​FOIL-FENCING, the art of attack and defence with the fencing-foil.The word is used in several spellings (foyle, file, &c.) by theEnglish writers of the last half of the 16th century, but less inthe sense of a weapon of defence than merely as an imitation ofa real weapon. Blunt swords for practice in fencing have beenused in all ages. For the most part these were of wood and flat ingeneral form, but when, towards the close of the 17th century, allcutting action with the small-sword was discarded (seeFencing),foil-blades were usually made of steel, and either round, three-corneredor four-cornered in form, with a button covering thepoint. The foil is called in Frenchfleuret, and in Italianfioretto (literally “bud”) from this button. The classic small-swordplay of the 17th and 18th centuries is represented at thepresent time by fencing with theépée de combat (fighting-rapier),which is merely the modern duelling-sword furnished with abutton (seeÉpée-de-Combat), and by foil-fencing. Foil-fencingis a conventional art, its characteristic limitation lying in the rulethat no hits except those on the body shall be considered good,and not even those unless they be given in strict accordance withcertain standard precepts. In épée-fencing on the contrary,a touch on any part of the person, however given, is valid.Foil-fencing is considered the basis, so far as practice is concerned,of all sword-play, whether with foil, épée or sabre.

There are two recognized schools of foil-fencing, the French andthe Italian. The French method, which is now generally adoptedeverywhere except in Italy, is described in this article, referencebeing made to the important differences between the two schools.

The Foil.—The foil consists of the “blade” and the “handle.”The blade, which is of steel and has a quadrangular section,consists of two parts: the blade proper, extending from the guardto the button, and the “tongue,” which runs through the handleand is joined to the pommel. The blade proper is divided intothe “forte,” or thicker half (next the handle), and the “foible”or thinner half. Some authorities divide the blade proper intothree parts, the “forte,” “middle” and “foible.” The handleis comprised of the “guard,” the “grip” and the “pommel.”The guard is a light piece of metal shaped like the figure 8 (Fr.lunettes, spectacles) and backed with a piece of stiff leather ofthe same shape. The grip, which is grasped by the hand, is ahollow piece of wood, usually wound with twine, through whichthe tongue of the blade passes. The pommel is a piece of metal,usually pear-shaped, to which the end of the tongue is joined andwhich forms the extremity of the handle. The blade from guardto button is about 33 in. long (No. 5), though a somewhat shorterand lighter blade is generally used by ladies. The handle isabout 8 in. long and slightly curved downwards.

The genuine Italian foil differs from the French in having theblade a trifle longer and more whippy, and in the form of thehandle, which consists of a thin, solid, bell-shaped guard from4 to 5 in. in diameter, a straight grip and a light metal bar joiningthe grip with the guard, beyond the edge of which it extendsslightly on each side. Of late years many Italian masters useFrench blades and even discard the cross-bar, retaining, however,the bell-guard.

In holding the foil, the thumb is placed on the top or convexsurface of the grip (the sides of which are a trifle narrower thanthe top and bottom), while the palm and fingers grasp the otherthree sides. This is the position of “supination,” or thumb-up.“Pronation” is the reverse position, with the knuckles up.The French lay stress upon holding the foil lightly, the necessarypressure being exerted mostly by the thumb and forefinger, theother fingers being used more to guide the direction of the executedmovements. This is in order to give free scope to thedoigté (fingering), or the faculty of directing the point of the foilby the action of the fingers alone, and includes the possibilityof changing the position of the hand on the grip. Thus, in parrying,the end of the thumb is placed within half an inch, or evenless, of the guard, while in making a lunge, the foil is held as nearthe pommel as possible, in order to gain additional length.It will be seen thatdoigté is impossible with the Italian foil,in holding which the forefinger is firmly interlaced with the cross-bar,preventing any movement of the hand. The lightness ofgrasp inculcated by the French is illustrated by the rule of thecelebrated master Lafaugère: “Hold your sword as if you hada little bird in your hand, firmly enough to prevent its escape, yetnot so firmly as to crush it.” This lightness has for a consequencethat a disarmament is not considered of any value in the Frenchschool.

