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Fencing requires the development of refined reflex actions and counteractions and strength in all the muscles of the body to produce the necessary coordination of eye, hand, and foot movements. Since the introduction of the electrical scoring apparatus, fencing has become more of an athlete’s game. Previously it had been practiced as a complex and highly technical art. Now its movements are more vigorous, with a greater emphasis on speed, accuracy, timing, agility, and stamina.

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Three different kinds of fencing are practiced today, each named for the type of sword used: foil, épée, and saber. The objective of fencing is to touch the valid target with the point of the foil or épée, or with the cutting edge and point of the saber.

Equipment and Scoring

The three swords that are used in fencing have evolved from different weapons of combat. The foil developed from the light French court sword and was also the practice weapon of the 17th century. The épée evolved from the 16th-century rapier used by the French musketeers. The saber is a light, slender, flexible weapon that derives from the slashing cavalry sword of the 18th-century Hungarian hussars.

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Today men and women fence with all three weapons and compete individually and in teams. Each weapon requires slight variations of style, technique, and rules. The épée has been scored with an electrical apparatus since 1937; the foil, since 1957. The saber is still judged by jury.

Each weapon has a different scoring target: the épée, the total body; the foil, the torso; and the saber, from the hips up, including the arms and the mask. When fencing with electrical equipment, the foil fencer must wear an outer vest made of metallic cloth and an electrical body cord, while the épée fencer uses just the body cord. Both weapons are wired. When the point of the épée is depressed on the target, the electrical circuit is activated, the scoring apparatus buzzes, and a colored light is turned on. When the point of the foil depresses on the outer vest, a colored light goes on. When it depresses on the other parts of the body (off target), a white light goes on. The electrical apparatus acts as the jury for the director, or referee.

All equipment and protective clothing are standardized. Dress includes a fencing jacket, wire-mesh mask with proper bib, leather glove, trousers or breeches and stockings, underarm protector, breastplates for women, and protective athletic supporter for men. These items must be worn at all times when fencing at any level of competition. White is usually the color of fencing uniforms and equipment. In recent years, however, the use of light pastel colors has become acceptable.

A Fencing Bout

A bout is an individual contest between two fencers. The first to touch, or land a hit on, the opponent five times on the valid target is the winner. A bout is played on a field of play—a mat, also called a piste or a strip, which is 45 feet 11 inches (14 meters) long and 6 feet 6 3/4 inches (2 meters) wide, and is marked off by lines as prescribed by the rules.

Bouts begin with the players in a position called on guard. The fencer begins by making an attack, which is established by extending the arm fully before the opponent does. This move is a thrust or a feint, and is called the right-of-way. The opponent may deflect, or parry, the attacking blade. As soon as the parry is made, the opponent has the right to riposte, or return the attack. There are many different attacks.

The time required to perform one simple fencing action constitutes fencing time. Only the time between the director’s call to begin fencing and the halting of the action counts as official bout time. A bout lasts four minutes of fencing time in high school and college fencing. In United States Fencing Association (USFA) and the international Fédération Internationale d’Escrime (FIE) fencing, a bout’s duration is six minutes for five hits. The bout can be longer or shorter if more or fewer hits are designated to win.


Fencing in the United States is governed by the USFA, formerly the Amateur Fencers League of America, Inc. (AFLA), established in 1891. Fencing at the collegiate level is governed by the college sports associations, such as the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Fencing at the high-school level is governed by local state associations. The USFA, a nonprofit organization, is managed by an elected president, other executive officers, and a board of directors. It represents about 7,000 competitive members in about 60 local groups. This association organizes and conducts fencing competitions and tournaments at local, regional, national, and international levels and conducts fencing camps. It sponsors a National Championship Tournament and selects the teams, individuals, and coaches who represent the United States in the Olympic Games. It aids participation in the World Fencing Championships, the Pan-American Games, the Junior World Fencing Championships, the National Olympic Festival Games, and the World University Games.

A. John Geraci