What is Fencing?
Information provided by Wikipedia

The sport of fencing originated as a means to defend oneself in armed combat against a single oponent. It has evolved over hundreds of years to what we know today as a modern Olympic sport. Modern fencing utilizes a playing area called a piste(or strip) which is 2 metres wide and 14 metres long. Points are scored by striking your opponent with your weapon under special rules. A director officiates each bout between two fencers, awarding points until a winner is determined. Modern Fencing utilizes three weapons:

Foil is a light weight, flexible sword used strictly for piercing attacks. The target area in Foil is the entire torso (minus the arms), under the theory that puncturing a vital organ will leave the opponent for dead.

Sabre is a stiff bladed weapon which evolved from calvary swords. In sabre, a fencer can score a point through either a slashing motion or a thrusting motion. The target area for sabre includes the entire upper body, above the belt. This includes the head, torso, arms, and hand.

Epee is a stiff triangular blade with an enlarged guard to protect the hand. The target area in Epee fencing is the entire body, head to toe. This style of fencing was specifically designed to draw blood on an opponent without killing them.