This page provides links to details of
- the TDFC beginners syllabus
- the British Fencing Grades One and Two syllabuses in detail
- the British Fencing Grades One to Six syllubuses in summary form
- fencing's 'tactical wheel' in condensed and expanded versions
The Thame Duellists Fencing Club Beginners Course
The Introduction of
FENCING
to
COMPLETE NOVICES
By way of eight sessions of instruction
Thame Duellists Fencing Club
Beginners course plan
Session 1 – how to stand and move
Safety; stance – en garde; advance & retire; hit & lunge.
Session 2 – I want to attack!
Revise stance, advance and retire, hit and lunge. The grip; Lunging and hitting; first fencing bouts – bout etiquette.
Session 3 – someone’s attacking me, I want to defend!
Two ways to deal with an attack - Stepping out of distance; parrying – the parry of quarte; and riposte.
Session 4 – my opponent can parry me, how can I deal with that?
How to get round a parry of quarte: aA ‘feint -disengage’ attack.
Session 5 – my opponent can do a feint-disengage attack, how can I deal with that?
Succesive parries - the parry of sixte; circular sixte; stop hit.
Session 6 – Priority – how foil fencing is made realistic
Understanding and recognising priority; correct application of priority – attack with priority; parry and riposte.
Session 7 – Putting it all together: bouts
How bouts work – ‘steam’ and electric; rules and the referee; trying out electric equipment
Session 8 – Putting it all together: fencing a phrase
Building elements together into fencing ‘phrases’.
Revision; British Fencing Level 1 award
BRITISH FENCING ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS
The following is a detailed version syllabus provided by British Fencing for the first two levels of their achievement award scheme, setting out the key points fencers should demonstrate for each item.
As an alternative reference, see the book 'Fencing - Know the game'.
FOIL
GRADE 1
Demonstrate: (with coach or partner)
1. The Grip
Key points:
Thumb on top of handle; knuckle of index finger underneath handle below thumb; remaining fingers wrapped round handle; pommel in wrist to make straight line between elbow and point
2. The Salute
Key points:
Feet heels together at right angles, pointing sword down in front of you and away from, not across, your body; lift sword straight up; bring sword in front of face, guard level with mouth, point straight up; sweep sword away, down to starting position
3. The On guard - Guards of Sixte & Quarte
Key points:
Feet at right angles, hip width apart; front foot (sword arm side) pointing forward; heels in line; knees bent; body upright; sword arm lifted above front leg, with point of sword above hand height (‘sixte’), elbow bent; rear arm lifted away from body. For ‘quarte’, keeping the rest of the body still, sword hand is rotated so thumb is inwards, and whole hand moved across to opposite side of body at the same height.
4. Steps Forward and Backward
Key points:
Step forward: front foot moves first, short distance forward and lands heel first. Rear foot follows, to resume on guard position with feet hip width apart, landing on ball of foot. Knees stay bent throughout step and hips stay at same height throughout.
Step backward: back foot moves first short distance backward and lands on ball of foot. Front foot follows, to resume on guard position with feet hip width apart, landing on heel first. Knees stay bent throughout step and hips stay at same height throughout.
5. The Lunge - Hitting - Direct Attack
Key points:
Straighten sword arm to point sword at target; lift front toe; simultaneously kick forward with front foot and drive forward with rear leg straightening. Land on heel of front foot, with front knee above heel; rear arm thrown back for balance; body stays upright and front foot ends pointing forwards.
6. Simple Parry with Direct Riposte
Key points:
Parry (example given is for parry of quarte): sword hand is rotated so thumb is inwards, and whole hand moved across to opposite side of body at the same height. The thick part of the blade (‘forte’) near the guard makes contact with the opponent’s blade as it threatens you and deflects the point of the opponent’s blade away from your target area.
Riposte: straighten arm immediately after the parry to hit opponent. Point of foil must land on valid target, having the character of penetration (as if, were the point sharp, it would have pierced the opponent’s flesh).
7. Simple Parry with Direct first Counter-Riposte
Key points:
(A counter-riposte is made following a parry of the opponent’s riposte. That is, if you have attacked, and the opponent has parried and riposted, you parry their riposte and make a first counter-riposte. If the opponent parries this and makes a further counter-riposte, this is called the second counter riposte; if you parry that and riposte again that is the third counter-riposte, and so on. The actions must have the features described at 6 above.)
Describe:
1. How to use your foil safely
Key points:
Keep the point down when carrying your foil when not fencing. Do not tuck the foil under your arm or hold it in any way that may cause danger to other people around or behind you. Do not point the foil at anyone who is not wearing a mask. Do not hold the foil too tightly or hit with unnecessary force. Ensure the blade is straight and not broken before starting to fence and that it has a button (or complete electric tip for electric fencing ).
2. How to fence safely
Key points:
Ensure that you and your opponent are both wearing the correct protective clothing: mask, jacket (correctly fastened) and plastron and long trousers at a minimum (girls/women should wear chest protector); stop fencing when the president says ‘halt’.
3. The Target Area
Key points:
The foil target area is the torso, excluding the arms, legs and head. On the fencer’s back the valid target stops at the waist.
