Rules in fencing

At the start of the event, the fencers should salute each other and the referee. Refusing
to salute or forgetting it, warrants disqualification.

 The fencer should wear all the prescribed protective equipment. It includes a face
mask, a fencing jacket, a pair of fencing pants and a fencing glove.

 Before each bout, officials check the participants to ensure the standards of the equipment
the fencer uses. And the fencers should use weapons which conform to approved
standards.
 The fencer should touch his opponent in the strategic area and earn a point for each
hit.

 The target area differs for the weapons used.

 In foil, the target areas are between the trunk and the upper limit of the collar.

 In the case of epee, the whole body including the clothing is the target area.
 For saber, it is any part of the body above the horizontal line drawn between the top of
the thigh and hip area.

 The strip area, on which the combat takes place, should be flat and the surface measures
1.5m to 2m in width and 14m in length.

 The strip area has five lines marked on it. The first line at 0 m indicates out of bounds
while the second line at 5 m is the first on-guard line. The centerline is at 7m. Similarly,
the second on-guard line is located at 9 m and the rear limit line is at 14 m.

 The fencer could use only one hand in the bout. In the case of exemptions like having
an injury, a fencer could acquire permission from the referee to use both hands.
 A fencer cannot get a point by touching the opponent after passing him. He/she gets valid
points by touching, only when he/she passes the opponent.

 The fencers should not hold any part of the electrical object during the competition.

 In the case of a fencer not able to complete the bout, the opponent will be declared as a
winner.
https://ataax.com/fencing-sport/
Skills in fencing
Retreat
The retreat is the footwork movement that fencers use to move backward. Fencers retreat to
move away from the opponent and thus avoid being touched for points. In a retreat, the fencer
will first move their back leg backwards and then follow with the front leg without leaving the
basic fencing stance or crossing the legs.

Advance
The advance is the fencing movement that fencers use to move forward. While you can score
immediately after an advance, it is more common that a fencer attacks with a lunge or fleche,
which are preceded by an advance. An advance is made by first moving your front leg forward,
followed by the back leg, without ever leaving the fencing stance or crossing the legs.

Lunge
The lunge is the most basic and common attacking movement used in fencing. A lunge is an
explosive movement forward, which is used to touch the opponent and score a point. It consists
of thrusting the front leg of your fencing stance forward and moving your arms and body along
by using the explosiveness of your back leg.
Fleche
A fleche is another footwork technique used to score. Essentially, the goal is the same as in a
lunge, and it is also most used when attacking. A fleche is a "running attack," and it consists of
shifting all your weight to your front leg, which will then thrust you forward in a running motion.
Fleches in saber look a bit different than fleches in foil and épée, as you can't cross your legs.

Parry
The parry is the main defensive movement in fencing. A parry is the simple movement of
blocking the opponent's attack with your blade. The movement is done to stop the opponent from
touching you and scoring. After a parry is done, the fencer who stopped the attack may have the
chance to touch the opponent immediately after, in what is called a riposte.

Disengagement
A disengagement is a simple offensive action, which consists of moving the blade to avoid the
opponent's parry. Now, imagine you are fencing someone, and you try to touch them in the
middle of their chest. Their instinct is to use their blade to stop you: that is, having a parry. In
that case, to avoid being parried, you escape by moving your blade under the opponent's blade
and trying to hit somewhere else. The movement done to avoid the parry and hit the opponent is
called a disengagement.
Feint
Similar to a disengagement, one of the other major deceptive strategies in fencing is the feint. A
feint is a deceptive and false attack, in which a fencer makes a move as if to attack one part of
their opponent's body, hoping to elicit a defensive response so that they can then attack another
area. For example, if you feint towards an opponent's chest, causing them to try to parry your
blade there, you can then redirect your blade and attack elsewhere. Feints are also sometimes
referred to as "Feint-Disengage Attacks."

Composed Attack
A composed, or combined, attack is one in which the fencer does one or more feints with the
goal of tricking the opponent. In simpler words, a composed attack is one where the fencer
pretends to hit in one place but finishes the action in a different place. A compose action can be
done either when attacking or when doing a riposte (trying to score after a parry).

Riposte
A riposte is a rapid attack against an opponent following their parry. Ripostes are used to exploit
vulnerabilities in an opponent's defenses. If a parry leaves a part of their body exposed, an
effective riposte will attack precisely that area.

Counterattack
In addition to attacking and defending, counterattacking is also an important part of fencing. A
counterattack occurs when a fencer tries to score during the opponent's attack without first trying
to parry or defend themself. How a counterattack looks and when it is done varies between the
three weapons, but the concept is essentially the same.

https://www.rookieroad.com/fencing/list-fencing-skills/
Equipment and facilities
All three weapons in fencing are composed of the following parts:
A flexible steel blade.
A grip
A metal guard that protects the fencing hand. The guard may contain padding or cushion to
reduce the effect of blows. It also contains a socket to which the body wire can be connected.

