4. Actions, simple or compound, steps or feints which are executed with a bent arm, are not considered as attacks but as preparations, laying themselves open to the initiation of the offensive or defensive/offensive action of the opponent (cf. t.8). To judge the priority of an attack when analyzing the fencing phrase, it should be noted that: 5. If the attack is initiated when the opponent is not ‘point in line’ (cf. t.10), it may be executed either with a direct thrust, or by a disengage, or by a cutover, or may even be preceded by a beat or successful feints obliging the opponent to parry.

6. If the attack is initiated when the opponent is ‘point in line’ (cf. t.10), the attacker must, first, deflect the opponent’s blade. Referees must ensure that a mere contact of the blades is not considered as sufficient to deflect the opponent’s blade (cf. t.60/2a). 7. If the attacker, when attempting to deflect the opponent’s blade, fails to find it (dérobement), the right of attack passes to the opponent. 8. Continuous steps forward, with the legs crossing one another, constitute a preparation and on this preparation any simple attack has priority.

t.57 (b) The parry gives the right to riposte: the simple riposte may be direct or indirect, but to annul any subsequent action by the attacker, it must be executed immediately, without indecision or delay. t.58 (c) When a compound attack is made, if the opponent finds the blade during one of the feints, he or she has the right to riposte. t.59 (d) When compound attacks are made, the opponent has the right to stop hit; but to be valid the stop hit must precede the conclusion of the attack by an interval of fencing time; that is to say that the stop hit must arrive before the attacker has begun the final movement of the attack.

3. Judging of touches t.60 In applying these basic conventions of foil fencing, the Referee should judge as follows. When during a phrase, both fencers are touch simultaneously, there is either a simultaneous action or a double touch. The first of these conditions is due to simultaneous conception and execution of an attack by both fencers; in this case the touches exchanged are annulled for both fencers even if one of them has been touched off the target. The double touch, on the other hand, is the result of a faulty action on the part of one of the fencers. Therefore, when there is not a period of fencing time between the touches: 1. Only the fencer who is attacked is counted as touched: (a) If the fencer makes a stop hit on the opponent’s simple attack. (b) If, instead of parrying, the fencer attempts to avoid the touch and does not succeed in so doing. (c) If, after making a successful parry, the fencer makes a momentary pause which gives the opponent the right to renew the attack (redoublement, remise or reprise). (d) If, during a compound attack, the fencer makes a stop hit without being in time. (e) If, having ‘point in line’ (cf. t.10) and being subjected to a beat or a taking of the blade (prise de fer) which deflects his blade, the fencer attacks or places the point in line again instead of parrying a direct thrust made by the opponent.

2. Only the fencer who attacks is counted as touched: (a) If the fencer initiates his attack when the opponent has point in line (cf. t.10) without deflecting the opponent’s weapon. Referees must ensure that a mere grazing of the blades is not considered as sufficient to deflect the opponent’s blade. (b) If the fencer attempts to find the blade, does not succeed (is the object of a dérobement) and continues the attack. (c) If, during a compound attack, the opponent finds the blade, but the fencer continues the attack and the opponent ripostes immediately. (d) If, during a compound attack, the fencer makes a momentary pause, during which time the opponent makes a stop hit, while the fencer continues the attack. (e) If, during a compound attack, the fencer is stop hit in time before beginning the final movement. (f) If the fencer makes a touch by a remise, redoublement or reprise when the original attack has been parried and the opponent has made a riposte which is immediate, simple, and executed in one period of fencing time without withdrawing the arm. 3. The Referee must replace the competitors on guard each time that there is a double touch and he or she is unable to judge clearly on which side the fault lies. One of the most difficult cases to judge arises when a stop hit is made and there is doubt as to whether it was made sufficiently in time in relation to the final movement of a compound attack. Generally, in such cases, the double touch occurs through the fault of both fencers concerned, which justifies the Referee replacing them on guard. (The fault of the attacker consists of indecision, slowness of execution or the making of feints which are not sufficiently effective. The fault of the defender lies in delay or slowness in making the stop hit.)

Foil Rules

PART 2. FOIL THE CONVENTIONS OF FENCING A. METHOD OF MAKING A TOUCH t.46 The foil is a thrusting weapon only. Offensive actions with this weapon are made therefore with the point and with the point only. Pushing or letting drag the point of the electric weapon on the electric strip is forbidden during the actual bout (between ‘Fence’ and ‘Halt’). Straightening the weapon on the strip at any time is also forbidden. In foil it is forbidden, during the course of fencing, to advance the shoulder of the non-sword arm in front of the shoulder of the swordarm (cf. t.36). Any touch scored by the fencer at fault while committing this offence will be annulled. Any breaking of these rules will be punished according to Articles t.114, t.116, t.120.

