La terminologie

The Terminology

This post contains an A - Z guide on fencing terminology.

As with any sport, it's important to learn the correct terminology used in general conversation regarding the sport. An understanding of what your teammates and coaches are referring to when they say a specific word enables players to get tasks done quicker, not waste practice time with explanations, and to build an overall functioning team dynamic.

In fencing there are quite a few words that are essential to practicing the sport, a few of them being in French, so I have devised a list of just about everything you will need to know.

Fencing terminology A - Z

Advance - step forward.

Beat - a sharp tap on an opponent's blade to initiate/threaten an attack.

Black card - a card given by the referee signifying a fencer has been expelled.

Bout - a fencing match between two fencers.

Centre line - a line across the center of the piste (field of play).

Corps-a-corps - a move when two fencers are so close they're unable to use their weapons,
                                 forbidden in foil and sabre.

Counter-parry - a defensive movement where a fencer makes a circular movement around the                                                 opponent's blade and moves it away.

Disengage - breaks contact between blades, done when a fencer passes their blade under the                                          opponent's blade.

Double hit - when both fencers hit their opponent within .04 of a second of each other, only
                    counted in épée.

En garde - French for "on guard", the position fencers take before a bout begins, or after a break                                   in the action.

Engage - blade to blade contact.

Feint - a false attack designed to force an opponent into a reaction that opens the way to a real                                 attack.

Fleche - a running attack.

Hit - a point scored by a touch with the tip of the blade (or the edge of the blade in sabre) against any
          part of the opponent's body in the target area.


Lunge - the basic attack in fencing where a fencer closes the distance between an opponent by                     moving the front leg forward while the back leg remains in place and stationary.

Octave - the eighth of eight defensive positions in fencing.

One-metre penalty - a penalty where the action is moved a meter further back on the piste for the                                     offending fencer before a bout is restarted.

On-guard line - a line on each side of the center line where a fencer stands to begin or resume a                               bout after a hit has been awarded.

Parry - a defensive action where a fencer blocks an opponent's blade.

Penalty hit - a hit credited to a fencer when the opponent commits an offense after a warning.

Prime - the first of eight defensive positions in fencing.

Quarte - the fourth of eight defensive positions in fencing.

Quinte - the fifth of eight defensive positions in fencing.

Recover - to return to en guard position after lunging.

Red card - a card from the referee signifying a penalty hit has been charged against a fencer for a
                  rules violation.

Redouble - to attack an opponent a second time after the opponent fails to counterattack.

Remise - to attack again immediately after the opponent has blocked the initial attack.

Right of way - a rule to eliminate simultaneous attacks between attacks in foil and sabre by
                         allowing a referee to determine who was on the offense at that moment and
                         had "right of way" to score a point.

Riposte - an action by a fencer who just blocked an attack by the opponent with a parry.

Seconde - the second of eight defensive positions in fencing.

Septime - the seventh of eight defensive positions in fencing.

Simultaneous - a no-hit ruling when two foil or sabre fencers hit each other at the same time with
                            an attack, redouble, or remise.

Sixte - the sixth of eight defensive positions in fencing.

Stop-thrust - a sudden counterattack made by extending without lunging.

Target - the portion of an opponent's body which may be touched with a weapon to score points.

Thrust - to extend the arm and sword towards the opponent.

Tierce - the third of eight defensive positions in fencing.

Touch - a hit with the point of a weapon or a cut with the edge of the sabre, scoring a point.

Warning line - a line two meters inside the rear line warning the fencer they're nearing the end
                        of the piste.

Yellow card - a card from the referee signifying a warning has been issued to a fencer for violating a
                       rule. [1]


Sources

All definitions on this page retrieved from:
1. Fencing Equipment and History. olympic.org. Retrieved 2013-11-06.