Academic fencing

Academic fencing (German: akademisches Fechten) or Mensur is the traditional kind of fencing practised by some student corporations (Studentenverbindungen) in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Latvia, Estonia, and, to a minor extent, in Belgium, Lithuania, and Poland. It is a traditional, strictly regulated sabre fight between two male members of different fraternities with sharp weapons. The German technical term Mensur (from Latin meaning 'measure, a certain quantity') in the 16th century referred to the specified distance between each of the fencers.

Technique

Modern academic fencing, the Mensur, is neither a duel nor a sport. It is a traditional way of training and educating character and personality; thus, in a modern Mensur bout, there is neither winner nor loser, although historically the winner was the one who managed to leave a cut on his opponent's face. In contrast to sports fencing, the participants stand their ground at a fixed distance - typically one sword's length. At the beginning of the tradition, duelers wore only their normal clothing (as duels sometimes would arise spontaneously) or light-cloth armor on the arm, torso, and throat. In recent years, fencers are protected by mail or padding for the body, fencing arm, fencing hand (gauntlet) and the throat, completed by steel goggles with a nose guard. In Austria and Switzerland, a nose guard is uncommon. Opponents fence at arm's length and stand more or less in one place, while attempting to hit the unprotected areas of their opponent's face and head.