Sword Fighters Australia

Fencing commentary, coaching, services and products from Chris Jones

Glossary

The Swordfighters ” Fencing Glossary “

Absence of Blade	Absence de fer. When the blades are not touching; opposite of engagement.
Advance	Marche. A movement forward by step, cross, or balestra.
AFF	Australian Fencing Federation
Aids	Aides. The last three fingers of the sword hand.
Allez	“Fence / Go”
Alligator clip	Metal clip attaching body wire to Lamé conducting electrical signals during bouts for Foil, Epee
Analysis	Reconstruction of the fencing phrase to determine priority (more skilful action) of touches
Arm	Weapon holding or sword arm and target in Sabre / Epee
Armourer	Person responsible for weapon repairing / maintenance at a competition, often sells fencing gear as well.
Assault	Assaut, Combat. Friendly combat between two fencers.
Attack	Attaque. The initial offensive action made by extending the sword arm and continuously threatening the valid target of the opponent.
Attack au Fer	Attaque au fer An attack that is prepared by deflecting the opponent’s blade, eg. beat, froissement, pressure.

Back arm	Non weapon arm, must be away from target area, used for balance
Back foot	90^o to front foot, leads backwards movement
Back hand	Non weapon hand, not used except for balance, offered to shake hands at end / beginning of bout.
Back leg	Trailing leg, bent at 90^o
Back line	End of fencing piste / strip, penalty applies when back over end
Barrage	A fence off between two or more fencers who are tied in the competition results.
Battement	A beat.
Balestra	Balestra A forward hop or jump, typically followed by an attack such as a lunge or fleche.
Baudry Point	Baudry point: a safety collar placed around a live epee point to prevent dangerous penetration.
Bayonet	Connecteur à baïonnette A type of electrical connector for weapons.
Beat	Battement 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.
Benderole	In Sabre A flowing / rolling diagonal chest cut.
Bind	Liement An action in which the opponent’s blade is forced into the diagonally opposite line.
Black Card	Carte noir A penalty receivedUsed to indicate the most serious offences in a fencing competition. The offending fencer is excluded from the event or tournament with no points awarded
Board	Target board used for exercises
Bodywire	Electrical cord that plugs blade and lame into circuit
Bout	Match A formal “combat” between 2 fencers at which the score is kept.
Bout Line	An imaginary straight line passing from the rear heel through the front foot of one fencer and continuing through the front foot to the rear heel of the opponent as they face each other in the fencing position.
Bout plane	An imaginary two dimensional plane that rises from the bout line perpendicular to the fencing strip.
Box	Electrical apparatus that is used by all 3 weapons, circuit used, eg blade –> bodywire –> spool -> box used to assist referee in competition, scoring apparatus.
Breeches	Protective pants, knee high traditionally white, FIE sanctioned in competition.
Broken Time	Changement de Rythme A sudden change in the tempo of one fencer’s actions, used to fool the opponent into responding at the wrong time.
Button	Mouche; Bouton The safety tip on the end of practice swords.
Break	To interrupt the opponent’s actions by retreating out of distance or by intercepting his feint prior to the finale of his attack.

