PART 1: General Questions and Answers

General:

Getting Started:

Training:

Regulations:

Start with your local Provincial or Divisional fencing association. If you don't know how to find them, contact your national fencing body (see section 3.1). Your national body may maintain a list of known fencing clubs in the country. Otherwise, your local association will be able to tell you about recognized clubs in your area. Many universities and colleges also sponsor fencing clubs and teams that will often accept non-students as members. You might also check out courses or camps offered by local community centers.

Fencers with Web access can find a list of U.S. fencing clubs at http://sarah.rsip.lsu.edu/fencing/fencing.clubs.htm or at www.usfa.org and a list of Canadian Fencing clubs at http://www.fencing.ca

Once you have a list of potential clubs, you will want to evaluate them and your needs. Desirable qualities vary, depending on your skill level and what you want to get out of fencing.

Ask the following questions when selecting your club (if you're not sure what you want, "yes" is a good answer to all these questions): Does it have an active beginners' program? Are there enough fencers of your own skill level? Are there some fencers above your skill level? If you don't have your own equipment, does the club provide it? Does the club have ample electric scoring boxes and reels? Does the club emphasize the same weapons that you are interested in? Do club members compete regularly? Does the club have a master or coach? Has he/she had many competitive successes either fencing or coaching? Can you get individual lessons and instruction? At no extra cost?

Lastly, atmosphere is important to any social endeavour. Choose a club that makes you feel comfortable and relaxed without sacrificing the athletic spirit that is essential to progress.

The best training for fencing is fencing. Fencing development is asymmetrical and few other sports use the same muscle groups, so this is a difficult question whose answer depends largely on what aspect of your training you really want to focus on.

Cardiovascular fitness and leg strength always help, so anything that enhances these will be beneficial. Cycling, swimming, and aerobics are good examples. Running, sprinting, soccer, basketball, and similar sports can also be helpful, although some athletes dislike the stresses they put on the knees. Racquet sports like tennis, badminton, squash, racquetball, and table tennis are also excellent, and will exercise your weapon arm in addition to your legs.

Many martial arts have physical and mental demands that are similar to fencing, and can improve both your fitness and your intellectual approach to the sport. Technique and tactics very rarely translate, however.

Weight training can help, if done properly, but the athlete must remember that flexibility, speed, and technique are more important than raw strength. Endurance training should have priority over bodybuilding. Strength training can help, provided it doesn't compromise flexibility. Most fencing weight-training programs concentrate heavily on leg and lower-body development. Excessive weight training of the arms and upper body can adversely affect point control, according to some masters. According to them, weighted wrist straps worn during regular practice are preferable.

Some fencers maintain that juggling improves reactions, hand-eye coordination, and use of peripheral vision.

Many coaches and fencers suggest occasional fencing or workouts with your opposite hand, both to improve skill and balance your muscular development.

It is very easy to acquire bad habits and poor technique if you do not have the guidance of a knowledgable fencing master, coach, or fellow fencer. If you are serious about improving your fencing, quality coaching is always your best investment. However, a disciplined fencer still has options if decent instruction is not available on a regular basis.

Firstly, a solid knowledge of fencing theory and regulations is a must. The freelance fencer should study the FIE Rules of Competition and a good fencing manual (see Section 3.3). The fencer should test and apply this knowledge by presiding whenever possible. An appreciation of good fencing style is also essential, so that the fencer can readily identify weaknesses in his own and other fencers' techniques. Observation and comparison of skilled or accomplished fencers will develop this ability. Training videotapes and videotapes of high-level competitions (see Section 3.5) are also helpful in this regard.

The freelance fencer must be open-minded and critical of his own technique, so that he can recognize problems before they develop into habits. Discussion of his weaknesses with training opponents will help him clarify the areas that need work. If possible, he should videotape his bouts and review them to spot defects in his tactics and technique.

The fencer should seek out opponents who will strenuously test his weaknesses. More experienced fencers, left-handers, those whose tactics are particularly effective, and even those with annoying (ie. difficult) styles should be courted on the practice strip. When fencing less skilled opponents, the fencer should restrict his tactics to a small set that require practice, and resist the temptation to open up if he should start losing.

The opportunity to participate in footwork and line drills should never be passed up. When he can find an agreeable partner, the fencer can do more personalized drills to exercise his weak areas. (Of course it is courteous to indulge the needs of one's partner when he in turn works on his own training.)

Lastly, the fencer should remain aware of his bout psychology and mental state when fencing, and try to cultivate the mindset that in his experience produces good fencing.

Right-of-way is the set of rules used to determine who is awarded the point when there is a double touch in foil or sabre (ie. both fencers hit each other in the same fencing time). It is detailed in the FIE Rules of Competition, Articles 232-237 (foil) and 416-423 (sabre).

