A good 5-minute video overview of fencing featuring Wasatch Fencing fencers and head coach.Fencing: Like Playing Chess at 100 Miles per HourIf sport mimics life, then fencing attempts to satisfy one of man’s primordial instincts — the urge to risk it all with weapon in hand. If you are looking for a sport that involves speed, agility and the chess like strategic thinking, then fencing is for you. We’re not talking chain link or picket here, but foil, epee and sabre — the three weapons used in national, international, NCAA and Olympic competition. How To Watch Fencing
Fencing utilizes three weapons: foil, sabre and epee. Each weapon has its own style and set of rules. The rules, particularly for foil and sabre, are based on training for the duel. What would you do if someone came at you with a sharp sword? Your first concern would be to defend — to save yourself. After you avoid being hit, you would try in turn to hit your opponent. This is known as gaining the “right of way.” Simply stated, the attacker has the right to hit until the defender blocks (parries) the attack or makes the attack miss. The defender then gains the right to hit by returning an offensive thrust or cut. This is called the riposte. How to Follow Fencing Actions
The Foil
![]() Foil Scoring: The fencer’s valid target area, the chest and back, is covered with a metallic cloth vest called a lame. When an opponent’s tip hits this vest, the tip depresses and completes an electrical circuit. This sets off a light and a buzzer on the scoring machine against the one who is hit. A colored light signifies that the valid target (the metallic vest) was hit; a white light signifies that the hit landed outside the target area. When a light comes on, the president halts the bout — even though no point is awarded for an off-target hit. If colored lights go on for both fencers, the president must decide who gets the point based on “right of way.” You will remember the attacker has the right away until the other fencer blocks (parries) the attack. The defender then gains the right of way by making a return thrust (riposte). The Epee
![]() Epee Scoring: Unlike foil and sabre, there is no need for a special metallic vest or jacket as the entire body is valid target. Touches are registered electrically — the tip of the blade depresses and completes the electrical circuit, triggering a colored light and a buzzer on the machine against the one who is hit. There is no rule of “right of way” in epee. The fencer who hits first gets a point and if both fencers hit at the same time, or within 1/25th of a second, both score a point. In bouts for five touches, if the score is tied and there is no time remaining in the bout, both fencers lose — a “double defeat.” The Sabre
![]() Sabre Scoring: Sabre is the last weapon to be electrified. As in the foil, the fencer’s valid target area is covered with a metallic cloth jacket. The fencer’s mask is also electrically conductive and is connected to the metallic jacket. When an opponent’s blade hits the jacket, with either the point or the edge, an electrical circuit sets off a light and a buzzer on the scoring machine against the one who is hit. Mere contact (i.e., a blace just sliding along the jacket) is not enough to register a touch. The colored light signifies that valid target (the jacket or mask) was hit. Unlike the foil, there is no “off-target.” Anytime a light comes on, the president halts the bout and awards, if appropriate, a point. If the colored lights go on for both fencers, the president must decide who gets the point based on “right of way.” Remember, the attacker has the right of way until the defender blocks (parries) the attack. The defender can then gain the the right of way with a riposte, the response attack after a parry. The actions in sabre differ from those in foil and epee because of the cutting motions. The game appears much faster with more running actions. Watch only one fencer and look for “stop hits,” those cuts made as the opponent is preparing to make an attack; the “fleche,” an attack where the fencer appears to leap at the opponent; and all of the cuts to the mask, chest, arm, wrist, flank and stomach area (called “belly” cuts). Basic Fencing Skills The sport involves three skills: Blade work, footwork, and tactics. Physical size is not an important factor due to the nature of the game and the variety of ways in which touches can be scored.
The BoutThe early rounds of a competition use the “pool” system. The fencers are divided into groups (pools) with all of the competitors in a pool fencing each other. Each pairing is called a “bout.” The bout begins with the referee (called a president or director) saying: “On Guard … Ready?… Fence!” The fencers have 3 minutes of actual fencing time to score the five touches required to win the bout. Eighty-percent, or more, of the fencers in each pool are seeded into a direct elimination table. In direct bouts the fencer who scores 15 points or is ahead when time runs out win the bout. For direct bouts, time is 9 minutes divided into three 3 minutes periods with a minute rest in between each one. The Playing Ground (Strip or Piste) The playing area for fencing bouts is the “strip” or “piste,” 14 meters about 46 feet) long and two meters (about 6 feet) wide. Fencers must be on the strip to score touches. There are warning areas at the end of each strip. If a fencer goes off the end of the strip with both feet, this gives the opponent a point, even if there is no actual hit. The Officials
The Rules The rules are divided into four basic categories.
Strip Rules All fencing action takes place on the fencing strip. The director (sometimes called the president of the jury) will stop the bout each time a fencer crosses the lateral boundaries of the strip with one or both feet, or passes an opponent while remaining on the strip. When a fencer leaves the strip with one foot, the director will center that fencer on the strip with the center point of the action remaining as it was before the infraction. When a fencers leaves the strip with both feet, the director will center the fencer on the strip at the point of action, but then the opponent will gain one meter from that spot. If a fencer intentionally leaves the strip to avoid getting hit, that fencer is given a yellow card (warning) or a red card, which means his opponent is awarded a touch. When a fencer crosses his own end line, his opponent is awarded a touch. Rules of Right-Of-Way (Foil and Sabre) The rules of right-of-way are used to judge the priority of hits made in foil and sabre fencing. Right-of-way is based on the generalized theory that an individual being threatened with a real sword will first defend himself before beginning his own offensive action. The following is the order of priority: Point In Line A point in line is a fully extended arm pointing the valid target of the opponent in place prior to the initiation of the opponent’s attack. This has the highest priority.
The attack An attack is an offensive action made with the arm extending and the point threatening the valid target area of the opponent. The attack continues to have priority until it misses or the opponent defends with a parry action. The Parry and Riposte A parry is a defensive action made by deflecting the blade of the attacker away from the target. After successfully parrying the attack, the defender will attempt to score a touch with a riposte. The riposte is an attack action which must be preceded by a parry. Counter Attack A defender may also respond to an attack by making a counter attack. Although the counter attack is technically executed in the same way as an attack, the counter attacker does not initiate the action, but is merely responding to the attacker. The counter attack does not have priority over the attack. Therefore if both fencers hit a target area, the fencer with the attack will have priority over the fencer attempting the counter attack. (Epee: Who Hit Who First Epee is not governed by the rules of right-of-way. The first fencer to hit the target area (the entire body) scores the touch. If both fencers hit within 1/25th of a second, both fencers will be awarded a point.) Penalties ll simple penalties are interdependent. When a fencer receives a warning for any infraction, a yellow card is shown to that fencer and the score keeper. For every infraction that fencer receives after that, a red card is shown to the fencer and his opponent receives a point. The fencer can lose a bout because of penalty points. Severe penalties can bring about a red card with out the fencer receiving a yellow warning card first. Some special penalties will bring up a black card which causes expulsion from the tournament. |