Select the first letter of the word from the list above to
jump to appropriate section of the glossary. If the term you are looking for
starts with a digit or symbol, choose the '#' link.
- Absence of Blade
- When the blades are not touching; opposite of engagement.
- Advance
- A movement forward by step, cross, or balestra.
- Aids
- The last three fingers of the sword hand.
- Analysis
- Reconstruction of the fencing phrase to determine priority
of touches
- Assault
- Friendly combat between two fencers. Attack: the initial
offensive action made by extending the sword arm and continuously threatening
the valid target of the opponent.
- Attack au Fer
- An attack that is prepared by deflecting the opponent's
blade, eg. beat, press, froissement.
- Backsword
- An archaic, edged, unpointed sword used in prizefighting;
also singlestick..
- Balestra
- A forward hop or jump, typically followed by an attack such
as a lunge or fleche.
- Bayonet
- A type of electrical connector for foil and sabre.
- Beat
- An attempt to knock the opponent's blade aside or out of
line by using one's foible or middle against the opponent's foible.
- Baudry point
- A safety collar placed around a live epee point to pre=
vent dangerous penetration.
- Bind
- An action in which the opponent's blade is forced into the
diagonally opposite line.
- Black Card
- Used to indicate the most serious offences in a fencing
competition. The offending fencer is usually expelled from the event or tournament.
- Bout
- An assault at which the score is kept.
- Broadsword
- Any sword intended for cutting instead of thrusting; sabre.
- Broken Time
- A sudden change in the tempo of one fencer's actions, u=
sed to fool the opponent into responding at the wrong time.
- Button
- The safety tip on the end of practice and sporting swords.
- Change of Engagement
- Engagement of the opponent's blade in the opposite line.
- Commanding the blade
- Grabbing the opponent's blade with the off-hand, illegal
in sport fencing.
- Compound
- Also composed; an action executed in two or more movements;
an attack or riposte incorporating one or more feints.
- Conversation
- The back-and-forth play of the blades in a fencing match,
composed of phrases (phrases d'armes) punctuated by gaps of no blade action.
- Counter-attack
- An offensive action made against the right-of-way, or in
response to the opponent's attack.
- Counter-disengage
- a disengage in the opposite direction, to deceive the counter-parry.
- Counter-parry
- A parry made in the opposite line to the attack; ie. the
defender first comes around to the opposite side of the opponent's blade.
- Counter-riposte
- An attack that follows a parry of the opponent's riposte.
- Counter-time
- An attack that responds to the opponent's counter-attack,
typically a riposte following the parry of the counter-attack.
- Corps-a-corps:
- Lit. "body-to-body"; physical contact between
the two fencers during a bout, illegal in foil and sabre.
- Coule'
- Also graze, glise', or glissade; an attack or feint that
slides along the opponent's blade.
- Coup lance':
- A launched hit; an attack that starts before a stop in play
but lands after. Valid for normal halts, but not valid at end of time.
- Coupe':
- Also cut-over; an attack or deception that passes around
the opponent's tip.
- Croise:
- Also semi-bind; an action in which the opponent's blade
is forced into the high or low line on the same side.
- Cross:
- An advance or retreat by crossing one leg over the other;
also passe' avant (forward cross), passe' arriere (backwards cross).
- Cut:
- An attack made with a chopping motion of the blade, normally
landing with the edge.
- Deception:
- Avoidance of an attempt to engage the blades; seedisengage,
coupe'
- Derobement:
- Deception of the attack au fer or prise de fer.
- Direct:
- A simple attack or riposte that finishes in the same line
in which it was formed, with no feints out of that line.
- Disengage:
- A circular movement of the blade that deceives the opponent's
parry, removes the blades from engagement, or changes the line of engagement.
- Displacement:
- Moving the target to avoid an attack; dodging.
- Double:
- In epee, two attacks that arrive within 40-50 ms of eachother.
- Double-time:
- Also "dui tempo"; parry-riposte as two distinct
actions.
- Double':
- An attack or riposte that describes a complete circle around
the opponent's blade, and finishes in the opposite line.
- Dry:
- Also steam; fencing without electric judging aids.
- Engagement:
- When the blades are in contact with each other, eg. during
a parry, attack au fer, prise de fer, or coule'.
- En Garde:
- Also On Guard; the fencing position; the stance that fencers
assume when preparing to fence.
- Envelopment:
- An engagement that sweeps the opponent's blade through a
full circle.
- Epee:
- A fencing weapon with triangular cross-section blade and
a large bell guard; also a light duelling sword of similar design, popular
in the mid-19th century; epee de terrain; duelling sword.
- False:
- An action that is intended to fail, but draw a predicted
reaction from the opponent; also, the back edge of a sabre blade.
