Advance- to move forward in the guard position
Attack- an attempt to hit the opponent
Beat- a sharp tap against the opponents blade to clear the way for an offensive hit
Change of engagement- the act of going from one line to engage the blade in another
Cut over- a simple attack that is made by lifting the blade over the opponent’s blade to hit in the opposite line
Disengage- a simple attack that is made by leaving the line of engagement to hit in another
Engagement- the contact of two opposing blades
Feint- a pretend attack that is made by a menacing extension of the foil arm. It is made preparatory to an attack in order to draw a response
Feeble- the flexible or point third of the blade
Lines- the 4 theoretical areas of the target: upper inside (4) upper outside(6) lower inside (7) and lower outside(8)
Lunge- an extension of the guard position made in order to reach the opponent
On guard- the basic ready position in fencing
Parry- the defensive action that deflects the attackers blade
Right of way- the right to attack. It goes to the fencer who first extends his arm or initiates an attack or who paries an attack
Reposte- an answering attack made by a fencer after he has successfully defended himself
Simple attack- an attack consisting of just one motion. There are three simple attacks; straight thrust, disengage, and cutover
Straight thrust- a direct simple attack that consists of a lunge to hit without changing the line of engagement
Thrust- the action of hitting with an extended arm. To make a firm thrust the point is placed on the target with the action of the fingers
Valid touch- a point hit that lands on the target area without having first landed off-target
Basic Skills
Salute- Whenever fencers cross blades, whether for a lesson, practice or a tournament, etiquette demands that they salute first, so a salute may be considered a standard preliminary to the on-guard position that is the basic fencing stance. Made in 3 smooth motions 1. point foil down, 2. bring foil handle stright up in fron of your face, and 3. point the foil towards your opponent
On guard position- front foot points toward your opponent, back foot is perpendicular and about shoulder width apart
Advance- made by moving the forward foot ahead about 1 shoe length ahead at a time, and following with the back foot.
Retreat- Reverse of the advance. Done by moving the left foot first and then the right foot (for right handed fencers)
Lunge- all movements start with the point. Aim at the exact point you intend to hit and extend the arm as you extend your back leg, which propels you forward.
Lines- the target is divided by 4 lines or sections: high inside, high outside, low inside and low outside. To defend these lines there are 4 Parries, or defenses. Simple attacks: those consisting of 1 quick action. These rely on speed, proper distance and surprise, or timing
Straight thrust-a straight lunge with no change of line in the attack
Disengage- changing lines to hit because your intended line is protected. Movement is made by guiding the point under the opponent’s blade with the fingers making the smallest motion needed to clear the blade, then reaching and lunging
Cutover- is similar to the disengage in that it involves a change of line. Instead of dropping under the blade you lift over it with the action of your fingers, then aim, extend, and lunge
Fencing
Fencing
Salute, put on your helmet, and get on guard in 6. Either fencer may attack to take the right of way. The defender may take the right of way from the attacker by successfully parrying at which time the defender may now turn attacker. The attack made by the defender is called a riposte. The logical chain of events then is attack, parry, riposte, parry, riposte and so on. If a defender parries but fails to riposte, the attacker may retake right of way and continue to attack.
Target: The valid target for men and women is the torso from the collar to a horizontal line that joins the tops of the hip bones. The arms, from the shoulder seams outward, are excluded. The bib of the mask is also excluded.
Field of play: The foil strip or “piste” is from 5’11” to 6’7” wide and 46 feet long.
On the command “on guard” the fencers come to the guard position. The director asks “are you ready” and when both fencers are, the director says “fence” and the fencers begin until they hear the command “halt”. A bout is made up of five touches to 1 fencer. The fencer to have scored those 5 points wins. After each point is scored the fencers stop and begin again back in the center of the strip.