FENCING The Sport- EVENTS: The events are the same for both women, men and children in all three blades. The events are broken down by age brackets.

Youth: boys epee, foil and sabre and girls epee, foil and sabre. Six events for each age group.
Under 10
Under 12
Cadet: boys epee, foil and sabre and girls epee, foil and sabre. Six events for each age group.
Under 14
Under 16
Jr's: boys epee, foil and sabre and girls epee, foil and sabre. Six events for each age group.
Under 19
Open (20+) men's epee, foil and sabre and women's epee, foil and sabre. Six events for each age group.
Veterans: men's epee, foil and sabre and women's epee, foil and sabre. Six events for each age group
40-49
50-59
60+

FORMAT:(Pools and then Direct Elimination.)

Pools:
The individual fencing competition employs a direct-elimination format after the first round of pools have been fenced. Fencers will be placed in a draw of the total number of fencers who are at the tournament. The seeding of the competitors is based upon the current World Cup and US National rankings. Pools are set as even as possible in strength of competitors ranging in numbers from 5 in a pool to 7 in a pool. Six in a pool is the standard that is achieved most often. Each competitor fences everyone in their pool and a win los record is tabulated. Either 100% or 80% of the best scores from the competitors go into the Direct Elimination rounds. That percentage is set by the bout committee before the tournament starts and announced to everyone at the start.

Advancing:
Direct elimination determines which athletes advance through the elimination round, the quarterfinals and the semifinals. The winners of the two semifinal bouts face each other to determine the gold and silver medallists; the losing semifinalists vie for the bronze.

Team:
For the team events, teams enter squads of three fencers. Based on point totals accumulated during the individual competition, teams will be seeded into a direct elimination draw of eight teams (or 16, if necessary, with byes allocated where necessary).

Matches :
A match in the team competition consists of nine bouts: each of the fencers on one team faces each of the fencers on the other team once, and the first team to reach 45 touches wins the match.

Advancing:
Direct elimination reduces the team competition to a field of four semifinalists. The winners of the two semifinal matches face each other to determine the team gold and silver medalists; the losing semifinalists vie for the bronze.

BOUTS:

Starting and Stopping:
Bouts begin with the two unmasked opponents saluting first each other and then the officials by raising the blade to the chin and dropping it. Then, masks down, the duelers assume the en garde position. The bout begins on the command, "Fence." The bout stops on the word "Halt," an order given if a touch is achieved; if the fencing of the competitors is dangerous, confused, or against the rules; if one of the competitors is disarmed or leaves the strip; or if, while retreating, a fencer approaches too near the spectators or the referee.

Duration:
In individual direct elimination competition, the winner of a bout is effectively the first to score 15 touches on the opponent (5 touch's in a pool bout going for no more than 3 minutes). Each touch is worth one point. A bout is a maximum of nine minutes long, divided into three periods of three minutes (with a one-minute break between periods). If the third round is completed before either fencer reaches 15 points, the fencer with the most points is declared the winner.In team competition, which consists of nine individual bouts (each member of one team faces each member of the other team once), a head-to-head bout lasts a maximum of four minutes. A bout lasts less than four minutes if a fencer accumulates enough points during his or her bout to increase his or team total to a multiple of 5 as follows: 5 after the first bout, 10 after the second bout, 15 after the third bout, and so forth. If the ninth bout is completed and neither team has 45 points, the team with the most points is declared the winner.

Ties:
In the individual tournament, when there is a tie at the end of regulation time, a further minute of competition is added, and the fencer to score the first touch is declared the winner. Prior to the start of the "sudden death" extra minute, the referee conducts a draw between the two competitors. If no athlete registers a point during the extra time, the winner of the draw is declared the winner of the bout.If teams are tied at the conclusion of the ninth bout of a match, a further one minute of fencing time will be added between the same two fencers who met in the last regulation bout of the match. The fencer who scores the first touch will win the match for his or her team. Before the extra minute of fencing is contested, the referee draws lots to decide who will be the winner if neither competitor scores a touch in the extra minute.