To Come on Guard.—The position of “on guard” is that inwhich the fencer is best prepared both for attack and defence.It is taken from the position of “attention”; the feet togetherand at right angles with each other, head and body erect, facingforward in the same direction as the right foot, left arm and handhanging in touch with the body, and the right arm and foil ​forming a straight line so that the button is about 1 yd. infront of the feet and 4 in. from the floor. From this position themovements to come “on guard” are seven in number:—

In the Italian school the fencer stands on guard with the rightarm fully extended, the body more effaced,i.e. the left shoulderthrown farther back, and the feet somewhat farther apart. Atthe present time, however, many of the best Italian fencers haveadopted the guard with crooked sword-arm, owing to theirabandonment of the old long-foil blade.

The Recover (at the close of the lesson or assault).—To recover“in advance”: extend the right arm at right angles with thebody, drop the left arm and straighten the legs by drawing therear foot up to the one in advance. To recover “to the rear”:extend the right arm and drop the left as before, and straightenthe legs by drawing the forward foot back to that in the rear.

The Salute always follows the recover, the two really formingone manœuvre. Having recovered, carry the right hand to aposition just in front of the throat, knuckles out, foil verticalwith point upwards; then lower and extend the arm with nailsup until the point is 4 in. from the floor and slightly to the right.

To Advance.—Being on guard, take a short step forward withthe right foot and let the left foot follow immediately the samedistance, the position of the body not being changed. Howeverthe step, or series of steps, is made, the right foot should alwaysmove first.

To Retreat.—This is the reverse of the advance, the left footalways moving first.

The Calls (deux appels).—Being on guard, tap the floor twicewith the right foot without altering the position of any otherpart of the person. The object of the calls is to test theequilibrium of the body, and they are usually executed as a preliminaryto the recover.

The Lunge is the chief means of attack. It is immediatelypreceded by the movement of “extension,” in fact the tworeally form one combined movement. Extension is executed byquickly extending the right arm, so that point, hand and shouldershall have the same elevation; no other part of the person ismoved. The “lunge” is then carried out by straightening theleft leg and throwing forward the right foot, so that it shallbe planted as far forward as possible without losing the equilibriumor preventing a quick recovery to the position of guard.The left foot remains firmly in its position, the right shoulder isadvanced, and the left arm is thrown down and back (with handopen and thumb up), to balance the body. The recovery to theposition of guard is accomplished by smartly throwing the bodyback by the exertion of the right leg, until its weight rests againon the left leg, the right foot and arms resuming their on-guardpositions. The point upon which the French school lays moststress is, that the movement of extension shall, if only by afraction of a second, actually precede the advance of the rightfoot. The object of this is to ensure the accuracy of the lunge,i.e. the direction of the point.

The Gain.—This consists in bringing up the left foot towardsthe right (the balance being shifted), keeping the knees bent. Inthis manner a step is gained and an exceptionally long lunge canbe made without the knowledge of the adversary. It is a commonstratagem of fencers whose reach is short.

Defence.—For the purpose of nomenclature the space on thefencer’s jacket within which hits count is divided into quarters,the two upper ones being called the “high lines,” and the twolower ones the “low lines.” Thus a thrust directed at the upperpart of the breast is called an attack in the high lines. In likemanner the parries are named from the different quarters theyare designed to protect. There are four traditional parriesexecuted with the hand in supination, and four others, practicallyidentical in execution, made with the hand held in pronation.Thus the parries defending the upper right-hand quarter of thejacket are “sixte” (sixth; with the hand in supination) and“tierce” (third; hand in pronation). Those defending theupper left-hand quarter are “quarte” (fourth; in supination)and “quinte” (fifth; in pronation). Those defending the lowerright-hand quarter are “octave” (eighth; in supination) and“seconde” (second; in pronation). Those defending the lowerleft-hand quarter are “septime” (seventh; in supination),more generally called “demicircle,” or “half-circle”; and“prime” (first; in pronation).