- Feint:
- An attack into one line with the intention of switching
to another line before the attack is completed.
- Fencing Time:
- Also temps d'escrime; the time required to complete a single,
simple fencing action.
- FIE:
- Federation Internationale d'Escrime, the world governing
body of fencing.
- Finta in tempo:
- lit. "feint in time"; a feint of counter-attack
that draws a counter-time parry, which is decieved; a compound counter-attack.
- Fleche:
- lit. "arrow"; an attack in which the aggressor
leaps off his leading foot, attempts to make the hit, and then passes the
opponent at a run.
- Flick:
- A cut-like action that lands with the point, often involving
some whip of the foible of the blade to "throw" the point around
a block or other obstruction.
- Florentine:
- An antiquated fencing style where a secondary weapon or
other instrument is used in the off hand.
- Flying Parry or Riposte:
- A parry with a backwards glide and riposte by cut-over.
- Foible:
- The upper, weak part of the blade.
- Foil:
- A fencing weapon with rectangular cross-section blade and
a small bell guard; any sword that has been buttoned to render it less dangerous
for practice.
- Forte:
- The lower, strong part of the blade.
- French Grip:
- A traditional hilt with a slightly curved grip and a large
pommel.
- Froissement:
- An attack that displaces the opponent's blade by a strong
grazing action.
- Fuller:
- The groove that runs down a sword blade to reduce weight.
- Glide:
- See coule'.
- Guard:
- The metal cup or bow that protects the hand from being hit.
Also, the defensive position assumed when not attacking.
- Hilt:
- The handle of a sword, consisting of guard, grip, and pommel.
- Homologated:
- Certified for use in FIE competitions, eg. 800N clothing
and maraging blades.
-
- In Quartata:
- A counter-attack made with a quarter turn to the inside,
concealing the front but exposing the back.
- In Time:
- At least one fencing time before the opposing action, especially
with regards to a stop-hit.
- Indirect:
- A simple attack or riposte that finishes in the opposite
line to which it was formed.
- Insistence:
- Forcing an attack through the parry.
- Interception:
- A counter-attack that intercepts and checks anindirect attack
or other disengagement.
- Invitation:
- A line that is intentionally left open to encourage the
opponent to attack.
- Italian Grip: a traditional hilt with finger
rings and crossbar.
- Judges:
- Additional officials who assist the referee in detecting
illegal or invalid actions, such as floor judges or hand judges.
- Jury:
- The 4 officials who watch for hits in a dry fencing bout.
- Kendo:
- Japanese fencing, with two-handed swords.
- Lame':
- A metallic vest/jacket used to detect valid touches in foiland
sabre.
- Line:
- The main direction of an attack (eg., high/low, inside/outside),
often equated to the parry that must be made to deflect the attack; also point
in line.
- Lunge:
- An attack made by extending the rear leg and landing on
thebent front leg.
- Mal-parry:
- Also mal-pare'; a parry that fails to prevent the attackfrom
landing.
- Manipulators:
- Tthe thumb and index finger of the sword hand.
- Maraging:
- A special steel used for making blades; said to be stronger
and break more cleanly than conventional steels.
- Marker Points:
- An old method of detecting hits using inked points.
- Martingale:
- A strap that binds the grip to the wrist/forearm.
- Match:
- The aggregate of bouts between two fencing teams.
- Measure:
- The distance between the fencers.
- Middle:
- The middle third of the blade, between foible and forte.
- Moulinet:
- A whirling cut, executed from the wrist or elbow.
- Neuvieme:
- An unconventional parry (#9) sometimes described as blade
behind the back, pointing down (a variant of octave), other times similar
to elevated sixte.
- Octave:
- Parry #8; blade down and to the outside, wrist supinated.
- Opposition:
- Holding the opponent's blade in a non-threatening line;
a time-hit; any attack or counter-attack with opposition.
- Parry:
- A block of the attack, made with the forte of one's own
blade; also parade.
- Pass:
- An attack made with a cross; eg. fleche. Also, the act of
moving past the opponent.
- Passata-sotto:
- A lunge made by dropping one hand to the floor.
- Passe':
- An attack that passes the target without hitting; also a
cross-step (see cross).
- Phrase:
- A set of related actions and reactions in a fencing conversation.
- Pineapple tip:
- A serrated epee point used prior to electric judging.
- Piste:
- The linear strip on which a fencing bout is fought; approx.
2m wide and 14m long.
- Pistol Grip:
- A modern, orthopaedic grip, shaped vaguely like a small
pistol; varieties are known by names such as Belgian, German, Russian, and
Visconti.
- Plaque':
- A point attack that lands flat.
- Plastron:
- A partial jacket worn for extra protection; typically a
half-jacket worn under the main jacket on the weapon-arm side of the body.
