STL All Sports

In all types of fencing bouts the object is to touch the opponent with the weapon and at the same time prevent him from scoring a touch. The bouts are conducted on a rubber or cork-linoleum strip 6 feet wide and approximately 50 feet long. All the fencing must take place within the limits of this area and penalties are imposed upon the fencer who crosses the boundaries. The bouts are ruled by a jury, of which one man is the director and the other two or four are judges. The director is in charge of the bout and stands about 10 feet away from the strip at an equal distance from the contestants. The judges are assigned to watch the fencers and advise the director when they see a touch scored. The director awards the touches, applies the rules and controls the play by the commands of "On Guard," "Fence" and "Halt."

Three types of weapons are used: foil, epee and saber. While the basic principles are similar, there are structural differences and varying conventions of play which should be noted.

The Foil The foil is the direct descendant of the short dress sword. It has a flexible rectangular blade with a blunt point and a bell guard 4.7 inches in diameter. Its maximum over-all weight is about 17 ounces and its over-all length a little over 43 inches. The foil is a conventional weapon. The rules provide that touches, to be valid, must be made with the point on a target, which includes the trunk of the body from the top of the collar to the groin lines in the front and to a horizontal line across the tops of the hip bones on the back. For women, the target is the same.

Touches scored on the head, arms or legs are called "foul," but carry no penalty other than halting the bout and nullifying any subsequent touches until the play is ordered to resume by the director. The contestant scoring 5 valid touches (4 in women's bouts) is declared the winner.

Major competitions use electrical apparatus for judging touches.

Generally speaking, the contestant who is attacked must defend himself (parry) before assuming the offensive (riposte). The attacker is said to have the "right of way." A successful parry gains for the defendant the "right of way." Where both fencers are hit simultaneously, the touch is awarded to the one who has the "right of way."

The Epee The epee is a modern counterpart of the dueling sword. The blade is triangular and rigid and has several small sharp prongs at the tip so as to catch on the opponent's uniform. The guard is large (5.4 inches in diameter), the over-all weight is 27 ounces. It is the same length as the foil.

In this weapon, a hit may be scored on any part of the body and there are no conventions of "right of way." Whoever hits first is awarded the touch and if both men hit simultaneously a "double touch" is scored and each contestant is credited with a touch. If, as a result of a double touch, the score becomes 5-5, the bout is continued until one fencer scores a winning touch. Iftime should expire, however, and the score is tied at any score, both men lose (except in collegiate and scholastic fencing, where the bout is continued until a decisive result is reached). Otherwise the first fencer to score five touches is the winner.

A special feature of the epee and foil is the electrical judging apparatus. A small spring at the tip of the weapon is depressed when a touch is scored and an electrical contact is made which registers on a central control box and indicates which fencer has scored. The contact shuts off a relay so that any touch scored subsequently by the other contestant will not register. Where both contestants hit within a fixed fraction of a second, a double touch is recorded by the machine.

The Saber The saber is approximately the same weight and length as the foil. It has a flexible triangular blade with cutting edges along the entire front and one-third of the back edge. Its guard is large (5.5 inches in diameter) and curved so that one section is attached to the pommel at the back of the weapon.

Modern saber fencing is nearest to the technique of the old rapier. Both the point and the cutting edges of the blade are used to score touches. Valid touches must land on the body at any point above the waist, including the arms and the head. Touches on the legs are "foul" and have the same effect as in foil. The contestant scoring five valid touches first is declared the winner. The saber is perhaps the most spectacular of the three weapons because the movements are wider and easier to follow. Touches can often be heard, as well as seen, and the drama is heightened by the clash of steel. As in foil, the conventions of "right of way" are applied to touches which land more or less simultaneously.