The Parries.—The tendency of the French school has alwaysbeen towards simplicity, especially of defence, and at the presentday the parries made with the knuckles up (pronation), althoughrecognized and taught, are seldom if ever used against a strongadversary in foil-fencing, owing principally to the time lost inturning the hand. The theory of parrying is to turn aside theopponent’s foil with the least possible expenditure of time andexertion, using the arm as little as possible while letting the handand wrist do the work, and opposing the “forte” of the foilto the “foible” of the adversary’s. The foil is kept pointedas directly as possible towards the adversary, and the parries aremade rather with the corners than the sides of the blade. Theslightest movement that will turn aside the opponent’s blade isthe most perfect parry. There are two kinds of parries, “simple,”in which the attack is warded off by a single movement, and“counter,” in which a narrow circle is described by the point ofthe foil round that of the opponent, which is thus enveloped andthrown aside. There are also complex parries, composed ofcombinations of two or more parries, which are used to meetcomplicated attacks, but they are all resolvable into simpleparries. In parrying, the arm is bent about at right angles.

Simple Parries.—The origin of the numerical nomenclature ofthe parries is a matter of dispute, but it is generally believed thatthey received their names from the positions assumed in the processof drawing the sword and falling on guard. Thus the positionof the hand and blade, the moment it is drawn from the scabbardon the left side, is practically that of the first, or “prime,” parry.To go from “prime” to “seconde” it is only necessary to dropthe hand and carry it across the body to the left side; thenceto “tierce” is only a matter of raising the point of the sword, &c.

Parry of Prime (to ward off attacks on the—usually lower—left-handside of the body). Hold the hand, knuckles up, oppositethe left eye and the point directed towards the opponent’s knee.This parry is now regarded more as an elegant evolution than asound means of defence, and is little employed.

Parry of Seconde (against thrusts at the lower right-hand side).This is executed by a quick, not too wide movement of the handdownwards and slightly to the right, knuckles up.

Parry of Tierce (against thrusts at the upper right-hand side).A quick, dry beat on the adversary’s “foible” is given, forcingit to the right, the hand, in pronation, being held opposite themiddle of the right breast. This parry has been practicallydiscarded in favour of “sixte.”

Parry of Quarte (against thrusts at the upper left-hand side).This parry, perhaps the most used of all, is executed by forcingthe adversary’s blade to the left by a dry beat, the hand being insupination, opposite the left breast.

Parry of Quinte (against thrusts at the left-hand side, like“quarte”). This is practically a low “quarte,” and is littleused.

​Parry of Sixte (against thrusts at the upper right-hand side).This parry is, together with “quarte,” the most important of all.It is executed with the hand held in supination opposite the rightbreast, a quick, narrow movement throwing the adversary’sblade to the right.

Parry of Septime or Half-Circle (against thrusts at the lowerleft-hand side) is executed by describing with the point of thefoil a small semicircle downward and towards the left, the handmoving a few inches in the same direction, but kept thumb up.

Parry of Octave (against thrusts at the lower right-hand side)is executed by describing with the point of the foil a small semicircledownward and towards the right, the hand moving a fewinches in the same direction, but kept thumb up.

Counter Parries (Fr.contre).—Although the simple parriesare theoretically sufficient for defence, they are so easily deceivedby feints that they are supplemented by counter parries, inwhich the blade describes narrow circles, following that of theadversary and meeting and turning it aside; thus the pointdescribes a complete circle while the hand remains practicallystationary. Each simple parry has its counter, made with thehand in the same position and on the same side as in the simpleparry. The two most important are the “counter of quarte”and the “counter of sixte,” while the counters of “septime”and “octave” are less used, and the other four at the presenttime practically never.