B. TARGET 1. Limitation of the target t.47 In foil, only touches which arrive on the target are counted as valid. The target in foil excludes the limbs and the head. It is confined to the trunk, the upper limit being the collar up to 6 cm above the prominences of the collar bones; at the sides to the seams of the sleeves, which should cross the head of the humerus; and the lower limit following a horizontal line across the back joining the tops of the hip bones, thence by straight lines to the junction of the lines of the groin (see Figure 4, p. 20). 2. Touches off the target t.48 A touch which is made on a part of the body other than the target (whether directly or as a result of a parry) is not counted as a valid touch, but it stops the phrase and therefore annuls all touches which are scored thereafter (but cf. t.49). 3. Extension of the valid target t.49 However, touches which arrive off the target are counted as valid whenever, by reason of an abnormal position, the fencer has substituted this non-valid target for the valid target. The Referee may question the judges about this, but he or she alone must decide whether the touch is valid or not.

C. JUDGING OF TOUCHES IN FOIL t.50 Foil competitions are judged with an electrical recording apparatus. I. MATERIALITY OF THE TOUCH t.51 Only the indications of the recording apparatus can be taken into consideration for judging the materiality of touches. Under no circumstances can the Referee declare a competitor to be touched unless the touch has been properly registered by the apparatus (except as provided for in Articles t.49, o.17, o.24, or when a penalty touch has been awarded). t.52 When using the apparatus it should be noted that: (a) If a non-valid touch has been scored the apparatus will not register a possible valid touch scored on the same side of the apparatus. (b) The apparatus does not indicate whether there is any priority in time between two or more touches which it registers simultaneously.

II. ANNULMENT OF A TOUCH t.53 1. The Referee will disregard touches which are registered as a result of actions: — started before the word ‘Fence’ or after the word ‘Halt’ (cf. t.18); — which are made on any object other than the opponent or his equipment (cf. t.41). A competitor who, intentionally, causes the apparatus to register a touch by placing his point on the ground or on any surface other than that of the opponent will be penalized as specified in Articles t.114, t.116, t.120. Fencers are forbidden to place a non-insulated part of their weapon in contact with their conductive jacket with the intention of jamming the electrical apparatus and thus avoiding being touched. The penalty for committing such an offence is specified in Articles t.114, t.116, t.120. Any touch scored by the fencer at fault is annulled. t.54 2. The Referee must, on the other hand, take into account possible failures of the electrical equipment, in particular: (a) He or she must annul a touch which has just been awarded as a result of a valid touch signalled on the apparatus (colored lamp) if it has been established, by tests made under the referee's personal supervision, before the bout has effectively recommenced and without any of the equipment in use having been changed (cf. t.35/d): — either that a touch registered as ‘valid’ against the competitor against whom the touch has been awarded can be made without there being in fact a valid touch; — or that a ‘non-valid’ touch made by the fencer against whom the touch was awarded is not registered by the apparatus; — or that a ‘valid’ touch made by the fencer against whom the touch was awarded does not cause any touch either valid or non-valid to be registered; — or that the registration of touches made by the competitor against whom the touch was awarded does not remain recorded on the apparatus.

(b) On the other hand, when the Referee has decided that a touch made by a competitor has priority, this touch shall not be annulled if subsequently it is found that a valid touch made by the opponent is registered as non-valid or that the weapon of the fencer against whom the touch was awarded is permanently registering a non-valid touch. (c) If a fencer’s equipment does not conform to the provisions of Articles m.27 and m.28, a touch made off the target which is registered by the apparatus as valid will not be annulled. 3. The Referee must also apply the following rules: (a) Only the last touch made before the fault was established can be annulled. (b) A competitor who makes any modification in or who changes equipment without being asked by the Referee to do so, before the Referee has given his decision, loses all right to the annulment of the touch (cf. t.35/d). (c) If the bout has effectively recommenced a competitor cannot claim the annulment of a touch before the said recommencement of the bout.

