Las Positas Fencing Center

For those new to fencing, it is difficult to follow the lightning speed of the fencers' actions. To become more comfortable in watching a fencing bout, focus on one fencer. The fencer being attacked defends himself by use of a "parry," a motion used to deflect the opponent's blade, after which the defender can make a "riposte," an answering attack. Thus, the two adversaries keep changing between offense and defense. Whenever a hit is made, the referee will stop the bout, describe the actions, and decide whether to award a touch.

Fencers seek to maintain a safe distance from each other's attack. Then, one will try to break this distance to gain the advantage for an attack. At times, a fencer will make a false attack to gauge the types of reactions by the opponent that can be deceived in the real attack.

As you become accustomed to the speed of the game, the tactics and strategies become more apparent, and you will gain a better understanding for the finesse and fascination of fencing!

The Weapons At A Glance

WEAPON	SCORE	TARGET	LENGTH	WEIGHT
Foil	Point Only	Torso	Appr. 35"*	< 1 lb
Epee	Point Only	Entire Body	Appr. 35"*	27 oz
Saber	Point & Blade	Upper Body	Appr. 35"*	< 1 lb

* A child's blade can be as short as 30 inches.

Electrical Flashing

WHEN YOU SEE	IT MEANS
Red/ Green Light	A point or blade has landed in a valid target area. A point is scored for the fencer who makes the hit, depending on the referee's decision of right-of-way.
White Light	Occasionally in foil, the point lands at a place outside the valid target area. No point is awarded for an off-target hit.
One or more lights	The decision of right-of-way by the referee will determine which fencer will receive the point. In epee, a point is awarded to both.