BATON ROUGE - Fencing is a unique sport that is one of the longest-running in the Olympics and has many health benefits. 

Fencing is a combat sport where two opponents use swords to attack and defend against each other to score points. 

With evidence of sword fights dating back to 1190 BC in Ancient Egypt, fencing has been around for centuries. Originally, it was used for military training, but became a sport in the 14th or 15th century, starting in Germany and Italy.

There are different fencing styles, including French, Russian, and American.

The act of fencing helps train the body's anaerobic system, improve reflexes, flexibility, speed, precision, and determination. Equally notable, the sport requires a lot of mental agility, along with power, balance, dexterity, and motor skills. 

At Red Stick School of Fencing, all of these principles are put into play that gives someone wanting to take the sport seriously the optimal experience. 

Ryan O'Connor, owner and head coach of the fencing school says "Fencing is a sport that pretty much anybody can do. While, yes, we are trying to stab our friends, we want to do it in the nicest, safest way possible."

More info on this sport and how to get involved is listed on the link here.