Counter of Quarte.—Being on guard in quarte (with youradversary’s blade on the left of yours), if he drops his point underand thrusts in sixte, in other words at your right breast, describea narrow circle with your point round his blade, downward to theright and then up over to the left, bringing hand and foil back totheir previous positions and catching and turning aside his bladeon the way. The “Counter of Sixte” is executed in a similarmanner, but the circle is described in the opposite direction,throwing off the adverse blade to the right. The “Counters ofSeptime and Octave” are similar to the other two but areexecuted in the low lines.

Complex or Combined Parries are such as are composed of twoor more parries executed in immediate succession, and are madein answer to feint attacks by the adversary (see below);e.g.being on guard in quarte, should the adversary drop his pointunder and feint at the right breast but deflect the point againand really thrust on the left, it is evident that the simple parryof sixte would cover the right breast but would leave the realpoint of attack, the left, entirely uncovered. The sixte parryis therefore followed, as a continuation of the movement, by theparry of quarte, or a counter parry. The complex parries arenumerous and depend upon the attack to be met.

Engagement is the junction of the blades, the different engagementsbeing named from the parries. Thus, if both fencers are inthe position of quarte, they are said to be engaged in quarte.To engage in another line (Change of Engagement)e.g. fromquarte to sixte, the point is lowered and passed under theadversary’s blade, which is pressed slightly outward, so as to bewell covered (called “opposition”). “Double Engagement”is composed of two engagements executed rapidly in successionin the high lines, the last with opposition.

Attack.—The attack in fencing comprises all movements theobject of which is to place the point of the foil upon the adversary’sbreast, body, sides or back, between collar and belt. The spaceupon which hits count is called the “target” and differs accordingto the rules prevailing in the several countries, but is usuallyas above stated. In Great Britain no hits above the collar-bonescount, while in America the target is only the left breast betweenthe median line and a line running from the armpit to the belt.The reason for this limitation is to encourage accuracy.

Attacks are either “primary” or “secondary.”PrimaryAttacks are those initiated by a fencer before his adversary hasmade any offensive movement, and are divided into “Simple,”“Feint” and “Force” attacks.

Simple Attacks, the characteristic of which is pace, are thosemade with one simple movement only and are four in number,viz. the “Straight Lunge,” the “Disengagement,” the“Counter-disengagement” and the “Cut-over.” The Straight-Lunge(coup droit), used when the adversary is not properlycovered when on guard, is described above under “Lunge.”The Disengagement is made by dropping the point of the foilunder the opponent’s blade and executing a straight lunge on theother side. It is often used to take an opponent unawares orwhen he presses unduly hard on your blade. The Counter-disengagementis used when the adversary moves his blade,i.e.changes the line of engagement, upon which you execute a narrowcircle, avoiding his blade, and thrust in your original line. TheCut-over (coupé) is a disengagement executed by passing thepoint of the foil over that of the adversary and lunging in theopposite line. The preliminary movement of raising the pointis made by the action of the hand only, the arm not being drawnback.

Feint Attacks, deceptive in character, are those which are precededby one or more feints, or false thrusts made to lure theadversary into thinking them real ones. A feint is a simpleextension, often with a slight movement of the body, threateningthe adversary in a certain line, for the purpose of inducing himto parry on that side and thus leave the other open for the realthrust. At the same time any movement of the blade or anypart of the body tending to deceive the adversary in regard to thenature of the attack about to follow, must also be considered aspecies of feint. The principal feint attacks are the “One-Two,”the “One-Two-Three” and the “Double.”

The “One-Two” is a feint in one line, followed (as theadversary parries) by a thrust in the original line of engagement.Thus, being engaged in quarte, you drop your point under theadversary’s blade and extend your arm as if to thrust at his leftbreast, but instead of doing this, the instant he parries youmove your point back again and lunge in quarte,i.e. on theside on which you were originally engaged. In feinting it isnecessary that the extension of the arm and blade be socomplete as really to compel the adversary to believe it apart of a real thrust in that line.

