How Points are Scored in Fencing

Video Transcript

"My name is Brad Bogus. Next I am going to guide you through how to score in foil fencing. A lot of people call foil fencing physical chess and the reason is because there are a lot of rules involved in how you score. You can’t merely just hit your sword on the other opponent and score a point. Instead there is a lot of strategy involved and that strategy is known as right of way. To gain right of way, you have to be the first fencer to initiate the attack and complete it. This can get very confusing and it might take a little research on your part to understand fully but to establish right of way if two fencers are facing each other in the arm guard position as I am now and one of initiates the attacks and they see attack he has established runaway by being the first fencer to initiate the attack. If two fencers are facing each other both in the arm guard position, if I initiate the attack and then he comes after me with a counter attack and we both land our attacks, I will be the fencer to score and that other fencer will not be because I established the right of way and you cannot score without a right of way established. To score in foil fencing, the tip of your foil has to touch any of the target areas on the body also covered by the lamae. In electronic fencing there is a tip that has to be pushed in to complete the circuit. You cannot merely just graze the tip along the target areas you have to actually use a little bit of force and apply the tip to the body like so. Like I said establish your right of way, make your attack, land your attack before the other opponent does and you will score successfully in foil fencing. "