Ask people what comes to mind when thinking about fencing and the most prevalent answers are Zorro, James Bond or how Alan Shearer's football punditry career could be described as an adjective.

It is a noble art; an elitist and historic sport usually reserved for the upper classes, although its conventions of resplendent etiquette and blueblooded sportsmanship have not always endured.

Those of a slightly older disposition might remember the remarkable story of Boris Onishchenko at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal.

Fencing is part of the modern pentathlon - as it has been since 1912 - and Onishchenko fought as part of the Soviet Union's team.

The pentathlon event is a one-hit affair, unlike the full fencing discipline, and is electronically scored with a hit being recorded when a blow with a force of 750 grams closes a circuit on the weapon, causing it to buzz.

But the ingenious Ukrainian modified his epee to include a switch that allowed his weapon to buzz whenever he liked. It took Britain's Jim Fox to notice and get Onishchenko and his team disqualified for cheating.

Britain won gold, the newspapers branded him 'Dis-onishchenko' and all was well with the world.

So, fencing is also fiercely competitive - as I found out at the Landsdowne Club in Mayfair, where Alex O'Connell and Richard Kruse were named as the Team GB fencing duo for the Beijing Olympics.

Londoner Kruse reached the quarter-finals of the Olympic foil competition four years ago - Britain's best performance at the Games in 40 years - so it was 20-year-old O'Connell's inclusion in the sabre event that came as a surprise.

"I'd be unusual if I wasn't dreaming of a medal but I am going in with not much experience," he said, having qualified for Beijing with silver in the European tournament in Istanbul while studying Classical Greek and Latin at Cambridge University.

He added: "My dream has always been to go to the 2012 Olympics and have a very realistic chance of a medal. But now I have an opportunity this summer and I want to give it my best shot."

I couldn't say I shared his enthusiasm for my own prospects, but donning the protective garb - a plastron to give extra support to the torso, a jacket, gloves and, of course, a helmet - you almost feel duty bound to puff out your chest, inflated with a sense of the sport's history.

And what a history it is. Fencing is one of only four sports to feature at every modern Olympics and is split into three disciplines defined by the type of weapon used - epee, foil and sabre.

I am given a foil and taught how to hold it, which is harder than you might think.

"The basics take a long time to get right as it's a question of posture and technique," said O'Connell, demonstrating both with a Zorro-like flash of the blade.

Keeping your back straight as you lunge forward reminded me of Eric Cantona strutting out peacock-like at Old Trafford. It wasn't long before my back actually started to ache.

Balance, hand speed and intelligence are also essential to become a success and perhaps it is only the inaccessible nature of the sport that has prevented fencing from becoming more popular.

"It's a sport you don't see very much," admitted O'Connell. "It's different to a lot of things; it's fiercely contested and a combat sport. You have to always be aware of what is going on.

"It's worth anyone trying. Fencing is on the up in this country and if I was choosing a sport to take up, I would want one like that."

This thrusting and jabbing at thin air was all well and good but I needed a target.

When I asked O'Connell if we could actually fight, he simply replied: "You have a lot to learn - it wouldn't be much of a fight."

Fair enough - Zorro I am not.

• Get the official inside track on each sport and exclusive interviews with the launch of The Official Team GB Guide to the 2008 Olympic Games. The magazine is available today at WHSmith, Borders and Tesco stores priced £3.99