Article 159 of rec.sport.fencing: +-------------------+ | F E N C I N G | +-------------------+ This is a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) with answers, compiled for the UseNet newsgroup rec.sport.fencing. It is intended to reduce repetitive discussions on the Net by addressing commonly raised topics. This document is maintained by Morgan Burke (Email: morgan@sitka.triumf.ca). Contributions, corrections, and suggestions are welcome. Most of the questions and answers pertain to FIE (Olympic) Fencing; Japanese fencing (kendo, kenjustsu, iaido, etc.) is treated in a separate FAQ list ("Japanese Sword Arts") that can be found in the newsgroups rec.sport.fencing or rec.martial-arts. Part I of this FAQ deals with common questions about fencing, rules of competition, and equipment. Part II is a list of resources that are useful to the modern fencer (eg. suppliers, references, glossary). v3.0 *** Last Revised 1994-Apr-16 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- PART II: REFERENCES The following information is included in this document: 2.1 Fencing organizations 2.2 Equipment suppliers & outfitters 2.3 Fencing Books 2.4 Fencing Films 2.5 Fencing Videos 2.6 Fencing Software 2.7 Fencing Online 2.8 Glossary of terms ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2.1 Fencing Organizations Federation Internationale d'Escrime 32, Rue La Boetie 75008 Paris, France Amateur Fencing Association (Britain) 1 Barons Gate 33-35 Rothschild Road London W4 5HT Tel: 081 742-3032 Canadian Fencing Federation 1600 Prom. James Naismith Drive Gloucester, ON K1B 5N4 TEL: (613) 748-5633 FAX: (613) 748-5742 BBS: (613) 748-5881 United States Fencing Association 1750 East Boulder Street Colorado Springs, CO 80909-5774 TEL: (719) 578-4511 FAX: (719) 632-5737 Contact your national fencing body to get the addresses and phone numbers of your local/provincial/divisional fencing associations. 2.2 Equipment suppliers & outfitters Most of the following businesses will mail you a catalogue if requested. This FAQ does not endorse any of these companies. AUSTRALIA: Aladdin Sports 46 Hosken Street North Balwyn 3104 TEL: +61 3 479-1280 TEL: +61 3 479-1144 FAX: +61 3 816-3357 EMAIL: garwoli@latcs1.lat.oz.au CANADA: Herb Obst Agency (Allstar) Fencing Equipment of Canada CP 788 NDG Station 2407 Bayview Place Montreal, Quebec H4A 3S2 Calgary, Alberta T2V 0L6 TEL: (514) 482-2140 TEL: (403) 281-1384 FAX: (514) 485-9283 FAX: (403) 281-0043 Agents: Halifax: Barbara Daniel (902) 457-9228 Winnipeg: Milton Himsl (204) 284-4138 Ottawa: Ron Millette (613) 235-2226 Saskatoon: Dennis Duncan (306) 664-8527 Vancouver: Zbig Pietrusinski (604) 984-2157 BRITAIN: Blades Leon Paul 35 Edinburgh Drive 14 New North Street Staines, Middlesex TW18 1PJ London WC1N 3PW TEL: 0784 255-522 TEL: 071 405-3832 FAX: 0784 245-942 FAX: 071 405-3834 FRANCE: Prieur Soudet 15, rue de la Banque ??? Boulevard Voltaire ??? 75002 Paris 75002 Paris France France GERMANY: Uhlmann Fecht-Sport Allstar Fecht-Center Uhlandstrasse 12 Hofstattstrasse 16 D-7958 Laupheim D-7410 Reutlingen Deutschland Deutschland USA: Triplette Competiton Arms Blade Fencing Equipment, Inc. 162 W. Pine St. 212 West 15th St. Mt Airy, NC 27030 NY, NY 10011 TEL: (910) 786-5294 TEL: (212) 620-0114 FAX: (212) 620-0116 George Santelli, Inc. 465 South Dean St. American Fencers Supply Englewood, NJ 07631 1180 Folsom St. TEL: (201) 871-3105 San Francisco, CA 94103 TEL: (415) 863-7911 Colonial Distributing Fencing Equipment Uhlmann International PO Box 636 Wolf Finck, Pres. USA Headquarters Cedarburg, Wisconsin 53012 330 N. Fayette Drive TEL: (414) 377-9166 Fayetteville, GA 30214 FAX: (414) 377-9166 TEL: (404) 461-3809 The Fencing Post Zivkovic Modern Fencing Equipment 2543 Monticello Way 77 Arnold Road Santa Clara, CA 95051 Wellesley Hills, MA 02181 TEL: (408) 247-3604 Cheris Fencing Supply 5818 East Colfax Avenue Denver, CO 80220 TEL: (303) 321-8657 1-800-433-6232 Fax: (303) 321-8696 SCORING MACHINES ONLY: Commodore Systems Fencing Technologies (Saber 3-weapon box) P.O. Box 16181 P.O. Box 22992 Minneapolis, MN, 55416 Nashville, TN 37202 TEL/FAX: (612) 926-7955 TEL: 1-800-627-4903 EMAIL: richard-marciano@uiowa.edu (615) 329-9398 FAX: (615) 329-0640 EMAIL: howardef@macpost.vanderbilt.edu 2.3 Fencing Books This list has been compiled from suggestions by rec.sport.fencing readers, and is far from complete. Alaux, Modern Fencing (Charles Scribner, ?) Anderson, All About Fencing (Arco, 1970) Angelo, The School of Fencing (Land's End Press, 1971) Bowers, Foil Fencing (?, 1991?) Castello, The Theory and Practice of Fencing (Charles