Cadence:	The rhythm of a fencer’s movements.
Ceding Parry:	A yielding parry. Allowing the attacker to keep control of the blade during a prise de fer ; as the prise de fer is completed, the defender then bends his arm into the line in which the prise de fer has carried his blade. By doing this, the attacker’s point, during his final thrust, falls into the forte of the defender’s blade and is deflected from the target.
Certificate	Award received on completion of grading.
Champion	1 / A fencer who achieves first place in a competition 2 / commonly given term for a fencer skilled in the art of fencing. 3 / A fencer currently holding the current tournament title ie World Champion, Olympic Champion, National Champion
Classement	Classement A Fencer’s classification (Rank) in a competition
Change of Engagement	Engagement of the opponent’s blade in the opposite line.
Closed Line	A line of engagement when the defender’s weapon is protecting the line to a straight thrust.
Coach	Person who teaches fencers technical skills via group and individual lessons, sanctioned and a certified instructor
Coaching jacket	Protective outer jacket worn be coach as target area for student, often leather or rubber lined. Traditionally black, brown or dark blue.
Counter-attack	Contre-attaque An attack made against the right-of-way, or in response to the opponent’s attack.
Counter-time	Contre-temps An attack that responds to the opponent’s counter- attack, typically a riposte following the parry of the counter-attack.
Counter-parry	Contre-parade 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	Contre-riposte An attack that follows a parry of the opponent’s riposte.
Commanding the blade	Grabbing the opponent’s blade with the off-hand, illegal in sport fencing.
Competition	Fencing event ordered into poule bouts and then d/e bouts resulting in seeds and then a final champion
Conversation	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.
Corps-a-corps	Corps à corps lit. “body-to-body”; physical contact between the two fencers during a bout, illegal in foil and sabre.
Coquille	The bell-shaped guard of a foil or epee
Counter-disengage	Contre-dégagement A disengage in the opposite direction, to deceive the counter-parry.
Coup lancé	See flick ; “Coup déjà lancé” (Art. 32.2; 46; 47) : 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.
Coup de taille	Coup de taille An attack made with a chopping motion of the blade, landing with the edge or point.
Cross	Passe avant, passe arrière An advance or retreat by crossing one leg over the other; also passe’ avant (forward cross), passe’ arriere (backwards cross).
Coulé	Coulé Also graze, glise’, or glissade; an attack or feint that slides along the opponent’s blade.
Compound attack	Attaque composée ou parade composée Also composed; an attack or riposte incorporating one or more feints to the opposite line that the action finishes in. also composed; an action executed in two or more movements
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.
Croise	Croisé Also semi-bind; an action in which the opponent’s blade is forced into the high or low line on the same side.
Cut	An attack made with a chopping motion of the blade, normally landing with the edge.
Cut over / Coupe	Coupé Also cut-over; an attack or deception that passes around the opponent’s tip.

Deception	Deception Avoidance of an attempt to engage the blades; see disengage, coupe’
Demi-contre parry	A half counter-parry from fourth to seventh, or sixth to eighth lines
Demi-disengage	A half disengage from the high to low, or low to high lines
Derobe	Dérobement Deception of the attack au fer or prise de fer.
Derobement	Dérobement Avoidance of an attempt to engage the blades; see disengage, coupe’
Dexterity	Adroitness in using the fingers to manipulate the blade involving fine / gross motor skills
Direct	Coup droit A simple attack or riposte that finishes in the same line in which it was formed, with no feints out of that line.
Disarm	Forcing the opponent to entirely release his grip on his weapon.
Disengage	Dégagement A circular movement of the blade that deceives the opponent’s parry, removes the blades from engagement, or changes the line of engagement.
Displacement	Esquive Moving the target to avoid an attack; dodging.
Direct elimination	Bout to 15 hit / touches to continue progression in a competition
D/T	Tournament Director
Double (Hit)	Coup double in epee, two attacks that arrive within 40-50 ms of each other.
Doublé	Doublé An attack or riposte that describes a complete circle around the opponent’s blade, and finishes in the opposite line.
Double-time:	Also “dui tempo”; parry-riposte as two distinct actions.
Dry	Fleuret (épée, sabre) mécanique Also steam; fencing without electric scoring aids.
Duck	Physically avoiding attack in a downward action

Edge	Outer line of blade (Sabre)
En-garde	En garde 1/ also On Guard; the fencing position; the stance that fencers assume when preparing to fence.2/ term used to start a bout
Engage-ment	Engagement When the blades are in contact with each other, eg. during a parry, attack au fer, prise de fer, or coule’.
Envelopment	Enveloppement An engagement that sweeps the opponent’s blade through a full circle.
EpeeFigure 1 in appendix	Épée 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.
Epeeist	Competitor using specific fencing weapon – Epee
Escrime	“Fencing” in French language
Esquive	Any body movement made to avoid being hit, such as ducking, side stepping, withdrawing.
Exhaustive sheets	Type of Competitive format used to define exact position of each fencer.
Extension	Thrusting with the weapon arm.

