The Parts of the Foil

Fencing has been part of society since the 12^th century and made its way from the original Greek Olympics to modern Olympics.  The foil is the most common fencing sword in the sport and is generally the first to be learned. Learning foil offers the development of basic style, skill, and game mechanics that are unlikely to come from saber or epee. Knowing the parts of the foil is important for grasping how it becomes an extension of one’s body.

The foil is made of light steel between 350g and 500g. The length cannot be longer than 90cm. I have both a 350g and a 500g blade (1). There are significant differences in the weight and strength. At 500g your movement is likely to be mooted as the weight slows down a quick reaction. It does afford the ability to overpower your opponent in parry and riposte but you are unlikely to be nimble enough to counter a skilled opponent’s moves. Furthermore, a heavy blade will fatigue your arms in long bouts and give your opponent an advantage. 

The blade is made from low-carbon steel which allows it to bend upon striking its opponent. Due to the potential injuries associated with the use of metal equipment a mask and protective suit is worn. Even with this equipment fencing can leave some nasty bruises caused during the heat of the game. Blades can get broken and egos can get damaged. A solid piece of wisdom is to never turn your back on your opponent because you never know when someone will strike you in the back-as terrible as it sounds....it happens. 

Parts of the Foil

Pommel: Fastens the foil together.

Grip: Comes in pistol or French.

Bell Guard: Protects the hands.

Forte (Strong): Heavy part of blade.

Medium: Medium part of the blade.

Blade: The entire blade (90 cm).

Foible (Weak): Bendable part of blade.

Button: The protective tip on the foil.

Other Reading:

 High school Fencing Guide

Explanation of Fencing Swords

The Use of the Coupe in Fencing

As one advances in fencing they naturally learn new tactics with greater complexity. After mastering the basic attack and defense moves it is necessary to develop new skills to compete with higher end opponents. The coup is a move that appears to be simple and easy to learn but can create distinct advantages in the game or cause one to lose points if not quickly executed.

The Coupe in fencing is also known as the cut over as the blade is pushed up and over the opponent’s blade with the use of the wrist. The fingers are primary because pulling back on the blade at any time loses the right of way and allows the opponent to place an attack.  The Coupe is an indirect tactic and a proficient move for advanced players. Much practice will be needed to do this well at lightning speed.

According to a master fencer Capo Ferro in 1610 the cut over must be a single fluid motion. It is a risky tactic due to the blade moving out of line creating a level of exposure for the attacker. When the game is heated and there are constant counter attacks the tactic even takes on greater risks because it is difficult to know what and when your opponent will make his/her move. The opponent may simply attack while the blade is in the process of a cut over making it more difficult for the originator to counter.

The move changes the line of attack that can have a positive impact on adjusting the nature of the attack and defense strategies. Someone may us this if an opening is found on the other side of the opponent’s body and the player wishes to combine it with a thrust. The coupe is rarely used without the thrust, as it would not be of much benefit simply to move the blade from one side to the other.

All attacks have only four different blade actions, which include the thrust, disengagement, counter disengagement and the cut over. One might consider this movement when it is hard to make it past the opponent’s defenses in the current line of attack. By using, a quick cut over it may offer enough of an opening to make a quick strike.

You may be interested in reading a printed book on fencing. Lessons in Foil Fencing

The Counter Parry: Contre de Quarte and Sixte

Fencing is a game of skill that is refined within a certain radius of the body. In foil fencing the overall radius is even smaller making the movements more about subtle skill than overpowering your opponent. It is these attacks and counter attacks that make the game interesting to bystanders. Whenever there is an attack there are a number of moves that can be made ranging from moving out of the way to counter attacks. The counter parry is a tactic designed to stop an attack and regain momentum.

The counter parry is considered a more advanced move than the standard parry and riposte. The purpose of the counter parry is to remove the opponent’s blade from blocking an attack or to disrupt a negative rhythm in the game. By using a contre de quarte or contre de sixte it is possible to not only remove the blade but also put oneself in the position of an attack.  This occurs when you have removed the opponent’s momentum and then placed it with yourself by controlling the nature of the effort to the end of the bout.

As the shinny piece of steel wraps itself around its opponents it can either move for narrow or larger parries that have a different impact on the challenger. A large swirl can be unwieldy causing both persons to lose some level of control. It should be attempted when you’re trying to break apart your opponent’s body rhythm. The smaller counter parry is best used to loosen the control of an opponent’s constant attack and try and regain the momentum. 

Contre de quarte moves counter clockwise and the contre de sixte is clockwise. The contre de quarte is generally an awkward move based on the muscles and ligament designs of the wrist. It is suggested that this move be practiced in case of occasional use, but is not part of the standard moves. Contre de sixte is a more natural tactic and generally aligns with body mechanics making it a powerful part of the game. 

The counter parry is designed to be in conjunction with the riposte. Together they are called the counter parry-riposte that is designed to ensure that you are not only stopping the opponents attack but that you have the capacity to also claim the right-of-way and attack again. Together the combination can be deadly to new fencing partners until they have found ways of avoiding the movements.

The counter-parry is something that should be learned once the basics like the lunge, parry and riposte have been mastered. It is these methods that dominate the game and are used by everyone from beginners to masters. However, once the game gets going and people have learned the basics using a counter-parry can change the overall approach and momentum.

The Quadrants in the Sport of Fencing

In fencing, the body is separate into a parallel and perpendicular line that helps understand the sections for both defense and attack. Each of these sections has particular attack and defense moves designed to hit the areas of the body. In foil, the attempt is to claim the right-of-way and then hit the particular section for a point. The schematic presented in this article can be used to visualize areas of the body in foil, epee and saber.

The intersection of these four imaginary lines starts where the blade leaves the weapon. As the weapon moves so does the size of the four areas. It works similar to a tracking target that moves up, down, to the side, or wherever the opposing person places their blade. Yet as the cross-hairs move each section becomes smaller or larger. It is these large open areas that often receive the most attention for a possible attack. 

The vertical line separates the body from inside and outside. The inside line is the front of the body and the outside line is the outside of the body. As the weapon moves from its center of axis to the left or the right of the body the inside line and outside line change size and thus its opportunity for a counter strike. For example, a weapon moved further to the inside of the body leaves a larger area for an attack on the outside of the body. 

The horizontal line creates a high side and a low side. The high side is the upper part of the body and the low side is the lower area of the body. As the opponent moves his blade into the upper side, it is usually advantageous to seek an opening for a strike on the lower side. Likewise, when the blade moves to the lower side of the body it is beneficial to strike at the upper part of the body. 

Together the four quadrants can further be divided with experience into sub quadrants for tracking the movements of the blade. As you can see in the chart, there are eight such sub quadrants areas that can be used for practicing movements of the blade for defensive or attacking positions.  The more skill one obtains the less random poking that occurs and the higher levels of strategic maneuvers become possible. For example, if the opponent moves their blade upwards you can quickly counter and move to a downward quadrant. If your opponent moves their blade to the lower inside quadrant you can attack on the upper outside quadrant.

Fencing is a game of refinement and quick-paced precision. In many other sports the pure power of the body is used to obtain points by bulldozing through a line of people (i.e. football) with strength or winning through endurance (i.e. running and jumping).  In fencing, the attacks and defenses are refined to a pin point requiring quick perception of movement and body mechanics to both defend and attack appropriately and deliberately. If you watch a professional fencing match it can be difficult to follow the swoosh of the blades. Fencing can be used as an augmentation of skill development for other sports by creating higher levels of focused perception and refinement of body movement.