4. The Principles of Fencing with the foil
Key points:
The aim of foil fencing is to hit the opponent without being hit. Foil fencing observes the principles of priority: if your opponent starts to attack you, you must defend yourself before attempting to hit your opponent; otherwise, if you both hit each other at the same time, your opponent, having started the attack first, will be awarded the hit.
5. Fencing Etiquette
Key points:
Courtesy and sporting behaviour at all times. Salute opponent, president, (judges and) spectators before bout; acknowledge if you have been hit; after a bout, shake hands with your opponent (using the non-sword hand). Obey all instructions from the president.
GRADE 2
Demonstrate: (with coach or partner) - While following your partner's steps forward and backward –
1. Maintain fencing line
2. Maintain correct distances for hitting with - Riposte - Lunge - Step forward lunge
Key points:
Riposting distance – you must be able to hit by extension of arm having completed parry, without foot movement
Lunging distance – you must be far enough away that a hit by extension of arm is not possible, but able to hit with a lunge
Step forward lunging distance – you must be far enough away that a hit with lunge alone is not possible, but able to hit with a single step forward and a lunge.
The specified distance must be maintained for several steps forward and back with coach or partner
3. Maintain lunging distance and make a direct attack with a lunge each time your partner pauses
Key points:
Assume Lunging distance as at grade 2, no. 2 above. This distance must be maintained for several steps forward and back with coach or partner. When partner pauses, you must immediately lunge as at grade 1, no. 5
From a stationary position:
1. Guards of Septime and Octave
Key points:
Guard of septime: as for guard of quarte (grade 1, no. 3.) except the forearm and hand are lowered so that the hand is slightly lower than the elbow and the point of the sword slightly lower than the hand.
Guard of octave: as for guard of sixte (grade 1, no. 3.) except the forearm and hand are lowered so that the hand is slightly lower than the elbow and the point of the sword slightly lower than the hand.
2. Engagements in Sixte, Quarte, Septime and Octave - Changes of Engagements - Pressures
Key points:
Engaging in sixte: place your sword so that it is touching the opponent’s blade and the opponent’s blade is to the outside of your sword arm and outside the line of your target on the sword arm side (you are ‘covered’)
Engaging in quarte: you place your sword so that it is touching the opponent’s blade and the opponent’s blade is to the inside of your sword arm but outside the line of your target on the side opposite the sword arm (you are ‘covered’)
3. Disengage Attack with a lunge on partner's pressure from:
o Engagement in Sixte
o Engagement in Quarte
Key points:
When you feel opponent put pressure on your blade, disengage: make a small circular action with the blade so that it ducks under the opponent’s blade and up on the other side; extend the arm and lunge correctly (as at grade 1, no. 5).
To execute the disengage attack from engagement in sixte (as above) correctly, you must assume correct engagement on command as for engagement in sixte (grade 2, no. 2 above).
To execute the disengage attack from engagement in quarte (as above)c orrectly, you must assume correct engagement on command as for engagement in quarte (grade 2, no. 2 above).
4. Circular Parry of:
o Sixte with Direct Riposte
Key points:
When the opponent’s blade threatens your target on the inside of the sword arm, you move your sword in a small circular action (clockwise for right handed fencer; anticlockwise for left handed fencer) to collect the opponent’s blade and move it away from the target outside the sword arm. The thick part of the blade (‘forte’) near the guard makes contact with the opponent’s blade as it threatens you and deflects the point of the oponent’s blade away from your target area.
Riposte: straighten arm immediately after the parry to hit opponent. Point of foil must land on valid target, having the character of penetration (as if, were the point sharp, it would have pierced the opponent’s flesh).
o Quarte with Direct Riposte
Key points:
When the opponent’s blade threatens your target on the outside of the sword arm, you move your blade in a small circular action (anticlockwise for right handed fencer; clockwise for left handed fencer) to collect the opponent’s blade and move it away from the target outside the sword arm. The thick part of the blade (‘forte’) near the guard makes contact with the opponent’s blade as it threatens you and deflects the point of the opponent’s blade away from your target area.
Riposte: straighten arm immediately after the parry to hit opponent. Point of foil must land on valid target, having the character of penetration (as if, were the point sharp, it would have pierced the opponent’s flesh).
Describe:
1. Courteous and respectful behaviour and fencers "Pledges of Honour" (cf. t.114, t.116, t.120)
Key points: By the mere fact of entering a fencing competition, the fencers pledge their honour to observe the Rules and the decisions of the officials, to be respectful towards the referees and judges and scrupulously to obey the orders and injunctions of the Referee. Failure to do so may result in the fencer being penalised in accordance with the rules stated. (Rules of fencing, t.84)
2. Parts of the Foil
Key points:
Identify and name: Pommel (French handle foil only), handle, martingale (French handle foil only), pad, guard, forte, middle, foible, button or tip
3. Dimensions of the Piste
Key points: The piste is fourteen metres long by 1.5 or 2 metres wide. Across the middle of the piste (seven metres from either end) is the centre line. The on guard lines are two metres either side of the middle of the length of the piste; the warning lines are two metres from the end of the piste at each end and the area behind the warning line at each end is shaded.