(d) The precise location of a fault found in the equipment (including the equipment of the competitors) is of no importance for this possible annulment. (e) It is not necessary that the failure found should repeat itself each time a test is made; but it is essential that the fault should be manifested to the Referee without the possibility of doubt at least once during the tests made by him or under his supervision. (f) When a competitor against whom a touch has been registered has broken the blade, the touch must be annulled unless the breaking of the blade has occurred clearly after the touch has been registered. (g) The Referee must pay particular attention to touches which are not registered or which are registered abnormally. Should such defects be repeated, the Referee must ask a member of the Committee for Electrical Apparatus and Equipment or an expert technician on duty to verify that the equipment conforms to the Rules. The Referee must ensure that nothing is altered in the competitor’s equipment or in the whole of the electrical apparatus before the expert carries out his check. 4. Whenever accidental causes make it impossible to carry out tests, the touch will be considered doubtful and annulled. 5. If touches are registered simultaneously on both sides of the apparatus, and the Referee cannot establish the priority with certainty, the competitors must be placed on guard. 6. In accordance with the general rules (cf. t.18) the Referee must stop the bout, even if no touch is registered by the apparatus, whenever fencing becomes confused and he or she is no longer able to analyze the phrase. 7. The Referee must supervise the condition of the conductive strip; the bout must not commence or continue if the conductive strip has holes in it which might affect the proper registering of touches or cause accidents. (The organizers must make the necessary arrangements to ensure the rapid repair or replacement of the conductive strips.)

RoTD, V

6. Nonregulation equipment t.45 In whatever circumstances a fencer on the strip is found to be in possession of equipment which is nonregulation or defective, this equipment will be immediately confiscated and submitted to the experts on duty for examination. The equipment in question will only be returned to the owner after the measures necessitated by this examination have been completed and, if appropriate, after the payment of any expenses for repairs. The equipment must be rechecked before it is used again. 1. If a fencer appears on the strip: — with only one regulation weapon conforming with the Rules (cf. t.86); or — with only one regulation bodycord; or — with a weapon or a bodycord which does not work or which does not conform with the Rules; or — without wearing a protective under-plastron (cf. t.43 above); or — with a conductive jacket which does not fully cover the valid target; or — with clothing which does not conform with the Rules; the Referee will apply the penalties according to Articles t.114, t.116, t.120 (first group). 2. When during a bout an irregularity is found in the equipment which could be caused by conditions during the bout: Examples: — conductive jacket with holes in which touches are registered as nonvalid, — weapon or bodycord no longer functioning, — pressure of the spring in the point too weak, — the travel in the point no longer regulation, the Referee will apply neither warnings nor sanctions. On the contrary, any touch made with the equipment which has become defective will be awarded.

3. If, when a fencer appears on the strip or during a bout, it is established that the equipment used by the fencer: (a) does not bear the marks applied at the preliminary inspection, the Referee will: — annul the last touch, if any, scored by the fencer at fault; — penalize as specified in Articles t.114, t.117, t.120. (b) does not conform to the rules in a way not covered by the preliminary inspection, the Referee will: — penalize as specified in Articles t.114, t.116, t.120. (c) has been passed by the preliminary inspection but presents irregularities which could have been made deliberately; or (d) bears the marks of the preliminary inspection which have been imitated or transferred; or (e) has been altered in any way to allow the recording of touches or the nonfunctioning of the apparatus at will; then, in cases (c), (d) and (e), the Referee must immediately confiscate the equipment (weapon, bodycord and if necessary the conductive jacket), and have it examined by the expert on duty. After having obtained the opinion of the expert (a member of the Committee for Electrical Apparatus and Equipment at the fencing events at the Olympic Games and at World Championships), who has established the facts (cf. m.33ss), the Referee will apply the following sanctions, without prejudice to the application of Article t.96d; — in cases (c) and (d) the Referee will penalize the fencer as specified in Articles t.114, t.118, t.120. — in the case of (e) the Referee will penalize the fencer as specified in Articles t.114, t.119, t.120, and annul the last touch, if any, scored by the fencer at fault. While awaiting the decision of the Referee that bout will be suspended but the other bouts in the pool may continue.

Ahhh, the horror

Saber is where it's at

RoTD, IV

t.38 (b) Team competitions The delegates of the Refereeing Committee and the Bout Committee will choose referees who seem to them competent from among the neutral A and B Grade referees present, and lots will be drawn among these referees. 2. World Cup Competitions t.39 The Bout Committee, assisted for finals by the Official Observer of the FIE, applies the rules described in Articles t.37 and t.38, above. 4. Method of judging touches (a) Materiality of the touch t.40 The materiality of the touch is established according to the indications of the apparatus, and when necessary by consulting the judges (cf. t.36). Only the indications of the electrical apparatus as indicated by its own lamps or by the extension lamps can be taken into consideration for judging touches. Under no circumstances can the referee declare a competitor to be touched unless the touch has been properly registered by the apparatus (except as provided for in Articles t.49, o.17, o.24 or when a penalty touch has been awarded).

t.41 On the other hand, the Referee should, in the cases enumerated for each weapon, annul a touch registered by the apparatus (cf. t.53ss, t.66ss, t.73). (b) Validity or priority of the touch t.42 As soon as the bout has stopped, the Referee briefly analyzes the actions that compose the final phrase d'armes. For finals, the Referee may make use of a television monitor to check decisions should he or she be uncertain. After reaching his decision regarding the materiality of a touch, the Referee, by applying the rules, decides to which fencer a touch is to be awarded, whether both are touched (épée) or if there is no valid touch (cf. t.55ss, t.64ss, t.74ss). The Referee would use the following gestures (see Figure 3, p. 16).