The core assumption behind right-of-way is that a fencing bout is always in one of three states:
-- nothing significant is happening
-- the fencers are conceiving and executing their actions simultaneously
-- one fencer is controlling the action and tempo and the other is trying to gain control.

Since no points will be scored in the first situation, we can ignore it. In the second situation, the fencers' actions have equal significance, and it is impossible to award a touch. Both touches will be annulled and the bout will be resumed where it was stopped.

The third situation is the tricky one. The controlling fencer has the right-of-way, and his hit has precedence over any hit from the other fencer. The job of the director is to decide which fencer was NOT controlling the action, and annul his touch. If he cannot decide, the director should abstain, annul BOTH hits, and resume the action where it left off.

Control (and right-of-way) is taken whenever one fencer threatens the other with his blade. A threat can be either an attack (see question 1.13), or a "point in line" that is established before the opponent attacks.

Control (and right-of-way) is lost when an attack misses, falls short, is broken off, or is deflected away from the target by a parry or other engagement from the defender. The defender has a split-second window of opportunity to return the attack (ie. riposte) before the attacker recovers; if he does so, he takes over right-of-way and the tables have turned. Otherwise it is a toss-up; the first fencer to initiate an attack will sieze the right-of-way anew.

The right-of-way relationships between common fencing actions are as follows:

According to Article 10 of the FIE rules of competition, "the attack is the initial offensive action made by extending the arm and continuously threatening the valid target of the opponent."

A threatening weapon is normally interpreted to be one that will hit the opponent if nothing is done to prevent it. In other words, a weapon threatens if it is moving towards the target in a smooth, unbroken trajectory. This trajectory can be curved, especially if the attack is indirect, compound, or involves a cutting action. Hesitations and movements of the blade away from the target will usually be perceived as a break in the attack or a preparation of the attack.

One common misconception is that a straight or straightening arm is required to assert the attack. While this was a traditional interpretation of the above rule, both the strict wording and prevailing modern interpretation do not require that the attacker's arm become straight or even nearly so. It is sufficient if the arm extends, even just slightly, from its normal on-guard position. A long arm is still good style, though, since it gives superior reach and clearly shows the fencer's intent. While the attack can often be asserted with only slight extension, retraction of the arm will almost always be interpreted as a break in the attack.

Another common misconception is that a point attack does not threaten unless the point is in line. This is not generally true. An out-of-line point does threaten if it is moving towards the target on a smooth, unbroken trajectory. The most common example of this is the coupe' (cut-over), in which the blade is pulled out of line to avoid the the opponent's blade, and then returned into line to finish the attack. Coupe' takes the right-of-way immediately, even though the point is initially pulled out of line. So-called "flicks", relatives of the coupe' that involve whipping the foible of the blade around parries or blocking body parts, can also take the right-of-way when the blade starts its final forward stroke.

Many fencers are under the mistaken impression that a bent arm or out-of-line point constitutes a preparation, and therefore that they can rightfully attack into it. If the bent arm is extending and the out-of-line point is moving towards the target, however, this assumption is usually false under modern fencing conventions. A successful attack on the preparation must clearly precede the opponent's initiation of the phrase or a break in his attack, or else arrive a fencing time ahead of his touch.

Sabre fencers must also consider Article 417 of the Rules of Competition, which states when the attack must land relative to the footfalls of a lunge, advance-lunge, (and fleche, historically). Attacks that arrive after the prescribed footfall are deemed continuations, and do not have right-of-way over the counter-attack. Sabre fencers must also remember that whip-over touches can sometimes be interpreted as remises, and not mal-parries.

According to Article 10 of the FIE Rules of Competition, "the parry is the defensive action made with the weapon to prevent the attack from arriving".

A successful parry deflects the threatening blade away from the target. It is not sufficient merely to find or touch the opponent's blade; the fencer must also exhibit control over it. If the attack continues without any replacement of the point and makes a touch, it retains the right-of-way ("mal-parry" by the defender). If the attacker must replace the point into a threatening line before continuing, it is a remise (renewal of the attack) and does not have right-of-way over the riposte.

A well-executed parry should take the foible of the attacker's blade with the forte and/or guard of the defender's. This provides the greatest control over the opponent's blade. In other cases the parry can still be seen as sufficient if the attacking blade is sufficiently deflected. In ambiguous cases, however, the benefit of the doubt is usually given to the fencer who used his forte/guard. For example, if a fencer attempts to parry using his foible on his opponent's forte, it will often be interpreted in the reverse sense (eg. counter-time parry by the attacker), since such an engagement does not normally result in much deflection of the attack. A foible to foible parry could potentially be seen as a beat attack by the opposing fencer depending on the specifics of the action.

At foil, the opponent's blade should not only be deflected away from the target, but away from off-target areas as well. An attack that is deflected off the valid target but onto invalid target still retains right-of-way.

