ART OF THRUST AND PARRY
Tuanku Abdul Rahman University College students get called to arms every Friday
REPORTS BY RICKY YAP nstsport@nst.com.my Club in Jaya Shopping Centre, Petaling Jaya, to hone his sword skills and gain more experience and exposure.
Based on the traditional skills of swordsmanship, fencing sees two “swordsmen” duel and try to win points by making contact with each other.
Of the three disciplines — foil (chest as the target area), epee (whole body) and sabre (arms and head) — Chia prefers the first one.
The weapons may be different for all three forms even though their length remains the same.
“However, the rules and regulations as well as playing style are different for all the three disciplines,” he said.
“The same principle applies in all three cases: whoever makes the first move will have the edge.
“Height is an advantage for epee while it’s more about experience for foil. As for sabre, speed and experience are vital.”
A fencing duel consists of three three-minute sets with a total of 15 points at stake.
Last October, Chia took part in the Penang Prince of Wales Island International School (POWISS) Fencing Championships, where he made it to the Table of Eight (quarter-finals) in the epee category. He also achieved the same result at the Multimedia University championships in Malacca last May.
“There were more than a dozen of us who took part in the two meets each. TARUC fully sponsored our trips to Penang and Malacca, including transportation costs, meal and lodging expenses.
This year’s POWISS meet, scheduled to be held in October, has been cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances.
However, it’s a blessing in disguise as the club members are in the midst of organising a fencing Open tournament on Oct 7 and 8 at the Setapak campus, from 8am to 5pm.
This will apparently serve as a selection trial for club members in view of the Higher Education Institutions Sports Championships in Kuala Lumpur on Feb 2-10 next year.
“Fencing is all about mastering the balance. The risk of injury is very low and it’s much safer t h a n b a dminton,” said Chia, who hopes to do better than the bronze he won at the last meet in Johor last year,
The club’s training sessions will see members initially doing five rounds of running to build up their stamina.
“This will be followed by lessons on reflexes and discipline and imbuing the junior fencers with the requisite skills. They will be taught the basics and fundamentals such as balance, movements, positioning and how to attack more accurately and efficiently. Only then will the juniors get to spar with the senior members,” said Chia.
The club also set up a recruiting booth during the college’s Society Day every June, when there is a new intake of students.
For more information on the club, like their Facebook page: TARUC Fencing Club.