Sabre is based on the cavalry sabre and was developed by the military to train its horsemen in man to man combat. Because of this, target area in sabre is restricted to the waist and up as any strike below that could risk hitting the horse(an asset more valuable unharmed). Sabre carries rules similar to foil concerning right of way, in order to assure that a rider will adequately defend himself before attacking an opponent. Modern sabre fencers of course don’t actually ride horses in competition, but the footwork of a sabreist is often fast enough that you might think they were. This comes from the fact that in sabre you can attack with slashes using the full edge of the blade, as opposed to the other two weapons in which you must strike only with a thrust of the point. This allows sabrists to attack much faster than the other two weapons, and causes foot speed to play a greater role in combat. It is this incredible speed and a level of ferocity not found in the other weapons that most characterizes sabre combat.