Fencing vs Karate
Fencing and Karate side by side, from the facts recorded for each art.
| Fencing | Karate | |
|---|---|---|
| Country of origin | — | Ryukyu Kingdom |
| Type | combat sport and Olympic sport | martial arts and Olympic sport |
| Competition at the Olympics | Yes – 108 Olympic events recorded | Yes – 10 Olympic events recorded |
| Notable practitioners here | 3202 | 878 |
| Top countries of practitioners | France, Italy and United States | Japan, United States and France |
| Equipment and weapons | foil, épée and saber | — |
| Energy use (MET) | 6.0 MET (Fencing, general) | — |
Fencing
Fencing is a combat sport that features sword fighting. It consists of three primary disciplines: foil, épée, and sabre (also spelled saber), each with its own blade and set of rules. Most competitive fencers specialise in one of these disciplines. The modern sport gained prominence near the end of the 19th century, evolving from historical European swordsmanship. The Italian school altered the historical European martial art of classical fencing, and the French school later refined that system. Scoring points in a fencing competition is done by making contact with the opponent with one's sword.
From the Wikipedia article Fencing (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Karate
Karate (空手) (; Japanese pronunciation: [kaɾate] ; Okinawan pronunciation: [kaɾati]), also karate-do (空手道, Karate-dō), is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called te (手), "hand"; tī in Okinawan) under the influence of Chinese martial arts. While modern karate is primarily a striking art that uses punches and kicks, traditional karate training also employs throwing and joint locking techniques. A karate practitioner is called a karate-ka (空手家).
From the Wikipedia article Karate (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Facts from Wikidata (CC0): Q12100, Q11419. Practitioner counts are the people with a profile on this site. Data retrieved 2026-10-22.
Data: Wikidata (CC0 1.0); Wikipedia (English) (CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.