False	Fausse attaque An action that is intended to fail, but draw a predicted reaction from the opponent; also, the back edge of a sabre blade.
Feint	Feinte an attack into one line with the intention of switching to another line before the attack is completed.
Fencing	The art or sport of using a foil, épée, or saber in attack and defense.
Fencing Distance	The space between two fencers at any given moment.
Fencing Socks	Long knee length socks padded to protect shins, worn to the knee, historically white
Fencing Shoes	Specifically designed flat rubber soled sports shoes for the competitive level – flexible, flat and light weight, sole extends to the heel can be left or right handed
Fencers	Persons skilled in the art / sport of fencing
Fencing Victoria	(VAFA) Fencing Association of Victoria
Fencing time	Temps d’escrime Also temps d’escrime; the time required to complete a single, simple fencing action.
F.I.E	Fédération Internationale d’EscrimeThe regulatory organizing world governing body of international fencing.
Final	Last competitive bout of a competition
Finale	The last movement of an offensive or defensive action.
Fifteen (15) hits	15 individual awarded points in direct elimination bout
Five (5) hits	5 individual awarded points in poule bout
Flank	Side of torso, lateral aspect of torso beneath arms
Flash	award received for completing a “Form”
Fleche	Flèche 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	Coup lancé, “Bingo” 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.
Flunge	Leaping athletic lunge, both feet land forwards in same sequence, Sabre specific action which replaces fleche
Foible	Le faible de la lame The upper, weak part of the blade.
Foil Figure 3 in appendix	Fleuret 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.
Foilist	Competitor using specific fencing weapon - Foil
Foil tape	Protective wrap used to insulate foible / barrel of weapon prevents “earthing” of tip on opponents lame’
Footwork	Physical movement of foot / legs forwards – backwards direction specific aids timing, tempo, distance, essential in the mastering of the sport
Forte	Le fort de la lame the lower 3^rd, strong part of the blade, used to parry, defensive area of weapon
French grip	Poignée droite A traditional hilt with a slightly curved grip and a large pommel.
Froissment	Froissement an attack that displaces the opponent’s blade by a strong grazing action.
Flying Parry or Riposte	A parry with a backwards glide and riposte by cut-over.
Florentine	Combat à la florentine A fencing style where a secondary weapon or other instrument is used in the off hand.
Finta in tempo	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.
Fuller	the groove that runs down a sword blade to reduce weight

Gauntlet	Sabre target area on weapon arm, protective section of glove
Glove	Weapon hand specific protective covering, aids in gripping of handle
Glide	Coulé See coule’.
Glue	Adhesive paste used for affixing weapon wires in blade groove channel.
Grip	The handle of weapon, orthotic or French, Italian; historically wood, may be wrapped in leather plastic or rubber
Grub screw	Small fixing screws (2) used to secure tip in the barrel. In Foil and Epee
Guard	Coquille The metal cup or bow that protects the hand from being hit. Also, the defensive position assumed when not attacking.

Hand judge	Persons called in to observe a bout they watch for hits on the fencer opposite their end of the strip. A judge acknowledges a hit by raising his or her hand, attracting the attention of the referee
Hand signal	Form of semaphore used by the referee to describe and signal actions – effective for TV and large venues.
Halt / Stop	Cessation of action called for by the referee
High line	Blade / arm position aimed at upper torso.That part of the target area above an imaginary horizontal line drawn through the centre of the target.
Hit	Touch to target area
Hilt	Garde the handle of a sword, consisting of guard, grip, and pommel.
Homologated	Homologué Certified for use in FIE competitions, eg. 800N clothing and maraging blades.
Honour	Sportsmanlike behaviour synonymous with fencing – etiquette involving the salute, hand shaking and acknowledgements

Indirect	Attaque indirecte A simple attack or riposte that finishes in the opposite line to which it was formed.
Instinct	Ability to maintain control (the ego) and reach a state of success as a physical being relying on the pragmatic use of force and aggression; unlearned physical response. Compare Intellect.
Insulation“Spaghetti”	Plastic tubing used to insulate copper wire from the blade used in the guard and socket of the weapon, commonly called “spaghetti”
Insistence	Coup droit d’autorité Forcing an attack through the opponent’s parry.
[First] Intention	An action you make with conscious intent to score.
[Second] Intention	An action you make to trap your opponent, such as a false attack intended to draw the riposte
In Quartata	In quartata An attack made with a quarter turn to the inside, concealing the front but exposing the back.
In Time	Coup de temps When a stop-hit arrives at least one fencing time before the original attack.
Inside Line	Part of the target toward the unarmed hand from an imaginary vertical line drawn through the center of the target.
Interception	A counter-attack that intercepts and checks an indirect attack or other disengagement.
Invitation	InviteA line that is intentionally left open to encourage the opponent to attack.
Italian Grip	Poignée italienne A traditional hilt with finger rings and crossbar.
Italian relay	Form of competition between 2 teams of 3 fencers, each fencer has 3 bouts each the first team to 45points wins

Jacket	Protective clothing covering torso and arms of fencer, fitted to body type and FIE regulated LH/RH, traditionally white
Judges	Additional officials who assist the referee in detecting illegal or invalid actions, such as floor judges or hand judges.
Jump	1 / Athletic action to avoid opponent.2 / A forward or backward movement where both of your feet leave the ground simultaneously and land simultaneously
Junior	under 20
Jury	The 4 officials who watch for hits in a dry fencing bout.

