Fencing Competition Rules

The earliest evidence of fencing is found in a 1200 B.C. Egyptian carving depicting a fencing bout where the opponents wear masks, protective tips are used on the weapons and scoring judges are present. For many centuries the sport's techniques had a nationalistic flavor but in modern times this has given way to a more individual expression. The rules of fencing have evolved with the sport and today fencing is an organized and methodical competition that still permits the creation and expression of new styles and techniques.

  1. Weapons

    • Three different weapons are used in modern fencing: the foil, the epee and the saber. The foil is based on the old court sword. It is flexible and has a rectangular blade with a maximum length of 1,100 mm (a little over 43 inches). The maximum weight for a foil is 500 grams (a little over 17 ounces).

      The epee is based on the dueling sword. Its length restrictions are the same as the foil but it is a heavier weapon, weighing up to 770 grams (a little over 27 ounces).

      The saber is based on the old cavalry sword. Its maximum length is 880 mm (a little over 34 inches) and its maximum weight is the same as that of the epee, 500 grams.

    The Strip or Piste

    • The playing field for fencing is called the strip or piste. It is 14 meters long with two meter extensions on each end. The 14 meter strip is used for foil competitions and the 18 meter strip is used for competitions with the epee and saber. The strip is one and one-half to two meters wide. A center line is midway between the ends of the strip and two meters on each side of the center line are the two en garde lines. The fencers face each other from these en garde lines at the beginning of the bout.

    Right of Way

    • Right of way rules were added to the sport in the 17th century to prevent simultaneous hits. These rules made the sport safer by making it an alternating series of attack and defense. Right of way is obtained by a fencer initiating an attack before the opponent. If the attack misses or is parried by the defender, the right of way ends and a new right of way is established by the first fencer to attack or counter attack.

    Bout

    • A preliminary bout lasts four minutes or until one fencer scores five touches.

      The referee calls the fencers to the en garde lines by calling out, "En garde." When they are facing each other, the referee will begin the bout by calling out, "fence" or "allez." The bout continues until the referee calls out, "halt." He or she does so when a hit is scored, a foul is committed, a fencer leaves the strip, a fencer is disarmed or play becomes dangerous. Play is resumed after the interruption is dealt with and continues until a set number of touches by one fencer or team or until a set time-limit is reached. The number of touches and the time is dependent on whether the bout is preliminary, elimination or team play.

    Scoring

    • A score with an epee or foil is made only with the point of the blade and with the point, front edge or the top third of the back edge of a saber's blade. Legal touches with the foil can only be made on the opponent's trunk. The opponent's entire body is a valid target for the epee, and any part of the body from the waist up is a valid target for the saber.