5. Regulation equipment and checking of equipment by the Referee t.43 Before the start of each pool, team match or bout by direct elimination, the Referee must assemble all the competitors on the strip and verify that: — in all weapons, the FIE guarantee label is present on the fencers’ equipment (clothing, masks). (See USFA Note below.) — in electric foil, the conductive jacket conforms to the provision of Article m.28 when each competitor is standing upright, is on guard and is in the lunge position; — in épée, the material from which the clothing is made has not too smooth a surface, and the competitor is wearing a jacket conforming to the regulations; — in saber, the conductive jacket conforms to the provision of Article m.34 when each competitor is standing upright, is on guard and is in the lunge position; — in all three weapons, each fencer is wearing, under his jacket, a regulation protective under-plastron, made of cloth which can resist 800 Newtons. For bouts in the direct elimination and the finals at the World Champi-onships and the Olympic Games, and for finals of World Cup competi-tions, the two fencers in each bout will go to the material testing zone, located near the strip, 30 minutes before they are due on the strip. Their equipment will be tested under the responsibility of the SEMI (or the designated expert for finals of World Cup competitions). If any anomaly is identified the equipment at fault will be changed at once, without any penalty being applied. The SEMI delegate will hand over the bodycords, the masks and the weapons that have been tested to the Referee for the bout. Ten minutes before they are due on the strip the fencers will report to the Referee designated for their bout. The Referee will hand over a bodycord to each of the fencers in the access zone for the strip. The Referee will check that the fencers are wearing regulation under-jacket protection. The Referee and the fencers must stay togetherin the access zone until they go on the strip. One minute before they go on the strip the Referee will give a weapon to each fencer, to plug in the bodycord. No test will be carried out on the strip prior to the bout. Competition organizers must organize a waiting area where the fencers can warm-up during this checking procedure.

t.44 In addition to the checks mentioned below, the Referee of a bout may at any time, on his or her own initiative or at the request of a fencer or of a team captain, carry out such checks, or verify the checks already carried out or even carry out, or have carried out, new checks. The Referee will in any case, before each bout, ensure that the control mark is present on the clothing, the blade and the mask of each fencer, and that the insulation of the wires inside the guard and the pressure of the spring in the point of electric foils and épées conform with the Rules. Checking the insulation of the wires and the pressure of the spring will be repeated each time a weapon is changed. In épée the Referee will check the total travel and the residual travel of the point: — The total travel will be checked by inserting a gauge measuring 1.5 mm between the barrel of the point and the tip. This gauge, provided by the Organizing Committee, may have a tolerance of ± 0.05 mm, i.e. from 1.45 mm to 1.55 mm. — The residual travel will be checked by inserting a gauge measuring 0.5 mm between the barrel of the point and the tip. The apparatus should not register when the point is depressed. This gauge, provided by the Organizing Committee, may have a tolerance of ±0.05 mm, i.e. from 0.45 mm to 0.55 mm. For details of the weight used for the check, see Part 1, Chapter 1 of the Material Rules. At the beginning of the bout the Referee will place the reserve equipment that has been checked near the appropriate end of the strip for the fencer concerned. USFA Note: In all three weapons, each fencer's last name must be printed legibly by hand or machine in dark blue capital letters not more than 10 cm high: either (1) on the back of the uniform or lame between the shoulders; (2) on the front or side of the thigh of the "rear" leg; or (3) on a piece of fabric or lame material that is firmly sewn to the uniform in such a way that it will not detach during fencing or catch the opponent's point. Fabric attached to the uniform must be the same color as the part of the uniform to which it is attached. Conductive materials must be attached in such a way as to not alter the conductivity of the metallic vest or jacket. NAMES PRINTED ON TAPE ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE. The use of an FIE homologated uniform is not required for USFA competitions. However: The protective plastron must: 1 have at least two layers; 2. include a sleeve down to the elbow without opening or seam in the region of the armpit; and 3. ensure the best possible protection. It may be fixed to the jacket without being entirely sewn in 4. it does not need to be constructed of 800 Newton material.