The “One-Two-Three” consists of two feints, one at eachside, followed by a thrust in the line opposite to that of theoriginal engagement. Thrusts preceded by three feints are alsosometimes used. It is evident that the above attacks are uselessif the adversary parries by a counter (circular parry), which mustbe met by a “Double.” This is executed by feinting and, uponperceiving that the adversary opposes with a circular parry, byfollowing the circle described by his point with a similar circle,deceiving (i.e. avoiding contact with) his blade and thrustinghome.

The “Double,” which is a favourite manœuvre in fencing, isa combination of a disengagement and a counter-disengagement.

Force-Attacks, the object of which is to disconcert the opponentby assaulting his blade, are various in character, the principal onesbeing the “Beat,” the “Press,” the “Glide” and the “Bind.”The “Beat” is a quick, sharp blow of the forte of the foil uponthe foible of the adversary’s, for the purpose of opening a wayfor a straight lunge which follows instantly. The blow is madewith the hand only. A “false beat” is a lighter blow made forthe purpose of drawing out or disconcerting the opponent, and isoften followed by a disengagement. The “Press” is similar incharacter to the beat, but, instead of striking the adverse blade,a sudden pressure is brought to bear upon it, sufficiently heavyto force it aside and allow one’s own blade to be thrust home. A“false press” may be used to entice the adversary into a tooheavy responsive pressure, which may then be taken advantageof by a disengagement. The “Traverse” (Fr.froissé, Ital.striscio) is a prolonged press carried sharply down the adverseblade towards the handle. The “Glide” (“Graze,” Fr.coulé)is a stealthy sliding of one’s blade down that of the adversary,without his notice, until a straight thrust can be made insidehis guard. It is also used as a feint before a disengage. The“Bind” (liement) consists in gaining possession of the adversary’sfoible with one’s forte, and pressing it down and acrossinto the opposite low line, when one’s own point is thrust home,the adversary’s blade being still held by one’s hilt. It may be ​also carried out from a low line into a high one. The bind isless used in the French school than in the Italian. The “Flanconnade”is a bind made by capturing the adversary’s bladein high quarte, carrying it down and thrusting in the outsideline with strong opposition. Another attack carried out bymeans of a twist and thrust is the “Cross” (croisé), which isexecuted when the adversary’s blade is held low by passing one’spoint over his wrist and forcing down both blades into secondewith a full extension of the arm. The result is to create a suddenand wide opening, and often disarms the adversary.

Secondary Attacks are those made (1) just as your adversaryhimself starts to attack; (2) during his attack; and (3) on thecompletion of his attack if it fails.

1. “Attacks on the Preparation” are a matter of judgmentand quickness. They are usually attempted when the adversaryis evidently preparing a complicated attack, such as the “one-two-three”or some other manœuvre, involving one or morepreliminary movements. At such a time a quick thrust willoften catch him unawares and score. Opportunities for preparationattacks are often given when the adversary attemptsa beat preliminary to his thrust; the beat is frustrated by an“absence of the blade,”i.e. your blade is made to avoidcontact with his by a narrow movement, and your pointthrust home into the space left unguarded by the force ofhis unresisted beat. Or the adversary himself may create an“absence” by suddenly interrupting the contact of the blades,in the hope that, by the removal of the pressure, your blade willfly off to one side, leaving an opening; if, however, you are preparedfor his “absence” a straight thrust will score.