- Point:
- A valid touch; the tip of the sword; the mechanical assembly
that makes up the point of an electric weapon; an attack made with the point
(ie. a thrust)
- Point in Line:
- Also line; an extended arm and blade that threatens the
opponent.
- Pommel:
- A fastener that attaches the grip to the blade.
- Preparation:
- A non-threatening action intended to create the opening
for an attack; the initial phase of an attack, before right-of-way is
established.
- Presentation:
- Offering one's blade for engagement by the opponent.
- Press:
- An attempt to push the opponent's blade aside or out of
line; depending on the opponent's response, the press is followed by a direct
or indirect attack.
- Prime:
- Parry #1; blade down and to the inside, wrist pronated.
- Principle of Defence:
- The use of forte against foible when parrying.
- Priority:
- In sabre, the now-superceded rules that decide which fencer
will be awarded the touch in the event that they both attack simultaneously;
also used synonymously with right-of-way.
- Prise de Fer:
- Also taking the blade; an engagement of the blades that
forces the opponent's weapon into a new line. See: bind, croise, envelopment,
opposition.
- Quarte:
- Parry #4; blade up and to the inside, wrist supinated.
- Quinte:
- Parry #5; blade up and to the inside, wrist pronated. In
sabre, the blade is held above the head to protect from head cuts.
- Rapier:
- A long, double-edged thrusting sword popular in the 16th-17th
centuries.
- Red Card:
- Used to indicate repeated minor rule infractions or a major
rule infraction by one of the fencers; results in a point being given to the
other fencer.
- Redoublement:
- A new action that follows an attack that missed or was parried;
renewal of a failed attack in the opposite line; alternatively see Reprise.
- Referee:
- Also director, president; the mediator of the fencing bout.
- Remise:
- Immediate replacement of an attack that missed or was parried,
without withdrawing the arm.
- Reprise:
- Renewal of an attack that missed or was parried, after a
return to en-garde; alternatively see Redoublement.
- Retreat:
- Step back; opposite of advance.
- Ricasso:
- The portion of the tang between the grip and the blade,
present on Italian hilts and most rapiers.
- Right-of-way:
- Rules for awarding the point in the event of a double touch
in foil or sabre.
- Riposte:
- An offensive action made immediately after a parry of the
opponent's attack.
- Sabre:
- A fencing weapon with a flat blade and knuckle guard, used
with cutting or thrusting actions; a military sword popular in the 18th to
20th centuries; any cutting sword used by cavalry.
- Salle:
- A fencing hall or club.
- Salute:
- With the weapon, a customary acknowledgement of one's
opponent and referee at the start and end of the bout.
- Schlager:
- German fraternity duelling sword, used with cuts to the
face and no footwork.
- Second Intention:
- A false action used to draw a response from the opponent,
which will open the opportunity for the intended action that follows, typically
a counter-riposte.
- Seconde:
- Parry #2; blade down and to the outside, wrist pronated.
- Septime:
- Parry #7; blade down and to the inside, wrist supinated.
- Simple:
- Executed in one movement; an attack or riposte that involves
no feints.
- Simultaneous:
- In foil and sabre, two attacks for which the right-of-way
is too close to determine.
- Single Stick:
- An archaic form of fencing with basket-hilted wooden
sticks.
- Single-time:
- Also "stesso tempo"; parry-riposte as a single
action.
- Sixte:
- Parry #6; blade up and to the outside, wrist supinated.
- Small Sword:
- A light duelling sword popular in the 17th-18th centuries,
precursor to the foil.
- Stop Hit:
- A counter-attack that hits; also a counter-attack whose
touch is valid by virtue of it's timing.
- Stop Cut:
- A stop-hit with the edge in sabre, typically to the cuff.
- Three Prong:
- A type of epee body wire/connector; also an old-fashioned
tip that would snag clothing, to make it easier to detect hits in the pre-electric
era.
- Thrown Point:
- A "flick".
- Thrust:
- An attack made by moving the sword parallel to its length
and landing with the point.
- Tierce:
- Parry #3; blade up and to the outside, wrist pronated.
- Time Hit:
- Also time-thrust; old name for stop hit with opposition.
- Trompement:
- Deception of the parry.
- Two Prong:
- A type of body-wire/connector, used in foil and sabre.
- (empty)
- (empty)
- Whip-over:
- In sabre, a touch that results from the foible of the blade
whipping over the opponent's guard or blade when parried.
- Whites:
- Fencing clothing.
- (empty)
- Yellow Card:
- Also advertissement, warning; used to indicate a minor rule
infraction by one of the fencers.
- (empty)
- (empty)
Revised:
August 26, 1999
.
Copyright © 1995 by [SomeOrganization].
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