Lunge, Slash, Parry : Would-be Robin Hoods can duel in safety and sporting style at Burbank’s SwordPlay fencing studio.

It’s 7 o’clock on a Friday evening, and while most people are sinking deeper and deeper into their favorite easy chair after an exhausting workweek, Amy Fortune is busy dueling.

Carrying a sword in one hand and balancing herself with the other, she’s carefully waiting for her opportunity to make a move.

Finally, when she sees a slight opening, she lunges forward and strikes her opponent in the chest. He steps back, collects himself and the pair square off again.

This isn’t a fight to the bitter end, and it’s not a rehearsal for yet another Robin Hood film.

Fortune and about half a dozen others are at a spacious studio named SwordPlay in downtown Burbank. They are learning the sport of fencing, including how to position their feet, how to anticipate their opponent’s moves, and how to maneuver their weapon.

Dressed in full protective gear and with swords covered by rubber tips, they are lunging, slashing and stabbing to their heart’s content.

“It’s a great workout, both physically and mentally,” said Fortune, a 31-year-old free-lance musician and music instructor who lives in Glendale.

“It’s a lot like playing chess. You have to gauge your opponent’s reactions and act on them, you have to be extremely alert and aware. The moves are complicated and intricate, but it is a lot of fun and it’s a great stress release.”

The 5-month-old studio is the brainchild of Tim Weske and Richard Cross, who wanted to share their love for the sport.

“Fencing has always been viewed as an elitist sport. Most studios are very competitive and intimidating,” Cross said. “But the fact is it’s great exercise, it’s a lot of fun and it doesn’t cost much to participate. We have tried very hard to make the studio a place where people can come in and enjoy themselves. And we make sure that they begin fencing right away.”

SwordPlay, which is open six days a week and occasionally has Sunday competitions, already has more than 80 participants.

“We have people from ages 7 to seventysomething,” said Weske, who has been teaching fencing in the Los Angeles area for nine years. “It’s something that’s completely safe and relatively free of injuries. And we have people from all walks of life--teachers, artists, dental hygienists, salesmen, computer programmers and housewives. It is something that virtually anybody can do--even those who have arthritis or previous sports injuries.”

Rooted in European history, fencing was originally a method of dueling designed to settle “matters of honor.” It eventually evolved into a popular sport outside the United States, becoming one of the original Olympic events.

Today, participants square off with one of three types of weapons: an epee (a heavy dueling weapon), a foil (a light court sword) or a saber (a light cutting sword).

In all cases, combatants move back and forth along a 2-by-14-meter strip on the floor. Points are tallied when the sword makes contact with a legal portion of an opponent’s body--the head is always outside the target. In most cases, electronically sensitive tips and scoring machines register touches.

Both Weske and Cross teach the classes, along with Tigran Shaginian, a four-time Russian National Pentathlon champion and 1986 International Pentathlon champ.

“It doesn’t matter that most of these people have no previous experience fencing, and that they’re never going to be Olympic champions,” Shaginian explained. “They come here to learn and have a good time.”

And Weske tries to make sure it’s a no-cost or low-cost investment. SwordPlay offers the first class free. Afterward, it’s $50 a month for four 1 1/2-hour classes, and $12 for a 20-minute private lesson. All the necessary equipment is supplied by the studio. Participants need only bring athletic shoes and workout attire.

“It’s something I have always thought about, having grown up watching all the Errol Flynn movies,” says Marc Montemorra, a 31-year-old systems programmer at Cal State Northridge who stops by the studio twice a week on his way home to Westchester. “I have always loved the glamour of swordplay, and when I discovered the studio was opening, I decided to take lessons.”

Weske and Cross say that interest in taking lessons and learning the sport continues to increase.

Nevertheless, “It’s sad that fencing doesn’t get the coverage that other sports do,” Cross said. “Most people just aren’t familiar with it. Once they find out what it is about, they find it interesting.

“The great thing is that at the end of the day, after you’ve been hammered by your boss or your kids, it’s a great way to get rid of your aggression.”

Where and When Location: SwordPlay, 64 E. Magnolia Blvd., Burbank. Hours: 1:30 to 10:30 p.m. Monday, 4:40 to 10 p.m. Tuesday, 5 to 9:50 p.m. Wednesday, 4:40 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Thursday, 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, and 10 a.m. to 6:45 p.m. Saturday. Price: $50 a month for four 1 1/2-hour classes; $12 for a 20-minute private lesson. Call: (818) 566-1777.