Fencing: What is it and how do you bet on it
Fencing is one of the oldest and most respected Olympic sports. Although now, in the era of gaming sports, fencing is not so popular, it still has thousands of fans around the world. Accordingly, periodically betting fans are interested in the specifics of betting on this sport. We will give material about the features of fencing, types of bets that can be found in bookmakers, as well as about the offices ready to accept bets on this sport.
From duels to the Olympics
The first information about fencing in its modern sense is dated a few centuries ago, but the first drawings with images of such fascination can be found on historical monuments: all the way back in places like ancient Japan, China and Egypt people practiced something like fencing. And in medieval Europe fencing has spread as a way to resolve conflicts – known as duels on swords.
The true sporting essence of fencing began to develop in the 15th century, with the mass spreading of firearms. Using swords to solve conflicts and win wars was no longer pertinent, so the possession of cold weapons rather showed a rule of good sophistication, as well as the occasion for the first tournaments.
As for many other sports, universities have begun 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 has acquired an increasingly civilized appearance at the same time with the complexity of equipment and rules.
Weapons in fencing: rapier, epee and sabre
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 combat.
Rapier is a stabbing weapon. The main distinguishing feature of fencing with the rapier is that the target area is very small - injections are counted only in the torso and neck. There is also a priority of action, that is, mutual thrusts do not bring points, and the rapier must first repel the opponent's attack in order to get priority for his attack.
The epee is a stabbing weapon with a flexible blade of a three-sided section, bigger than that of a rapier. In fencing, thrusts with the epee are effective in almost any zone except to the back of the head. With a lack of priority of actions, the tactics are simplified, and mutual strikes earn both fencers a point.
The sabre is the shortest of the three weapons, which inflicts both stabbing and chopping blows. The area of defeat is quite wide, only attacks that land below the belt are not counted. Like the rapier, there is a priority in the sabre, but the fights are more dynamic due to the variety of attacking capabilities.
Types of fencing bets
Since 1896, fencing has been consistently represented in the Olympic Games program, which has become an excellent arena for this once aristocratic sport. Currently, 153 countries participating in various FIE-sponsored tournaments are members of the International Fencing Federation (FIE).
The central events in addition to the Olympics are the European and World Championships. It is on these three tournaments that the largest volume of bets are placed, and bookmakers are especially generous on the variety of lines. Note the main types of betting offers.
Who finishes. The player must choose which of the two designated fencers will take a higher place at the end of the tournament. This type of bet can bring profit to those who closely monitor the form and performances of individual athletes, taking into account the seeding and complexity of the tournament bracket for each.
Bet on the winner. A more complex proposition for the forecast. Fencing tournaments are held in a playoff system, and even the strongest athletes can suddenly stumble. To win a bet, you need a long winning streak from one swordsman, but the reward is usually worth it - the odds in the line on the winner of the tournament are high.
Getting to the top. If you are confident about the good form of a swordsman but are not ready to take great risks, it is a good idea to ensure this rate. Top three, top eight, first-round pass - depending on the level of the athlete offers can be different. To win this bet, the chosen swordsman needs to perform well enough to finish in the prizes or get to a designated stage of the playoffs.
For a separate fight. Not at all stages of the tournament have quotes for individual matches – most are offered only in the decisive phases of the competition.
Two variants in the results of a victory of the first or second swordsman sometimes add odds, totals (fights are conducted up to 15 injections, up to 45 - for teams), as well as a bet with the most random outcome - on the swordsmen with the first successful strike.
How to bet on fencing: what to look for when choosing
Studying each athlete individually is the key to forming a betting strategy that will be profitable long distance. It will be important not to study only statistics about the results, but also live viewing and analysis, so for successful bets, you will have to watch a lot of fights.
The ideal sabre, rapier or swordsman should be fast, have an excellent reaction time and body balance, calm when holding a weapon, and be mentally tough. In fencing, a lot is determined by the concentration at a particular moment, because often the fate of the point is decided by some fractions of a second. In such conditions, the athlete, in any case, cannot be nervous, so watch the matches and mark the fencers whose look is not that of a champion.
The history of face-to-face fights matters. When assessing the tournament brackets, note the potential meetings of the swordsman with old competitors. With a psychologically unstable athlete, the desire to take revenge for past defeats can turn into yet another humiliating loss. 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 still worthy of attention. This is especially true for age-related athletes who try to minimize the load by season.
For experienced fencers to get into the perfect shape for the July World Cup is more important than, say, to be in tip-top shape in June at the European Championships. And during the Summer Games season all the hopes of athletes are directed to the Olympic tournament.
In all individual types, the shape of the athlete is important, and fencing is no exception. Many fencers, given the huge psychological stress of fights, are prone to serial successes or failures, so the results of the athlete at previous tournaments are excellent material for analysis, in fencing even more useful than results at a particular tournament from year to year.
Suppose, if the rapier 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 would also be useful to read the rating of fencers on the official FIE website.
In the age of information technology, the latest news about athletes should be received not only from large thematic publications but also from social networks and blogs.
Olympic sports are often deprived of journalist’s attention, and some 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 a possible swordsman injury or any life changes that may affect the current form.