At sabre, the opponent's blade need only be deflected away from valid target, since off-target touches do not stop the phrase. Cuts are considered parried if their forward movement is stopped by a block with the blade or guard. Otherwise, sabre parries must be particularly clean and clear to avoid the possibility of whip-over touches.

At epee, a good parry is simply any one that gains enough time for the riposte. Opposition parries and prise-de-fer are commonly used, since they do not release the opponent's blade to allow a remise.

According to Article 233 section 6 of the FIE Rules of Competition, a point-in-line is a position "with the arm straight and the point threatening the valid target".

Properly done, the arm should be extended as far as possible, and form a more or less continuous line with the blade, with the point aimed directly at the high lines of the target. Excessive angulation at the wrist or fingers negates the point-in-line. Superfluous movement of the point also risks negating the line, especially in sabre. Derobements/trompements, however, are permitted.

In foil and sabre, the point-in-line has priority over attacks that are made without first taking the blade. With these weapons (but not with epee) it is forbidden to assume the point- in-line position before the command to fence has been given. In sabre, a point-in-line that hits with the edge may be considered to have missed, with the cut being considered a counter-attack (assuming it even registers).

Note that although the rules do not comment on the role of the feet in a point-in-line, there are "official interpretations" that convert the point-in-line into an attack--or, more importantly, a counter-attack--if it is delivered with a lunge or fleche. This interpretation allows the line to retain priority if it is delivered with an advance or jump, however. Some referees reject even the latter, along with any other movements (other than deceptions) that "improve the line". Yet another body of opinion holds that a line that develops into an attack is one continuous threat with no break in priority. The rulebook has nothing to help us resolve this dispute, but it seems that the first of these interpretations (that the line is valid except in the case of lunge or fleche) has the most official recognition.

Flicks are whip-like attacks that can score against very oblique and even concealed targets. Sometimes thought of as a recent corruption, flicks actually have a long history that stems from coupe' (the cut-over) and epeeists efforts to throw their points around the bell. Properly executed and judged, they are effective and beautiful attacks; poorly executed and judged, they can be painful and annoying.

One common criticism of the flick is that it would cause minor injury with a real weapon. The obvious, if flippant, response to this is not to flick when fencing with a real weapon.

Another common criticism is that flicks are difficult to defend against. One must simply remember to parry them as if they were cuts, not thrusts (using auxiliary parries like tierce, quinte, and elevated sixte). The flick is also highly sensitive to distance, and a well-timed break in the measure will cause it to land flat.

A third criticism is that flicks are usually given the priority, even though the attack often begins with the point aimed at the ceiling. However, the definition of an attack (see question 1.15) says nothing about where the point is aimed, only what it is threatening. It is normally true that an attack that scores must have threatened in at least its final tempo.

Sabre fencing has suffered from a related and more serious scourge, the whip-over. In this case, the foible bends around the opponent's blade or guard following a parry, to contact the target and register a touch. The scoring machines attempt to reduce these false touches by blocking hits within a certain time window following weapon contact, but this is of limited effectiveness and also has the unfortunate effect of blocking the occasional attack through the blade. Referees have tried to help out by analyzing whip-over touches as remises, but they still score over composed or delayed ripostes. The FIE has been considering and trying various possible fixes, including varying the timeouts and mandating stiffer sabre blades.

Most of the following rule amendments were introduced for the 1994/95 season.

EQUIPMENT:
- 800N underarm protector (plastron) is required in addition to the regular 800N jacket.
- Clothing may be of different colours, but those on the body must be white or light-coloured.
- Minimum width of the strip is now 1.5 metres.
- In foil, the bib was supposed to become target as of Oct 1, 1995, but this amendment appears to have been dropped.

ETIQUETTE:
- Salute of opponent, referee, and audience is mandatory at the start and end of the bout.

BOUT FORMAT:
- Coin flip to determine winner in the event of a tie shall be made at end of regulation time, and one additional minute shall be fenced. The winner of the coin toss shall be recorded as the victor if the bout is not resolved by sudden death in the extra minute.
- No more 1-minute warning, although fencers can request the time remaining at any normal halt in the action.
- Fencers shall be placed at the en garde lines at the commencement of each 3-minute period in 15-touch elimination bouts.

SCORING:
- In sabre, simultaneous attacks that both arrive on the valid target do not result in any points being scored.
- In sabre, any action in which the rear leg is crossed in front of the fore shall be penalized with a yellow card, or a red card if a yellow has already been given. Any touch scored by the penalized fencer resulting from the cross-over action shall not be scored, although a properly-executed touch from the opponent is still valid.
- In the team relay, the first pair of fencers fence to 5 points or 4 minutes, whichever comes first. The next pair continue from this score up to 10 points within 4 minutes, and so on up to a total score of 45 points.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: