The Weapons

The Foil – The Weapon of Precision

The foil is a descendant of the light court sword formerly used by nobility to train for duels. It has a flexible, rectangular blade approximately 35 inches in length and weighing less than one pound. Points are scored with the tip of the blade and must land on valid target: torso from shoulders to groin in the front and to the waist in the back. The arms, neck, head and legs are considered off-target – a hit to this non-valid target temporarily halts the fencing action, but does not result any points being awarded. This concept of on-target and off-target evolved from the theory of 18th-century fencing masters, who instructed their pupils to only attack the vital areas of the body – i.e. the torso. Of course, the head is also a vital area of the body, but attacks to face were considered unsporting and therefore discouraged.

Although top foil fencers still employ classical technique of parries and thrusts, the flexible nature of the foil blade permits the modern elite foil fencer to attack an opponent from seemingly impossible angles.

Competitors often “march” down the fencing strip at their opponent, looking to whip or flick the point of their blade at the flank or back of their opponent. Because parrying (blocking) these attacks can be very difficult, the modern game of foil has evolved into a complicated and exciting game of multiple feints, ducking and sudden, explosive attacks.

The Epee – The Weapon of Thought

The epee (pronounced ay-pay), the descendant of the dueling sword, is similar in length to the foil and sabre but is heavier (about 27 ounces). It has a larger guard than a foil (to protect the hand from a valid hit) and a stiffer, triangular, blade. Like foil, points may only be made with the tip of the blade. The entire body, from the tip of the toes to the top of the head, is valid target.
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 lack of right-of-way combined with a full-body target naturally makes epee a game of careful strategy and patience – wild, rash attacks are quickly punished with solid counter-attacks. So, rather than attacking outright, epeeists often spend several minutes probing their opponent’s defenses and maneuvering for distance before risking an attack. 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.

The Sabre – The Weapon of Action

The sabre is the modern version of the slashing and thrusting cavalry sword. It is similar in length and weight to the foil. It has, however, a triangular blade and a guard that also covers the side of the hand. Touches are scored with cuts as well as the tip of the blade. The target is based on what was available to hit when a cavalry soldier was mounted on a horse. All cuts or thrusts must land on the part of the body above the top of the legs, except for the back hand and the fingers of the hand holding the weapon.
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 blade just sliding along the jacket) is 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 director halts the bout and awards, if appropriate, a point. If the colored lights go on for both fencers, the director must decide who gets the point based on “right of way.

The Playing Ground

The Strip

The playing area for fencing bouts is the “strip” (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. Think of going off the end of the strip as falling off a cliff.

The Officials… The Directors

Two types of officials are present at competitions: the directors and the bout committee. The director describes the actions made by the fencers and awards the touches based on the rules of priority and registration of hits on the scoring machine. The bout committee is responsible for seeding the participants, establishing the format of the competition and resolving any rules disputes.

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 fencer 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.

Penalties

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 without the fencer receiving a yellow warning card first. Some special penalties will bring up a black card which causes expulsion from the tournament.

Fencing Moves

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.