Scribner, 1933) Castello, Fencing (Ronald Press, 1962) Castle, The Schools and Masters of Fence (Arms & Armour Press, 1969) Crosnier, Fencing with the Foil (Faber & Faber, 1951) Curry, The Fencing Book (?, 1984) FIE, Rules of Competition (AFA, CFF, USFA, etc., every year) de Beaumont, Fencing: Ancient Art and Modern Sport (?, ?) Gaugler, Fencing Everyone (Hunter, 1987) Hutton, The Sword and the Centuries (Charles E. Tuttle, 1980) Lukovich, Electric Foil Fencing (Corvina Press, 1971) Lukovich, Fencing (Corvina Press, 1986) Morton, A-Z of Fencing (Antler, 1988?) Nadi, On Fencing (G.P. Putnam, 1943) Palffy-Alpar, Sword and Masque (FA Davis, 1967) Pitman, Fencing, Techniques of Foil, Epee, and Sabre (Crowood, 1988) Manley, Compleate Fencing (Doubleday, 198?) Selberg, Foil (Addison-Wesley, 1976) 2.4 Fencing Films The following films involve some amount of swordfighting or swashbuckling. They are rated on a four-star system, which is a general critics' opinion of the film as a whole, not an indicator of the quality or quantity of the film's fencing. Major actors and occasionally the director (denoted by a '!') are named. Films with 2 stars or less have been omitted, as have recent films that have not yet been widely released or reviewed. The Adventures of Don Juan (1949, Errol Flynn, Raymond Burr, ***) The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938, Errol Flynn, Basil Rathbone, ****) Against All Flags (1952, Errol Flynn, Anthony Quinn, **1/2) Barry Lyndon (1975, Ryan O'Neal, Patrick Magee, !Stanley Kubrick, ***1/2) Black Arrow (1985, Oliver Reed, **1/2) Black Pirate (1926, Douglas Fairbanks, ***1/2) Black Swan (1942, Tyrone Power, Anthony Quinn, ***1/2) Blind Fury (1990, Rutger Hauer, **1/2) Bob Roberts (1992, Tim Robbins, ***1/2) Captain Blood (1935, Errol Flynn, Basil Rathbone, ***1/2) The Challenge (1982, Toshiro Mifune, Scott Glenn, **1/2) The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936, Errol Flynn, David Niven, ****) Conan the Barbarian (1982, Arnold Scharzenegger, James Earl Jones, **1/2) The Corsican Brothers (1941, Douglas Fairbanks Jr, **1/2) The Count of Monte Cristo (1934, Robert Donat, ***) The Count of Monte Cristo (1975, Richard Chamberlain, Tony Curtis,***) The Court Jester (1956, Danny Kaye, Basil Rathbone, **1/2) Crossed Swords (1978, Raquel Welch, Charlton Heston, **1/2) Cyrano de Bergerac (1950, Jose Ferrer, ***1/2) Cyrano de Bergerac (1990, Gerard Depardieu, ****) Dangerous Liaisons (1988, John Malkovich, Glenn Close, ***1/2) The Duellists (1978, Harvey Keitel, Keith Carradine, !Ridley Scott, ***) El Cid (1961, Charlton Heston, Sophia Loren, ***) The Empire Strikes Back (1980, Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, ****) Excalibur (1981, Nicol Williamson, !John Boorman, ***1/2) The Flame and the Arrow (1950, Burt Lancaster, Virginia Mayo, ***) Flesh and Blood (1985, Rutger Hauer, !Paul Verhoeven, **1/2) The Four Musketeers (1975, Richard Chamberlain, Michael York, ***) Frenchman's Creek (1944, Basil Rathbone, Joan Fontaine, ***) Glory (1989, Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, ***1/2) Hamlet (1948, !Laurence Olivier, ****) Hamlet (1969, Anthony Hopkins, ***1/2) Hamlet (1990, Mel Gibson, Glenn Close, !Franco Zeffirelli, ***) Henry V (1944, Laurence Olivier, ****) Henry V (1989, !Kenneth Branagh, ***1/2) Highlander (1986, Chistopher Lambert, Sean Connery, **1/2) Ivanhoe (1953, Robert Taylor, Elizabeth Taylor, ***1/2) Ivanhoe (1982, James Mason, **1/2) Ladyhawke (1985, Rutger Hauer, Michelle Pfeiffer, **1/2) Long John Silver (1954, Robert Newton, Kit Taylor, ***) Macbeth (1948, Orson Welles, Roddy McDowall, ***) Macbeth (1971, Jon Finch, ***1/2) The Magic Sword (1962, Basil Rathbone, **1/2) The Man in Grey (1946, James Mason, Stewart Granger, ***1/2) The Mark of Zorro (1920, Douglas Fairbanks, ***) The Mark of Zorro (1940, Basil Rathbone, Tyrone Power, ***1/2) Morgan the Pirate (1961, Steve Reeves, **1/2) The Prince and the Pauper (1937, Errol Flynn, Claude Rains, ***) The Princess Bride (1987, Mandy Patinkin, Cary Elwes, !Rob Reiner, ***) The Prisoner of Zenda (1937, Douglas Fairbanks Jr, David Niven, ****) The Prisoner of Zenda (1952, Stewart Granger, James Mason, ***) The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939, Errol Flynn, ***) Ran (1985, Tatsuya Nakadai, !Akira Kurosawa, ****) The Return of the Jedi (1983, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, ***1/2) Robin and Marian (1976, Sean Connery, Audrey Hepburn, ***1/2) Romeo and Juliet (1935, Basil Rathbone, Leslie Howard, ***1/2) Romeo and Juliet (1954, Laurence Harvey, ***) Romeo and Juliet (1968, Michael York, !Franco Zeffirelli, ***1/2) Royal Flash (1975, Malcolm McDowell, ***) Sanjuro (1962, Toshiro Mifune, !Akira Kurosawa, ***) Scaramouche (1952, Stewart Granger, Janet Leigh, ***) The Scarlet Pimpernel (1935, Leslie Howard, Merle Oberon, ***1/2) The Sea Hawk (1940, Errol Flynn, Claude Rains, ****) The Seven Samurai (1954, Toshiro Mifune, !Akira Kurosawa, ****) The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad (1958, Kerwin Matthews, ***) Shogun (1980, Toshiro Mifune, Richard Chamberlain, **1/2) Sinbad the Sailor (1949, Douglas Fairbanks Jr, Maureen O'Hara, ***) The Spanish Main (1945, Maureen O'Hara, Paul Heinreid, ***) Spartacus (1960, Kirk Douglas, !Stanley Kubrick, ****) Star Wars (1977, Harrison Ford, Alec Guinness, ****) Sweet Liberty (1986, Alan Alda, Michael Caine, **1/2) The Sword of Sherwood Forest (1961, Richard Greene, Peter Cushing, **1/2) The Three Musketeers (1935, Walter Abel, **1/2) The Three Musketeers (1948, Gene Kelley, Lana Turner, ***) The Three Musketeers (1974, Michael York, Raquel Welch, ***) Throne of Blood (1957, Toshiro Mifune, !Akira Kurosawa, ****) Tom Jones (1963, Albert Finney, Suzannah York, ****) Under the Red Robe (1937, Raymond Massey, ***) The Vikings (1958, Kirk Douglas, Tony Curtis, **1/2) The Warriors (1955, Errol Flynn, **1/2) Willow (1988, Val Kilmer, !Ron Howard, ***) The Yakuza (1975, Robert Mitchum, Takakura Ken, ***) Yojimbo (1962, Toshiro Mifune, !Akira Kurosawa, ****) Young Sherlock Holmes (1985, Nicholas Rowe, **1/2) 2.5 Fencing Videos *** this section not yet complete - contributions welcome 2.6 Fencing Software *** this section not yet complete - contributions welcome 2.7 Fencing Online Known cyberspace fencing resources include: UseNet: rec.sport.fencing - discussion on all subjects rec.martial-arts - some discussion of Eastern styles and history rec.org.sca - some discussion of history, SCA heavy and light weapons styles, armoury, and weaponsmithy Prodigy: Jump: SPORTS BB or Jump: SPORTS PLAY. Select OTHER or OTHER SPORTS and look for subjects beginning with "FENCING". CompuServe: GO CIS:GOODHE, and look under "Martial Arts" Bulletin Boards: Canadian Fencing Federation: (613) 748-5881 2.8 Glossary of terms: 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. Assault: friendly combat between two fencers. Attack: the initial offensive action made be extending the sword arm and continuously threatening the valid target of the opponent. Attack au Fer: an attack on the opponent's blade, eg. beat, froissement, pressure. Balestra: a forward hop or jump, typically followed by an attack such as a lunge or fleche. Bayonet: a type of electrical connector for weapons. Beat: an attempt to knock the opponent's blade aside or out of line. Bind: an action in which one fencer forces the opponent's blade into the diagonally opposite line, by taking it with the guard and forte of his own blade. 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: a military sword and fencing weapon popular in the 18th-19th centuries, similar to a heavy sabre; any straight-bladed, double- edged, single-handed cutting sword of the post-medieval period. Broken Time: a sudden change in the tempo of one fencer's actions, used to fool the opponent into responding at the wrong time. Change of Engagement: engagement of the opponent's blade in the opposite line. Compound: an attack or riposte incorporating one or more feints to the opposite line that the action finishes in. 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 attack made against the right-of-way, or in response to the opponent's attack. 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. 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. Coupe': also cut-over; an attack that passes around the opponent's tip. Croise: also semi-bind; an action in which one fencer forces the opponent's blade into the high or low line on the same side, by taking it with the guard and forte of his own blade. 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, landing with the edge or point (see Flick). Derobement: avoidance of an attempt to take the blade. Direct: an 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 avoids the opponent's parry. Displacement: moving the target to avoid an attack; dodging. Double: in epee, two attacks that arrive within 40-50 ms of each other. Double': an attack or riposte that describes a complete circle around the opponent's blade, and finishes in the opposite line. 