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Glossary - Explanation of some technical terms most commonly used in the judging of fencing

General terms

  1. Assault – a friendly fight between two fencers which is commenced and ended up by a qualified referee. At the end of an assault the Referee either awards one or both fencers a point, or awards none, and/or imposes penalties when necessary.
  2. Exchange – an exchange or handwork is the basic unit of a fight. An exchange starts with the first offensive action and ends up with a hit or with both contestants assuming a distance from which it is impossible to continue in the previous offensive action.
  3. Bout – a Bout is a series of assaults between two contestants where points awarded for the individual exchanges determine the outcome of a Bout. Only one fencer is declared a winner of a Bout.
  4. Competition - is a series of multiple Bouts performed with a specific weapon, to declare an overall winner from the contestants.
  5. Tournament – is a series of Competitions in the weapons announced by the Organising Team.
  6. Fencing time – is the time required to perform one simple fencing action.
  7. In measure – is a mutual distance between two fencers in which one or both of them can reach the opponent with an attack.

Fencing actions

  1. This section of the rules defines basic fencing actions in terms which are easy to understand for every contestant even though they might practice different schools of fencing and thus use various terminologies. It is stressed that this section in no way replaces a treatise on fencing and is only included in order to help the reader understand the rules.

Offensive actions

  1. Attack – an attack is the initial offensive action made by extending the arm and continuously threatening the opponent’s target, preceding the launching of the lunge or other weapon-specific offensive footwork (preparatory actions and movements of the hands and weapon that do not continuously threaten the target are not considered as parts of the attack).

    1. The action is simple when it is executed in one movement and is
      1. either direct (in the same line)
      2. or indirect (in another line).
    2. The action is compound when it is executed in several movements (e.g. using feints, to provoke the opponent to a defensive action, thus creating a tempo that the attacker can take advantage of).

  2. Riposte – a riposte is an offensive action of a fencer who parried the attack of their opponent. The riposte may be immediate or delayed, depending on what action takes place and the speed at which it is carried out. Ripostes are:

    1. Simple, direct

      1. Direct riposte: a riposte which hits the opponent without leaving the line in which the parry was made.
      2. Riposte along the blade: a riposte which hits the opponent by grazing along the blade after the parry.

    2. Simple, indirect

      1. Riposte by disengagement: a riposte which hits the opponent in the opposite line to that in which the parry was formed (by passing under the opponent’s blade if the parry was formed in the high line, and over the blade if the parry was formed in the low line).
      2. Riposte with a cut-over: a riposte which hits the opponent in the opposite line to that in which the parry was formed (the blade always passing over the opponent’s point).

    3. Compound, when it is executed in several movements.

  3. The counter-riposte is the offensive action made by the fencer who has parried the riposte.

  4. Counter-attack – is an offensive or offensive-defensive action made during the offensive action of the opponent.

    1. Stop-hit – a counter-attack made into an attack.
    2. Stop-hit with opposition – a counter-attack made while closing the line in which the opponent’s attack will be completed.

  5. Feint – a false attack to provoke a reacting parry from the opponent.

  6. Renewed attack – a subsequent, continuing offensive action after the initial attack.

    1. The remise - A simple and immediate offensive action which follows the original attack, without withdrawing the arm, after the opponent has parried or retreated, when the latter has either quit contact with the blade without riposting or has made a riposte which is delayed, indirect or compound.
    2. The redoublement - A new action, either simple or compound, made against an opponent who has parried without riposting or who has merely avoided the first action by retreating or displacing the target.
    3. The reprise of the attack - A new attack executed immediately after a return to the on-guard position.

  7. Counter-time - Any action made by the attacker against a stop hit made by his opponent.

Defensive actions

  1. Parry – a defensive action which blocks the opponent’s weapon from reaching its target.

    1. simple, direct, when they are made in the same line as the attack.
    2. circular when they are made in the opposite line to that of the attack.

  2. Evasion – it is an action of the body when a potential target avoids being hit by prolonging the distance or by another movement.

  3. The Langort position - a specific position in which the fencer’s sword arm is kept straight and the point of his weapon continually threatens his opponent’s valid target.