fencers, given the enormous psychological stress of fights, are prone to serial successes or failures, so the athlete’s results at previous tournaments are excellent material for analysis, in fencing even more useful than the results at a particular tournament from year to year.

For example, if the foil fencer successfully reached the semifinals at several stages of the World Cup before the World Cup, then you need to seriously consider his candidacy for the bet. It will be useful to familiarize yourself with the rating of fencers on the official website of the FIE.

In the age of information technology, the latest news about athletes must be received not only from large thematic publications, but also from social networks and blogs.

Olympic sports are often deprived of the attention of journalists, and the same fencers often talk about the nuances of training on their personal pages on the Web. By subscribing to them, you will receive first-hand information about possible injury to the fencer or life changes that may affect your current form.