On May 12, the Brno University of Technology hosted the first year of the European University Fencing Cup in Epee. Of our students, Marek Patočka, a student of physical engineering, did the best, placing 12th in this international competition. He did not get into fencing until university when he enrolled in the sport as part of physical education.

Did you manage to have the chance to fence in the hall of the BUT Rector's Office?

In the hall, only the four best fencers from the men's and women's categories fenced at a time. Unfortunately I did not make it to this group. The rest of the tournament took place in the hall of the Brno Sokol, where, unlike the Rector's Office, it was possible to place not a single one, but six pistes. (Editor's note: Piste defines the area where fencing takes place.)

Thirty men and twenty women from eight European countries participated in the tournament. What preceded the opportunity to be a part of it?

This is a minor sport, so there was no condition or qualification to participate. In this respect, fencing is a unique sport and it is nice that in such a small community you can get to know many people personally. In addition, there is only one league in the Czech ranking, so even if you are starting, you are fencing in the same league as the Olympians. By the way, sword fencing is a sports discipline that has been at the Olympic Games since its very beginning.

Do you encounter any completely erroneous, nonsensical idea of sword fencing among laymen?

Very often I come across an idea that is based on The Three Musketeers movie. Most people also remember historical fencing, but this discipline is not related to us, perhaps only by holding a weapon in our hands, the rest is completely different. And what the layman comes into contact with the most is scenic fencing, which is more similar to theatre. On the contrary, sword fencing is a sports discipline that is governed by strict rules.

Does that mean that scenic fencing is not about hitting at all, but only about pretending to fight?

I can demonstrate this in the example of sword fencing, where common advice from coaches is: "Stretch out your hand!" Because sometimes all you need is just to stretch out your hand at the right moment and your opponent may run and hit himself. If you yelled this in scenic fencing and the swordsman obeyed, he could cause quite serious injury to the opponent.

When you say a sword, it is clear that it is a large and heavy weapon. On the contrary, the epee looks relatively subtle and flexible. How heavy is it?

The epee weighs about three-quarters of a kilo. But I would add that there are two other disciplines in sports fencing: foil, which is even lighter and more flexible, and sabre, which, unlike sword and foil, is also a cutting weapon. At competitions, it may look like the sword is very flexible, but in reality, it is quite stiff and if the weapon bends into an arc when you get hit by your opponent, you can already feel it.

On the other hand, what you struggle with a bit as an epee swordsman is the inertia of the weapon, because it is quite long. The most important thing is to have absolute control over the weapon.

So, swinging the epee from left to right, as we see in the movies, is nonsense.

You can say that again. I would say that ninety per cent of fencing takes place in a square of 30x30 centimetres in front of you.

Why did you choose fencing as a sport you will do?

It has always seemed like a unique sport that combines physical effort with the need to think because a lot of this sport is about confusing your opponents. You need to deceive them with your body and convince them that you are planning to do something, but in the end, you will do something completely different.

I didn't start fencing until college. I enrolled in fencing as a sport through CESA as part of PE. And I recommend it to anyone who would be interested in fencing. Nowhere else will they offer it for free. Unfortunately, I started fencing in the year when the Covid pandemic broke out. I still remember the lesson when the teacher told us at the end: "Well, the government have just closed the schools". That day I learned to hit my opponent for the first time. When it was not possible to fence at school, I signed up for a fencing club at my place in Třebíč and I started fencing at BUT again in the third year of study, after the pandemic.

You said you had to learn how to stab a person. Isn't that a bit against human nature?

No, that was completely fine (laughs). I would be very happy if it was said that fencing is one of the safest sports you can do. Our equipment has extremely strict certification. The only skin of the opponent that you can see is his unarmed hand. And you can sometimes hit it, but that's very often the fault of the person who uncovered that hand to you. The only injury that sometimes occurs is twisted ankles when the fencer missteps.

How physically demanding is fencing? I'm also asking because the fencing stance is not entirely natural...

It is a very physically demanding sport. We also try to have fitness training as part of our training. I also go jogging or go to the gym. Exercising is also important for compensating for the other part of the body, because in fencing you disproportionately load your right or left side. It is a bit of a sport for crabs as you always move sideways.

How often do you train? Are you able to combine sport with school?

I train once or twice a week. Joining this sport with school is more difficult for me because I study physical engineering and do scientific technology, which is quite slow and installation and disassembling of the microscope also takes me some time. Sometimes it happens that I suddenly start getting good pictures from the microscope and then it is hard to leave it training. Then I usually come late.

What do you enjoy most about fencing?

One would like to say victory. But when you lose to a better swordsman and you manage a very nice hit that you prepared the person for, led him and then performed a precise action, it's a great feeling. I enjoy this perfection, the poetry of movement. One perfect hit. And the best thing is when you manage to make several nice hits in a row and beat a stronger fencer 5:4.

You mentioned that there are several disciplines in sports fencing. Will you remain loyal to the epee, or are you tempted to switch to something else – even temporarily?

I'll stick to the epee. Some fencers sometimes fence in another discipline, but you always come across the fact that in other disciplines there are different rules that fundamentally affect how the duel goes. The whole rhythm of the sport is suddenly different. So, the epee is the winner for me.