History. You can think of epee as dueling to first blood, the dueling style that stepped in when authorities decided that they didn't want duellists killing each other. Step out into a field or square in the morning light with your rapier and, under the watchful eye of the seconds and a "referee," you attempt to be the first to hit his opponent, with the point and with enough force to make them bleed. Obviously, you didn't want to get hit; really obviously, you didn't want to get killed (and it would be naive not to think that, much of the time, a duellist, although legally limited to first blood, would step out intending to do much more).

Epee "Right-Of-Way." So the rules of epee are, on the surface, much simpler than the priority rules of foil and sabre. I like to say that epee is the only fencing weapon with true right-of-way, which is enforced by the other fencer. If you wonder why foil and sabre "attacks" are defined as they are in the rules, watch some epee -- moving forward without extending, starting too far out of distance, bent-arm attacks all will tend to get you hit. In epee, a good attack should be delivered with a care to protecting your own target, moreso than in foil or sabre, but with a technique that can be easily translated between weapons. One of the earliest things you should be doing in a bout is watching for how your opponent delivers their attack - do they lift their hand or bend their wrist or elbow, and bring exposed target forward into your reach? Often a good counterattack consist of placing your point in the way of a sloppy attack (it's also a good move psychologically - the feeling of "hitting the other fencer's point with your hand/ wrist/ forearm" is demoralizing, and even feeling the contact, but no hit, early in their own attack will often cause a very aggressive fencer to get more cautious).

EPEE ON-GUARD. This means that you want to protect yourself when not attacking, as well. A good epee on-guard should use the bell guard to protect at least the forearm. You can try to get your entire arm behind it, but that involves straightening your arm to an extent that gives important leverage advantages to your opponent (attacks that move your blade will be more effective) and also may cause them to fence too far away for you to effectively reach (however, it also can "back off" a fencer who is having too easy a time reaching you!) You should be relaxed (avoid the "death grip" on your weapon), with your knees bent but your foot pointed forward and not too far out, and with your weight balanced, ready to move forward or backward. Some fencers protect themselves by keeping their arms well away from their opponents; this approach is workable but makes attacking more awkward, which seems to take considerably more practice to perfect. Often, the basic strategy in this case is to provoke an attack, parry strongly with blade control during a close of distance, and execute a riposte with no or minimal release of the blade. Attacks are quick, with good supporting footwork and very good point control. Look for this style in an opponent - incomplete training may leave more openings than most other approaches: parries may be predictable and avoidable, or released much too early and vulnerable to a quick remise; the on-guard arm may be closer than the fencer realizes, and can be reached with a quick attack; the point control may be lacking, and a deep counterattack into the body will work because the fencer consistently misses their first shot. A well-trained fencer with this style, on the other hand, will entice you in to attack what appear to be obvious openings and then, with your arm and feet now fully committed, take control of you and hit you at will.

Body position is important - many fencers "square off," with the back shoulder swung somewhat in. They may be comfortable this way, but there are a few things that you must consider. First, the "classical" position of having the back shoulder way back was developed by people who were worried about loss of life - it wasn't invented on a whim. Having your shoulder around presents more target to a deep attack - not too much of a problem if you can train yourself to pivot away from such an attack. But there is a much more important consideration. Try this - take up a "squared" position, and extend fully to touch a wall. Look down at where your front foot is. Now set in the classical position, back shoulder behind you, and touch the wall with a full extension. Look down - your front foot should be a few inches farther out - there is a decided reach advantage from the classical position! Of course, many fencers swing their shoulders back to deliver an attack, but many don't, unaware of the distance they are giving up. There are also balance advantages getting into and out of lunges from the classic position as well, if the back arm is used properly, but we won't go into all of them here.

What do you look at? That varies - some fencers watch their opponents' eyes, some pick a potential target and focus on it, some focus on the "back-up" target that they will switch to if an initial stroke misses, some don't feel like they focus on anything at all. What best sustains concentration and produces the best results is apparently different even among the best fencers. Remember, though, that if your approach is to lock your eyes on what you want to hit, some of your opponents are watching your eyes and may be forewarned (especially critical with clear-windowed masks).