Lamé	Plastron électrique A metallic outer vest/jacket used to detect valid touches in foil and sabre.
Leaving strip	Illegal movement off the designated piste
Lesson	Instructive coaching session either individual or group
Line	Ligne The main direction of an attack (eg., high/low, inside/outside), direction of blade. often equated to the parry that must be made to deflect the attack; also point in line.
Lights	red, green, white
Low line	Blade / arm position aimed at lower torsoThat part of the target area below an imaginary horizontal line drawn through the center of the target.
Lunge	Fente A ballistic attacking movement made by extending the rear leg and landing on the bent front leg. Typically beginning with the hand extending first in time with action

Manipulators	Manipulateurs The thumb and index finger of the sword hand.
Martingale	Martingale A strap that binds the grip to the wrist/forearm.
Mask	Protective head / face covering wore by fencers, strong FIE standard metal mesh. weapon specific target area (Sabre/ Epee)
Mask wire	Conductive insulated wire connecting Sabre Lame to Sabre Mask
Mask bib	Protective throat covering attached to base of mask
Master of arms	Maitre d’Armes In fencing, the title is awarded by various fencing institutions for mastery at instruction as judged by the institution. This also includes submitting a written thesis on an aspect of fencing instruction equivalent to a university master’s thesis. Maestro is the Italian and Spanish word for masterThe traditional levels of achievement awarded are, in ascending order, Moniteur, Prevot, and Maitre d’Armes (Monitor, Prevost, and Master of Arms).

Match	Match the aggregate of bouts between two fencing teams.
Mal-parry	Parade insuffisante Also mal-paré; a parry that fails to prevent the attack from landing.
Maraging	Maraging A special steel used for making blades; said to be stronger and break more cleanly than conventional steels.
Measure	Mesure The distance between the fencers.
Middle	Milieu de la lame The middle third of the blade, between foible and forte.
Multimeter	Electrical device used to test fencing equipment
Moulinet	A whirling cut, executed from the wrist or elbow.
Misses	A referee decision: attack falls short or actually misses target
Musketeer	1 / Often named Junior fencers class 2 / Historically an elite guard unit charged with protecting the French King 3 / Often told story “The Three Musketeers” (Les Trois Mousquetaires) is a novel by Alexandre Dumas. It recounts the adventures of a young man called D’Artagnan after he leaves home to become a musketeer. D’Artagnan is not one of the musketeers of the title; those are his friends Athos, Porthos, and Aramis. 4 / A foot soldier armed with a musket

Non valid	no point
Neuvieme	“Septime haute” An unconventional parry (#9) sometimes described as blade behind the back, pointing down (a variant of octave), other times similar to elevated sixte.
Nine (9) minutes	the length of time a d/e 15 hit bout

Off target	Touch to non specific target - non valid touch
Olympic Fencing	Elite form of fencing sport. FIE fencing competition Athletes represent their country and usually have to qualify thus then selected
On target	Touch to specific target area – valid touch
On guard	spelt and pronounced “En – Garde”
One-two	An attack consisting of two disengages in laterally opposite lines.
One-two-three	An attack consisting of three disengages in laterally opposite lines.
Opposition	Opposition 1/ holding the opponent’s blade in a non-threatening line; a time- hit; any attack or counter-attack with opposition. 2/ opponent
Opponent	Opposite fencer on the piste
Octave	(parry no Octave parry #8; blade down and to the outside, wrist supinated.
Outside Line	That part of the target toward the armed hand from an imaginary vertical line drawn through the target’s center.
Overhead	Electronic wire covering, connecting both fencers to box

Parry	Parade A block of the attack, made with the forte of one’s own blade.
Pass	Dépassement An attack made with a cross; eg. fleche, “Russian lunge”. Also, the act of moving past the opponent.
Passata-sotto	Passata Sotto A lunge made by dropping one hand to the floor.
Passé	Coup passé An attack that passes the target without hitting; also a cross- step (see cross).
Passivity	Cessation of non competitive engagement
Phrase	Phrases d’armes A set of related actions and reactions in a fencing conversation.
Point	threatening opponent with tip of weapon
Point

Sword Fighters Australia

Categories

Archives

Association links

Links

State Associations

Meta

Glossary