Fencing Pt. 2: Sabre Rules

Disclaimer:

This post is about the rules for sabre fencing; not how sabre fencing is really great (although it is).

     As a follow-up to my last entry, I am writing to day about the rules for sabre fencing, which is the style of fencing I participate in. As you know from the previous post, in sabre fencing, unlike épée and foil, the fencer is allowed to slash, as well as poke. Also, the target area is everything from the waist up.

Here, two sabreurs are show fencing with wireless transmission of hit signals

     Before I go into how to score a point, I will explain how the electrical scoring devices work. To connect themselves to the scoring boxes, each fencer has a cord to plug into a socket connecting to the box. This cord splits off, with one cord going up the fencer's arm, into his/her sword, and the other one clipping on to the fencer's lamé (conductive jacket). In order to make the fencer's helmet conductive too, a cord clips on to the collar of the lamé with one side, and to the mask with the other side. This way, if a sword hit the other fencer's conductive area, a current can go from one box, up the fencer's sword, through the other fencer's lamé, and into the box at the other side.

     When a fencer's sword touches his/her opponent's target area, both boxes display a color, either red of green, depending on which player hits their opponent. If there is one light, it's easy to see who got the point. If Fencer A hits Fencer B less than (approximately) 120 milliseconds after Fencer A was hit, the box would display both red and green lights. If this happens, the judge must decide who had priority, also known as right-of-way. At the beginning of a match, nobody has priority. There are a number of ways to lose priority, as listed below:

• If Fencer A stands still (or moves backward) when the match begins, and Fencer B moves forward, Fencer B has gained priority. 
• If Fencer A moves forward, but pulls his/her blade backward before both fencers hit, Fencer B has gained priority. 
• If Fencer A misses their first attack, or the Fencer B blocks Fencer A's first attack, Fencer B has gained priority. 
• If Fencer A makes blade contact with Fencer B, Fencer A has gained priority.

     These same mistakes can give Fencer A priority once Fencer B has it. I apologize for any mistakes I might have made, and you can tell me I messed up in the comments. Thanks for reading!