How to Do Bouting in Fencing

The longest running sport in modern Olympics, fencing requires concentration, accuracy and mobility. In fencing, a bout is an individual game and the object of a bout is to score a fixed number of points before your opponent does. A player receives a point each time she scores a touch on her opponent with her blade. To bout, follow these steps.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

1. Fence with your opponent on a regulation 6-by-44 foot-long strip. You must stay on the strip during play. If you cross the strip's lateral boundaries, you receive a penalty.

2. Score a hit anywhere on your opponent's valid target area to receive a point during a bout. In foil and sabre bouts, players wear lame' jackets over valid target areas. These jackets electronically register each hit. In e'pe'e', your entire body is a valid target area; so a jacket is unnecessary.

3. Be the first to score five points in preliminary pool play to move on to the direct elimination round.

4. Reach 15 points before your opponent or have a higher score when time expires to win a direct elimination bout. For direct elimination, the time limit is nine minutes, consisting of three 3-minute in-play sessions with two 1-minute breaks in between. A referee presides over each bout, validating scored points and issuing warnings when players break rules.

5. Bout as part of a team match, which involves two teams of three players each fencing in a relay format. Over the course of nine rounds, each team member fences each member of the opposing team. The first team to reach 45 points or higher by the last round wins the match.

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