Sentiment Five: Bell Guard or Shell Guard?

French Foil

Most foils are outfitted with a small circular hand guard, commonly called the bell guard. That's what I was taught it was called, and the explanation for that nomenclature was this; when struck, it rings like a bell. Makes sense, right? But on further examination, it is quite clear that modern coaches are mistaken in their term for that round metal thing that protects your hand. Let's take a short look at the historical development of foil guards to have a better understanding.

19th century Italian and French foils

Believe it or not, cultural differences effected the development of the foil hilt. In Italy, the

rapier of the 17th century simply became lighter, while still maintaining its crossbar and rings.

As such, the Italian dueling sword and its practice versions, the heavier class smarra and lighter bouting fioretto were very similar to their sharp counterpart, with only the blades as a difference.

19th century Italian foil. Note the crossbar and rings.

In France, the earlier rapier developed into the light L'Epee D'Court or court sword (known in England as a walking sword). The crossbar and rings of the rapier were diminished and eventually gave way the the modern French grip. As such, the lightness of the French fleuret meant a smaller guard could be used, similar to those on the court sword, a figure-eight design. This was called the "lunette" guard in France, meaning eyeglasses.

19th century French foils. Note the decoration on the guards.

For both the Italian and French foils, despite the differences, the term used for the guard was coquille in French and coccia in Italian, both meaning "shell". The shallow concave shape of the guard, whether figure-8 or round safely protected the hand, guarding against possible wounds.

Beautiful foils were produced, with elaborated hilts and decorative pommels, especially by Solingen in Germany. Later, by the mid-20th century, decoration gave way to practicality, the round shell guard replacing the figure-8 guard on French grips, and with the addition of the electrical foil and the pistol grip in the 1950's, the shell guard became the accepted style worldwide. Too bad, because, the old foils from the 1800's were sure pretty.

Anyway, back to the subject of the guard. Fencing terminology, especially in the United States, is hopelessly muddled, the proverbial melting pot. My best guess, judging from French and Italian definitions, is that the foil guard should be properly called shell guard, due to its shape rather than any sound it may produce. If anything should ring, it should be the blades...

Good Fencing!