Rules

Scoring Rules
Fencing is as much strategy as it is a physical sport. The goal is to score 15 points on your oppenent. A strike to the body is considered one point and anything outside of that area is a no point area. Equipment includes a long sleeve jacket and vest as well as a face mask and the Foil ( fencing sword).


Attacking
According to of the FIE rules of competition, "the attack is the initial offensive action made by extending the arm and continuously threatening the opponent's target."

A threatening weapon is normally interpreted to be one that will or could hit the opponent if no defensive action is taken. In other words, a weapon threatens if it is moving towards the target in a smooth, unbroken trajectory.

This trajectory can be curved, especially if the attack is indirect, compound, or involves a cutting action. Hesitations and movements of the blade away from the target will usually be perceived as a break in the attack or a preparation of the attack.

One common misconception is that a straight or straightening arm is required to assert the attack. However, a straight arm is not an attack, but a point-in-line. The attack begins when the arm begins extending, not once it is fully extended. It is not even necessary that the arm become fully straight, although that is normal for attacks at medium and longer distances. Retraction of the arm, however, will usually be interpreted as a break in the attack.

Another common misconception is that an attack does not threaten unless the blade is aimed at the target. This is not generally true. The definition of an attack is the same for cuts and thrusts, so cuts and cut-like actions (including coupe's and "flicks") must threaten while the blade is still out of line. Generally, an attack threatens if it is moving towards the target as part of a smooth, unbroken movement, regardless of where the point is located when that movement begins.

Many fencers are under the mistaken impression that a bent arm or out-of-line point constitutes a preparation, and therefore that they can rightfully attack into it. If the bent arm is extending and the out-of-line point is moving towards the target, however, this assumption is usually false under modern fencing conventions. A successful attack on the preparation must clearly precede the opponent's initiation of his final movement, or else arrive a fencing time ahead of his touch.

Saber fencers must also consider Article t.75 (old 417) of the Rules of Competition, which states when the attack must land relative to the footfalls of a lunge, advance-lunge, (and fleche, historically). Attacks that arrive after the prescribed footfall are deemed continuations, and do not have right-of-way over the counter-attack. Saber fencers must also remember that whip-over touches can be interpreted as remises, and not mal-pare's.


Parrying
According to Article t.7 (old 10) of the FIE Rules of Competition, "the parry is the defensive action made with the weapon to prevent the offensive action from arriving".

A successful parry deflects the threatening blade away from the target. It is normally not sufficient to merely find or touch the opponent's blade; the fencer must also exhibit control over it--although the benefit of the doubt usually goes to the fencer making the parry. If the attacker must replace the point into a threatening line before continuing, it is a remise (renewal of the attack) and does not have right-of-way over the riposte. However, if the parry does not deflect the blade, or deflects it onto another part of the target, then the attack retains the right-of-way (mal-pare' by the defender). In practice, very little deflection is needed with a well-timed parry.

A well-executed parry should take the foible of the attacker's blade with the forte and/or guard of the defender's. This provides the greatest control over the opponent's blade. In other cases (e.g. a beat parry with the middle of the blade) the parry can still be seen as sufficient if the attacking blade is sufficiently deflected. In ambiguous cases, however, the benefit of the doubt is usually given to the fencer who used his forte/guard. For example, if a fencer attempts to parry using his foible on his opponent's forte, it will often be interpreted in the reverse sense (e.g. counter-time parry by the attacker), since such an engagement does not normally result in much deflection of the attack. A foible to foible parry could potentially be seen as a beat attack by the opposing fencer depending on the specifics of the action.

At foil, the opponent's blade should not only be deflected away from the target, but away from off-target areas as well. An attack that is deflected off the valid target but onto invalid target can still retain right-of-way. If the defender clearly releases the attacking blade before the continuation of the attack lands, then the benefit of the doubt is usually given to the parry.

At saber, the opponent's blade need only be deflected away from valid target, since off-target touches do not stop the phrase. Cuts are considered parried if their forward movement is checked by a block with the blade or guard. Contact with the blade or guard may be interpreted as a parry, even if a whip-over touch results. Avoiding whip-over touches altogether requires exceptionally clean and clear parries.

At epee, a good parry is simply any one that gains enough time for the riposte. Opposition parries and binds are commonly used, since they do not release the opponent's blade to allow a remise.