Hunter College Athletics

THE BOUT

A fencing competition between two individuals is called a bout. Bouts are fought for 5 hits --- that is, the first fencer to hit his opponent 5 times wins.

A fencing competition between two teams is called a match. There are 27 bouts in a match --- 9 fought with each of the 3 fencing weapons. A team needs to win 14 bouts to win the match.

During the bout, the action is confined to a long mat know as the strip. Fencers may not go off the strip in any direction without being penalized.

There is a time limit to the bout --- usually 3 minutes. If, at the end of this time, the score is tied, the bout continues until a "sudden death hit" breaks the tie.

THE JURY

The referee runs the bout. He starts and stops the action, interprets rules, awards hits, and explains the sequence of play. His is the final word.

The judge assists the referee by watching the fencers to see if one gets hit, signifying this by raising his hand. One, sometimes two, judges watch each fencer. In bouts fought with electrical scoring apparatus, the judges watch the strip in order that a hit thereon will not be counted. Otherwise, judges are used mostly to look for "covering" the target (in foil).

THE WEAPONS

FOIL
This is a light, flexible weapon designed for thrusting purposes only. Hits may be scored on the torso --- that is, the trunk of the body, front and back, excluding the head, arms, and legs. Speed and strategy count for much with the foil.

EPEE
A rigin, longer, and less flexible thrusting weapon, whose ancestor was the dueling rapier of bygone days. As in the duel, hits may be scored anywhere on the body, from the to to the mask; also, if both fencers are hit simultaneously, a hit is registered against each, on the theory that in an actual duel both men would be dead. Coolness and cunning are necessary to fight well with the epee.

SABRE
The descendant of the cavalry sabre, this is a weapon which (theoretically) has both a point and a cutting edge; hits may therefore be scored by cut or thrust, anywhere above the waist except for the hands. Mobility and variety of footwork are important in sabre play.

RIGHT OF WAY

There are two conventions common to both foil and sabre: (1) a hit off target automatically stops the action and nullifies any subsequent good hits by either opponent until the referee has regarted the bout; (2) the initiating of an attack, or "right of way" as it is called, is of paramount importance. When a fencer initiates an attack, the defender must parry; if he does not, but instead thrusts out blindly in the hope of hitting his opponent first, and if both men hit simultaneously, the hit is scored against the defender  because he did not defend himself. The idea is not to hit at any cost, but rather to hit without being hit. With the epee, there are no conventions, no invalid target, and no "right of way."
The man who hits first scores.

ELECTRICAL SCORING

Recently, fencing has enlisted the aid of electronics in its scoring. The weapons contain a spring tip which, when depressed, completes the electrical circuit which runs through the blade, up the arm, out the back to a spring reel at the end of the strip, and then to the scoring machine, which registers hits by means of lights and buzzers.

In foil, the apparatus distinguishes between valid and off-target hits: off-target with a white light, valid with a colored light. The fencer wears a metallic vest (lame) over his valid target to complete the circuit.

In epee, the apparatus registers hits and also distinguishes between hits made more than 1/25 of a second apart, automatically shutting out the slower hit. If, however, the hits are made within 1/25 of a second of one another, both are registered (double touch).

In sabre, the apparatus indicates valid touches only. The fencer wears a metallic vest over his valid target, just as in foil.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

When watching a bout which is being scored electrically, remember that the colored light means that the fencer on that side of the strip has scored a touch. The white lights indicate off-target hits, which automatically stops the action and annul any good hit immediately following. Listen carefully to the referee --- when awarding a hit, he will usually say "for the left" or "for (name of the team)." Individual bout scores are kept on the two poles flanking the electrical apparatus.

SPECTATOR ETIQUETTE
Quiet should be maintained while the fencers are in action, since calling or shouting can interfere with the intense concentration required of players and officials. Cheering and applauding should be done only after the referee has awarded the hit.