All things fencing

Referee Test and Action Database

It was pointed out to me today that I don’t actually have a link to my referee test app / action database on the blog.

A small progressive web app that you can use to practice your foil refereeing can be found here:

https://refereetest.quarte-riposte.com/

If you want to do it action by action in browser you can go here:

https://actions.quarte-riposte.com/

I use the results of this data to classify fencing actions. If you want to browse this data, you can look here:

https://actions.quarte-riposte.com/browse?u=actions

Flick Efficiency

Big circle

Roughly 740ms

Small circle

Roughly 630ms

Very big wind up

Roughly 840ms

Big wind up

Roughly 670ms

Small wind up

Roughly 530ms

No wind up

Roughly 480ms

Old fencing rulebooks

Some more cool content from Mr. Georgy_K_Zhukov (once again, the reddit user, not the Deputy Supreme Commander of the Soviet army in zombie form).

Continue reading Old fencing rulebooks

Glossary of actions on the blade with examples

Beats, Parries, and Actions on the Blade.

Actions on the blade when defensive are considered parries, and when offensive are considered beats or engagements. For the purposes of this post we’ll just consider how the blade contact is made and not make a strong distinction between parry, beat and other engagements.

Continue reading Glossary of actions on the blade with examples

Separating attacks: Off the line with no stops – with examples

There are a lot of instances where both fencers make an attacking action at the same time and are looking for priority.

Continue reading Separating attacks: Off the line with no stops – with examples

Foil Priority – For Newbies

So you’ve never seen fencing before, you’ve just found out about foil fencing, and you want to know how it’s scored.

Continue reading Foil Priority – For Newbies

Glossary of Footwork Actions

Advance / Retreat

In fencing, fencers don’t normally cross their feet when moving. Instead they make sort of shuffle steps where the lead foot stays in the front, and the trailing foot stays behind. Forward steps are sometimes called advances, and backward steps are sometimes called retreats.

Continue reading Glossary of Footwork Actions

Foil Point in Line in Practice with Examples

Having just watched the most recent foil bouts in the 2020 Olympics, I have reason to believe that some of the examples in this article are now out of date. I think that the basic explanations and reasoning are still accurate, but the timings seem to be a lot tighter now against slow attacks, making it more possible to place a line. I will need to review this with some FIE referees and provide an update.

Continue reading Foil Point in Line in Practice with Examples

Foil tip speed

The tip of the fencing blade is believed to be the second fastest moving object in sport behind a marksman’s bullet.

No. I just don’t believe it.
Continue reading Foil tip speed

Basic Foil Actions with Examples

To a laymen, I think that fencing can seem really daunting. If you look up glossaries of terms, such as the one on wikipedia you’ll find a list of dozens of terms in French, Italian and English pertaining to various ways fencers can move, or their equipment or the rules of the sport etc. Fencer’s tend to really like cryptic terminology and technical definitions – I think it makes us feel smart! But really, it’s not all that complicated.

Continue reading Basic Foil Actions with Examples