2. The chief “Attacks on the Development,” or “CounterAttacks,” are the “Stop Thrust” and the “Time Thrust,”both made while the adversary is carrying out his own attack.The “Stop Thrust” (coup d’arrêt) is one made after the adversaryhas actually begun an attack involving two or more movements,and is only justified when it can be brought off withoutyour being hit by the attacking adversary’s point on any part ofthe person. The reason for this is, that the rules of fencing decreethat the fencer attacked must parry, and that, if he disregards thisand attempts a simultaneous counter attack, he must touch hisopponent while totally avoiding the latter’s point. Should he,however, be touched, even on the foot or mask, by the adversary,his touch, however good, is invalid. If both touches are good,that of the original attacker only counts. Stop thrusts areemployed mostly against fencers who attack wildly or withoutbeing properly covered. The “Time Thrust” is delivered withopposition upon the adversary’s composite attack (one involvingseveral movements), and, if successful, generally parries theoriginal attack at the same time. It is not valid if the fenceremploying it is touched on any part of the person.

3. “Attacks on the Completion” (i.e. of the adversary’sattack) are “Ripostes,” “Counter-ripostes,” “Remises” and“Renewals of Attack.”

TheRiposte (literally, response) is an attack made, immediatelyafter parrying successfully, by merely straightening the arm,the body remaining immovable. The “counter-riposte” is ariposte made after parrying the adversary’s riposte, and generallyfrom the position of the lunge, or while recovering from it,since one must have attacked with a full lunge if the adversaryhas had an opportunity to deliver a riposte. There are threekinds of ripostes: direct, with feints and after a pause.

The “directriposte” may be made instantly after parryingthe adversary’s thrust by quitting his blade and straighteningthe arm, so that the point will touch his body on the nearestand most exposed part; or by not quitting his blade but runningyours quickly down his and at the same time keeping a strongopposition (“riposte d’opposition”). The quickest direct riposteis that delivered after parrying quarte (for a right-hand fencer),and is called by the French the riposte of “tac-au-tac,” imitativeof the sudden succession of the click of the parry and the tap ofthe riposting fencer’s point on his adversary’s breast. In making“ripostes with a feint” the point is not jabbed on to the opponent’sbreast immediately after the parry, but one or morepreliminary movements precede the actual riposte, such as adisengagement, a cut-over or a double.

Ripostes with a pause (à temps perdu, with lost time) are madeafter a second’s hesitation, and are resorted to when the fencersare too near for an accurate direct riposte, or to give theadversary time to make a quick parry, which is then deceived.

Theremise is a thrust made after one’s first thrust has beenparried and in the same line; it must be made in such a waythat the adversary’s justified riposte is at the same time parriedby opposition or completely avoided. It is really a renewal ofthe attack in the original line, while the so-called “renewal ofattack” (“redoublement d’attaque”) is a second thrust whichignores the adversary’s riposte, but made in a different line.Both the remise and the renewal are valid only when theadversary’s riposte does not hit.

“False Attacks” are broad movements made for the purposeof drawing the adversary out or of disconcerting him. Theymay consist of an advance, an extension, a change of engagement,an intentional uncovering by taking a wide guard (called“invitation guard”), or any movement or combination ofmovements tending to make the adversary believe that a realattack is under way.

“The Assault” is a formal fencing bout or series of bouts inpublic, while formal fencing in private is called “loose play”or a “friendly bout.” Bouts between fencers take place on aplatform about 24 ft. long and 6 ft. wide (in the United States20 × 3 ft.). Formal bouts are usually for a number of touches,or for a certain number of minutes, the fencer who touchesoftenest winning. The judges (usually three or five) are sometimesempowered to score one or more points against a competitorfor breaches of good form, or for overstepping the spacelimits. In the United States bouts are for four minutes, witha change of places after two minutes, and the competitors arenot interrupted, the winner being indicated by a vote of thejudges, who take into account touches and style. In all countriescontestants are required to wear jackets of a light colour, sothat hits may be easily seen. Audible acknowledgment of alltouches, whether on the target or not, is universally consideredto be a fencer’s duty. Fencing competitions are held in GreatBritain under the rules of the Amateur Fencing Association,and in the United States under those of the Amateur Fencers’League of America.