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 action 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. False attack: an attack that is intended to miss or fall short, so as to produce a reaction from the opponent. Feint: attacking 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. Finta in tempo: an attack that responds to the opponent's counter-time. 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 that lands with the point, often involving some whip of the foible of the blade. Florentine: a fencing style where a secondary weapon or other instrument is used in the opposite hand. 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. Guard: the metal cup that protects the hand from being hit. Foils use small bell guards, epees use large bell guards, and sabres have a knuckle guard that wraps around the hilt to protect from cuts to the hand. 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: an attack made with a quarter turn to the inside, concealing the front but exposing the back. In Time: when a stop-hit arrives at least one fencing time before the original attack. Indirect: an attack or riposte that finishes in the opposite line to which it was formed. Insistence: forcing an attack through the parry, using strength. Invitation: a line that is intentionally left open to encourage the opponent to attack. Italian Grip: a traditional hilt with finger rings and crossbar. Lame': a metallic vest/jacket used to detect valid touches in foil and 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 the bent front leg. Mal-parry: a parry that fails to prevent the attack from landing. Manipulators: the thumb and index finger of the sword hand. Maraging: a special steel used for making blades; tends to be stronger and break more cleanly than conventional steels. Match: the aggregate of bouts between two fencing teams. Nine: parry #9; blade behind the back, pointing down. Octave: parry #8; blade down and to the outside, wrist supinated. Opposition: an attack or counter-attack in the same line as the opponent's blade; a combined parry and riposte. Parry: a block of the attack, made with one's own blade. 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. 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. 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 in Line: also line; an extended arm and blade that threatens the opponent. Pommel: a fastener that attaches the grip to the blade. Preparation: the initial phase of an attack, before right-of-way is established. Pressure: an attempt to push the opponent's blade aside or out of line; depending on the opponent's response, the pressure is followed by a direct or indirect attack. Prime: parry #1; blade down and to the inside, wrist pronated. 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 attempts to control the opponent's weapon. 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. 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. Retreat: step back; opposite of advance. Right-of-way: rules for awarding the point in the event of a double touch in foil or sabre. (see question 11) Riposte: an attack 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 single-edged cutting sword used by cavalry. Salle: a fencing hall or club. Salute: customary acknowledgement with the weapon of one's opponent and referee at the start (and sometimes end) of the bout. Second Intention: a false action used to draw a response from the opponent, which will open the opportunity for the intended action that follows. Seconde: parry #2; blade down and to the outside, wrist pronated. Septime: parry #7; blade down and to the inside, wrist supinated. Simple: 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. Sixte: parry #6; blade up and to the outside, wrist supinated. Small Sword: also court sword; a light duelling sword popular in the 18th century. Stop Hit: a counter-attack that hits. 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. 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: old name for stop hit with opposition. Two Prong: a type of body-wire/connector, used in foil and sabre. 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. Yellow Card: also advertissement, warning; used to indicate a minor rule infraction by one of the fencers. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: Author: Morgan Burke (morgan@sitka.triumf.ca) Contributors: special thanks to Suman Palit, Guy Smith, Greg Dilworth, Kevin Taylor, Eric Anderson, Blaine Price, Steve Hick, Kim Moser, and David Glasser. (C) 1993, 1994 Morgan Burke Permission is granted to copy and distribute all or part of this document for non-profit purposes. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- End of rec.sport.fencing FAQ part II