Wheelchair Fencing techniques and categories: Fencing
Wheelchair fencing was introduced by a German Neurologist, Sir Ludwig Guttmann, in 1953. Sir Ludwig Guttmann is considered to be the father of games activity for the disabled people. This game is being played almost in every major event such as Paralympic
Games and Asian Para Games, due to its regularly modified rules and regulations.
Like other sports, wheelchair fencing also necessitates some techniques while playing. Each sport has some unique features by which a person can assess himself/herself whether he/she is suitable for such sport or not.
Wheelchair fencing also has some unique rules and regulations that should be followed while playing. Rules for wheelchair fencing were first time compiled, legitimately, by Leslie Veal, Chairman of the International Stock Mandeville Games, in early 1970.
International Stock Mandeville Games was the sub-committee for wheelchair fencing. Wheelchair Fencing rules were revised in 1988 by Theo Van Leeuwen (Chairman of same committee 1984-92), Vittorio Loi, and Brain Dickson which have been amended and modified
by F.I.E. and the IWFC on a regular basis.
There are some qualities that make a fencer unique from other. The wheelchair fencer should have ability to overcome an opponent, ability to guess the ways to attack of opponent, ability to perform actions on exact time. He could uphold good body position
on the wheelchair. Speed, co-ordination, stability, stamina, survival, litheness, expectancy, knowledge about fencing rules, proper use of weapon, normal behaviour and sharp mind are the those abilities which are necessary for a wheelchair fencer.
The rules and regulations for wheelchair fencing are not quite different as able-bodied fencing. Wheelchair fencer also has to point the scores by hitting the target areas of the opponent. Same weapons are used in both fencing and competitions are held on
the base of weapons, foil, epee and sabre. Wheelchair fencing also has team fencing events like able-bodied fencing, but scoring methods are different as in able-bodied fencing there is footwork ability, but in wheelchair fencing, the fencer has to fight while
sitting upon a wheelchair fastened into a metal framework which keeps the fencer at a specified distance. The FIE and the IWFC has set following rules and regulations for wheelchair fencing.
Categorisation in wheelchair fencing
According to FIE rules for wheelchair fencing, an athlete must be a handicap. It mean that any athlete, who cannot fence standing like an able-bodied fencer due to an everlasting disability, is eligible for playing wheelchair fencing. Eligible fencers are
further classified into three categories.
Category A: Athletes who have good sitting balance without support of legs and having normal fencing arm and support of lower limbs. Usually they have full body movements and can even walk, but it’s not normal for them.
Category B: These athletes also have a good sitting balance and can use fencing arm normally. However, athletes of this category having no leg movements due to incomplete tetra pelagic with minimal influenced fencing arm and reasonable stability in sitting.
Category C: Athletes in this category do not have sitting balance nor a normal attacking arm. The weapon is set by fixing with a bandage due to no residual function of hand though functional elbow extension against enormity.
A number of tests are conducted to categorise an athlete according to its disabilities. For this procedure a classifier (who is assigned to classify the athletes into all categories) carries out numerous observations to evaluate the consistency and fairness
in the athletes.
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