ACTIONS:

Fencing, often described as "chess with muscles" and a "conversation of blades," demands tactics and a combination of agility, quickness, endurance and subtlety. Opponents frequently change from offense to defense, and they score points (touches) in a variety of ways. Many points result from a lunge or a thrust. A lunging attacker closes the distance to the target by extending his or her front leg; a thrust is simply the quick extension of the sword blade without foot movement. A parry is a blocking move in which a fencer deflects an attacking opponent's blade.Some basic actions include:Attack: The attack is the initial offensive action made by extending the arm and continuously threatening the opponent's target, preceding the launching of the lunge. The action is simple when it is executed in one movement and is either direct (in the same line) or indirect (in another line). The action is compound when it is executed in several movements. Attacks are often feigned, so a competitor can learn what defensive response to expect when executing the same move in full. Riposte: The riposte is a defender's immediate or delayed counterattack after parrying. Ripostes can be direct (touching the opponent without leaving the line in which the parry was made), along the blade (touching the opponent by grazing the blade after parry), or by disengagement (touching the opponent in the opposite line to that in which the parry was formed by passing under or over the opponent's blade).Remise: The remise is a simple and immediate offensive action which follows a missed or parried original thrust, without withdrawing the arm. A remise is often used by a fencer whose opponent did not riposte after parrying. Reprise: A new attack executed immediately after a return to the en garde position.

RULES:

The rules of the FIE, fencing's international governing body, apply to the 10 Olympic fencing events. The technical rules for competition are essentially the same as those adopted in 1914 by the International Congress of National Olympic Committees held in Paris. There have been revisions and modernizations, especially regarding judging with electrical apparatus -- adopted in 1936 for epee, 1957 for foil, and 1988 for sabre. Combat techniques are essentially the same as those used several hundred years ago.

Corps a Corps;
When two competitors are in contact, corps a corps is said to exist, and the referee will stop the bout. In foil and sabre, it is forbidden for a fencer to cause corps a corps, even without brutality or violence, and a penalty will be applied. (See "Scoring" for more information on penalties.)With all three weapons, causing corps a corps to avoid being touched, or to jostle one's opponent, is cause for a penalty.

Displacing the Target and Passing;
Displacing the target and ducking are allowed even if during the action the unarmed hand comes into contact with the strip. However, it is forbidden to turn one's back on one's opponent during the bout. This offense is cause for a penalty. When a fencer goes past his opponent during a bout, the referee will immediately call "Halt" and replace the competitors in the positions they occupied before the passing took place.

Right-of-Way;
A complicated concept to observe in foil and sabre fencing is right-of-way. This rule exists to prevent seemingly simultaneous attacks by two opponents. In essence, right-of-way is the differentiation of offense and defense, made by the referee. The difference is important only when both the red and green lights go on at the same time. When this occurs, the winner of the point is the one whom the referee determined was on offense at the time the lights went on. In keeping with its dueling origin, epee does not use the right-of-way. The competitor who gains the touch earns the point. Or, if both fencers hit within 1/25th of a second of each other, both earn a point.

CLOTHING:

Fencing equipment and clothing is designed to provide competitors with maximum protection yet the freedom of movement necessary for the sport.

White Uniforms:
Fencers wear white uniforms because, in the pre-electric days of the sport, touches were determined by an ink spot left on the uniform by the weapon. Cheating was possible by soaking a uniform in vinegar, so when a weapon hit the vinegar-treated material, the ink was dissolved and no mark was left behind.

Material:
Competitors' clothing must be made entirely from "robust" material able to resist a pressure of 800 Newtons. The material cannot have a smooth surface which might allow weapons' points or touches to glance off the uniform. The way seams are made, especially under armpits, is particularly important for safety. An under-garment consisting of a protective plastron pad covering the upper body, especially vital organs, is mandatory.

Jackets:
For all weapons, the lower edge of the jacket must overlap the knickers by at least 4 inches when the fencer is in the en garde position. Fencers' jackets include a lining making a double thickness of heavy-duty Kevlar or cotton cloth for the sleeve down to the elbow of the sword arm and covering the flank up to the armpit. An epee fencer is required to wear a regulation jacket, which covers the whole surface of the body's trunk.

Women's equipment must include breast protectors made of metal or another rigid material such as plastic.

Glove:
For all weapons, every competitor wears a glove on his sword hand. The gauntlet of the glove covers half the forearm of the competitor's sword arm to prevent the opponent's blade from entering the sleeve of the jacket. Foil gloves may be slightly padded. Sabre gloves are made of conductive material, which can be removable or fixed, and should cover the whole arm with the jacket. The conductive material of the glove must make good contact with the sleeve of the conductive jacket by using an elastic band or button.

Knickers:
Knickers are fastened below the knees. Fencers wear socks which cover the legs up to the knickers; the socks can have a turn-over 4 inches high showing the colors of a fencer's nation.

Masks:
Masks are made of wire mesh with gaps of less than 1/10 of an inch; the wire, with a minimum gauge of 1 millimeter in diameter, is usually stainless steel. The bib of a mask is made with cloth resistant to 1600 Newtons (twice as strong as uniform material). The mask includes a safety strap at the back.

Masks used in foil cannot extend below the chin. They are insulated internally and externally by a plastic material resistant to impact.

Masks for epee must be shaped so the bib reaches below the collar bone prominence (clavicles).

Sabre Mask:
The sabre mask is different from that used in foil and epee; because the head is a valid target area, it has a metallic covering. Also, the metal mesh of sabre masks is not insulated and must conduct electricity. The bib and trim are covered with conductive material with the same electrical characteristics of the conductive jacket used in sabre. The electrical contact between the jacket and the mast is made by means of a wire and one or two crocodile clips. The wire is attached by clip or by being soldered to the mesh of the mask, and is between 11.8 and 15.7 inches long. The crocodile clip is soldered to the other end of the wire.

Electrical Scoring Apparatus:

The apparatus consists of a 12V circuit connected to the fencers. The colored lights of this apparatus register valid hits; the white lights register hits landing outside the valid target area.

FLASHING LIGHT on the Scoring Box:

When you see:                                                 It means:

RED or GREEN light.             A point or blade has landed in a valid target area. A point is scored for the fencer who                                        makes the hit, depending on the referee's decision of right-of-way. (in foil only)

WHITE LIGHT:                    Occasionally in foil, the point lands at a place outside the valid target area. No point                                         is awarded for an off-target hit.

ONE or MORE LIGHTS:          The decision of right-of-way by the referee will determine which fencer will receive                                         the point. In epee, a point is awarded to both.

FOIL:

Touches: Points are scored with the tip of the blade only.
Target Area: In foil, a touch only counts if it lands within the torso of the body (from shoulders to the groin, front and back). The arms, neck, head and legs are not part of the valid target area.
Scoring Apparatus: The foil is equipped with a spring-loaded tip called the pointe d'arret, which is part of the electrical scoring apparatus. The foil has a single electric wire, glued in a groove cut the whole length of the blade, which permanently connects the pointe d'arret to the corresponding socket inside the guard.The stroke required to cause the scoring apparatus to register a touch, called the lightning stroke, may be infinitesimal: the total stroke of the pointe d'arret must be less than 1 millimeter. The pressure needed to depress the point is just over one pound.The foil fencer's uniform includes a metallic vest called a lam, which covers the valid target area so that a valid touch will register on the scoring machine. A fencer wears a body cord inside his or her uniform that connects the foil to a reel wire, connected to the scoring machine.

EPEE:

Touches: As with the foil, touches are scored only by the tip of the blade.
Target Area: The epee athlete's entire body is valid -- including head and feet -- making it the largest target area of any of the fencing events.
Scoring Apparatus: The epee blade has two electric wires, glued in a groove in the blade, which connect the point to two of the three sockets situated inside the guard and which form the active circuit of the epee. The body of the epee is connected to the third socket. The electric barrel is completed by a cylindrical point. The pressure required on the pointe d'arret in order to complete the circuit in the epee, and cause the apparatus to register a touch, is at least 1 pound, 10 ounces. The stroke of the pointe d'arret required to cause the scoring apparatus to register a touch, called the lightning stroke, is at least 1 millimeter.

SABRE:

Hits: Unlike the foil, in which only hits with the blade tip count for a point, sabre hits may be made with the blade's front edge, the last one-third of its back edge, or the tip.
Target Area: The permitted target area in sabre is from the bend of the hips (both front and back) to the top of the head, simulating the cavalry rider on a horse.
Scoring Apparatus: The sabre fencer's uniform includes a metallic jacket (lam), which covers the target area so that a valid touch registers on the scoring machine. The bodywire is plugged into a socket in the guard. The two sockets of the bodywire plug make direct contact with the body of the guard, making it a closed electrical circuit through the bodywire, the reel and the cable connecting the reel to the scoring apparatus.