Foil
The modern version of the dueling rapier, the foil is perhaps the best-known fencing apparatus.
The teaching weapon for the other swords, it has a flexible blade and is used chiefly for
thrusting. The maximum length of the entire foil is 3 feet, 6 inches and the maximum allowable
weight is 1.1 pounds. The tapering quadrangular blade is made of fine steel.

Sabre
The Sabre owes its heritage to the Middle Eastern scimitar and the 18th-century cavalry sword. It
is like the foil but weighs slightly less. It is about one inch shorter, a maximum of 3 feet, 5.3
inches. The steel blade is rectangular.
The guard of a Sabre is full and convex, with no rim or holes. The interior of the guard is
insulated with insulating paint or a pad. The exterior of the guard, the grip, and the pommel are
all completely insulated.

Epee
The epee (the French word for 'sword') is the descendant of the ancient dueling sword, the rapier.
It developed from the dueling weapons of European noblemen. The blade is 43 inches long and
weighs 1.7 pounds.

The epee has a larger hand guard which must measure less than 5.3 inches in diameter and
between 1.1 and 2.1 inches deep. Its steel blade is thicker and triangular, measuring one inch
wide on each side. It was designed to be effective as a thrusting or stabbing sword.

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 that 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 of "robust" material able to resist the 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 the 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.

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 prominences (clavicles).

Sabre Mask
The Sabre mask is different from that used in foil and épée; 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.

https://www.nbcolympics.com/news/fencing-101-equipment

The field of play has an even surface. The portion of the field of play used for fencing
is called the piste. The piste is from 1.5m to 2m wide and 14m long.

Five lines are drawn very clearly on the piste at right angles to its length, as follows:

 One center line which is drawn as a broken line across the whole width of the
piste.
 Two on guard lines at 2m on each side of the center line. These are drawn
across the whole width of the piste.
  Two lines at the rear limits of the piste, which are drawn across the whole
width of the piste, at 7m from the center line.
 The last 2m of the piste before the rear limit lines are clearly distinguished by a
different color of the piste, to make it easy for the fencers to be aware of their
position on the piste.

https://www.dlgsc.wa.gov.au/sport-and-recreation/sports-dimensions-guide/fencing
Icons that made a history in fencing

Katrina Lehis is a famous Estonian fencer. She was born on December

https://buzzlearn.com/katrina-lehis/
Sun Yiwen was born on 17 June 1992 in Qixia, Shandong, Yantai,
China, is a Chinese fencer. She began fencing in 2006 in Yantai, People's
Republic of China. She was encouraged to take up the sport by coach Xu
Zhaowei. She also wanted to improve her health. During the women’s
competition, Sun Yiwen defeated Ana Maria Popescu (ROU) 11-10 in a
sudden-death overtime to claim her first Olympic gold, a medal that
brings her career total to three and places her in a tie with Sun Yujie (no
relation) for the title of most decorated Chinese Olympic fencer.
https://fie.org/athletes/33102

Romain Cannone was indeed born in France on April 12, 1997, near
Boulogne-Billancourt. Born in France, he moved to Brazil with his
family where he went to primary school. He took up the sport at age 12
while his family was living in New York, NY, United States of America.
He later spent six years in New York, NY, United States of America. In
2016, he left his studies at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, CT,
United States of America, to return to France with the aim of qualifying
for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. At the 2020 Olympic Games in
Tokyo, he became the youngest French fencer to have won an individual
epee Olympic gold medal.

https://fencenyfa.com/2021/08/03/who-is-romain-cannone-the-olympic-
champion-that-nobody-expected-at-the-olympics/

https://fie.org/athletes/35617
Francisco Alberto Limardo Gascón (born March 27, 1987 in Ciudad
Bolívar) is a Venezuelan épée fencer. He is the brother of Rubén
Limardo, who won Venezuela's first gold medal from a forty-four year
drought at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. He began fencing at
age seven. His uncle Ruperto studied in Hungary during the 1980s,
where he picked up a love for the sport. When he returned, he taught his
nephews how to fence. Ruben initially fenced in foil with his right hand
but a skateboard accident at age 12 forced him to change to his left hand
and switch disciplines. At the 2012 Olympic Games in London, he
became the first fencer form Venezuela to win an Olympic gold medal.
He defeated Norwegian Bartosz Piasecki in the individual epee final to
also secure Venezuela's first Olympic gold in any sport since the 1968
Games in Mexico City.

https://fie.org/athletes/10222

https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Francisco_Limardo
Choi In-Jeong, born 21 May 1990 in Geumsan, Chungcheongnam-do.
In-Jeong is a South Korean right-handed épée fencer, three-time team
Asian champion, two-time individual Asian champion, three-time
Olympian, and two-time team Olympic silver medalist. Choi competed
in the 2012 London Olympic Games, the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic
Games, and the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. Choi began fencing in
junior high and made her international debut in 2011, at the World Cup
event in Nanjing.

https://pantheon.world/profile/person/Choi_In-jeong/

https://alchetron.com/Choi-In-jeong