Roxanne Diaz chuckles when thinking about the effect fencing has on her life.

She smiles when talking about how it influences the way she stands; how she places her arms and feet when she reaches for something.

Her enjoyment of the sport has led her to practice four times a week, and along with her husband, Ed, it has nearly consumed all their time.

"We're obsessed with it," Roxanne, 30, said. "When we're going to bed, it's like, 'I should clean up my parry more.' He'll come out of the shower and he'll say, 'I just thought of something.' "

Both are members of Salle Honolulu Fencing Club, one of the few fencing clubs on O'ahu.

"I always thought it would be regal and elegant, and good exercise," said Ed, 31, a database administrator. "There's no weight or gender categories, so it's the most equitable sport there is."

With the emphasis on mental rather than physical prowess, Ed likened fencing to chess, calling it, "the sport for the rest of us."

"I'm biased, but I think it's the perfect sport," Salle Honolulu instructor Colin Chock said. "For most people, fencing fulfills all their desires.

"It does not require any great physical attributes, you don't have to be tall or strong, or flexible. I've known fencers who have weak ankles, or a history of broken ankles, but you can improve your blade work so you don't have to move a lot."

Eight-year-old Grant Sugimura recently started fencing after seeing an advertisement in a newspaper.

"I just like to sword-fight," the Punahou third-grader from Hawai'i Kai said. "I think I'm going to stay with it because I just like the sport. It's fun."

Like Sugimura, Hollande Lawrence said she was first interested in fencing because of the sword-fighting side of it.

But she found that the mental aspect of it is just as compelling.

"You have to think really hard and know all of the positions," said Lawrence, a freshman at Pacific Buddhist Academy from Kailua. "It's memorization, not just physical.

"Your feet have to be in a 'L' shape, they always have to be like that no matter what your hands are doing."

Lawrence, who has been in the sport about six months, said she plans on fencing "for the rest of my life, until I go pro or something."

Fencing utilizes three weapons: foil, epee, and sabre. Foil and epee are point-thrusting weapons, and sabre is a point-thrusting and cutting weapon, according to usfencing.org. The target areas differ for the three weapons, though all three are scored electronically, the Web site said.

The Diazes, of Ala Moana, joined the club six months ago, fulfilling Ed's lifelong desire to pick up the sport.

"I'm not an athlete, but he wanted to come and I tagged along," said Roxanne, who works for a mental health agency. "It's such a good workout, and you get your adrenaline going."

Roxanne said she likes "Getting your aggression out. I'm sorry, but kicking someone's booty really feels good."

It is relatively easy to "get the gist of" fencing after about four lessons, Ed Diaz said. To get comfortable with the sport, it takes a couple of months. But if you want to compete, then it requires more dedication.

Chock, the instructor, said the Diazes are unusually dedicated to the sport. He called Ed an example of an "accelerated student," because he's so enthusiastic.

"Most people don't stick with it," Chock said. "Fencing has never been a major sport, at least not in my memory, but it is gradually getting more popular. I don't see it getting the recognition it deserves. The one thing I can say is that good things come to those who wait. If something is intrinsically harder, when you finally master it, the reward is that much greater."

Reach Leila Wai at lwai@honoluluadvertiser.com.