Glossary of Fencing Terms

The following is a listing of several fencing terms. This glossary has been compiled from official definitions from the International Fencing Federation (FIE).
Glossary of Terms in Fencing

Advance: To step forward.

Beat: A sharp tap on an opponent's blade to initiate or threaten an attack.

Black card: A card from the referee signifying a fencer has been expelled.

Bout: A contest in its entirety between two fencers.

Centre line: A line across the piste, or field of play, dividing it into two equal halves.

Compound: An attack or counterattack involving several moves.

Corps-a-corps: A move involving body contact, where two fencers are engaged in a way that allows neither to use his or her weapon.

Counter-parry: A defensive move where a fencer makes a circular movement around the opponent's blade and moves it away.

Disengage: To break contact between blades, done by one fencer passing his or her blade under the opponent's blade.

Double hit: Successful contact with the sword by both fencers within .04 of a second, counted only in epee competition.

En garde: French for "on guard", the position that fencers take before a bout begins or after a break in the action.

Engage: To make contact blade-to-blade.

Feint: A false attack designed to force an opponent into a reaction that opens the way to a genuine attack.

Fleche: A running attack.

Hit: A point scored by a touch with the tip of the blade or, in sabre, the edge of the blade against any part of the opponent's body in the target area.

Lunge: The basic attack in fencing where a fencer closes the distance between foes by moving the front leg forward while the back leg remains stationary and straightens out.

Octave: The eighth of eight defensive positions in fencing.

One-metre penalty: A penalty where the action is moved a metre further back on the piste for the offending fencer before a bout is restarted.

On-guard line: A line on each side of the centre line where a fencer stands to begin or resume a bout after a hit has been awarded.

Parry: A defensive action where a fencer blocks the opponent's blade.

Penalty hit: A hit credited to a fencer when the opponent commits an offence after a warning.

Plastron: Protective clothing worn under a fencer's jacket.

Prime: The first of eight defensive positions in fencing.

Quarte: The fourth of eight defensive positions in fencing.

Quinte: The fifth of eight defensive positions in fencing.

Recover: To return to the en garde position after lunging.

Red card: A card from the referee signifying a penalty hit has been charged against a fencer for a rules violation.

Redouble: To attack an opponent a second time after the opponent fails to counterattack.

Remise: To attack again immediately after the opponent has blocked an initial attack.

Right of way: A rule established to eliminate virtually simultaneous attacks between two fencers in foil or sabre by allowing a referee to determine who was on offence at that moment and had "right of way" to score a point.

Riposte: A counterattack by a fencer who just has blocked an attack by the opponent with a parry.

Seconde: The second of eight defensive positions in fencing.

Septime: The seventh of eight defensive positions in fencing.

Simple: In one move, as in an attack or riposte involving a single move.

Simultaneous: A ruling of no hit when two fencers in foil and sabre hit each other at the same time with an attack, redouble or remise.

Sixte: The sixth of eight defensive positions in fencing.

Stop-thrust: A sudden counterattack made by extending without lunging.

Target: The portion of the opponent's body which may be touched with the sword to score points.

Thrust: To extend the arm and sword toward the opponent.

Tierce: The third of eight defensive positions in fencing.

Touch: A hit with the point of the weapon or a cut with the edge of the sabre, scoring a point.

Warning line: A line two metres inside the rear line warning a fencer he or she is near the end of the piste.

Yellow card: A card from the referee signifying a warning has been issued to a fencer for violating a rule.

Equipment terms used in Fencing

BLADE

The hitting part of a sword from the guard to the point.

POINT

The end of the blade, which must touch the opponent's target area to score a hit.

GUARD

The part of a sword between the blade and handle that protects the armed hand.

HILT

The handle of a sword; also called the "grip".

GRIP

The handle of a sword; also called the "hilt".

MASK

With a mesh visor or with a transparent visor.

GLOVES

For the armed hand.

FIL DE CORPS

CHEST GUARD

Used to protect the chest

PISTE

French for the field of play where a fencing bout occurs; also called a "strip".