Fencing Glossary of terms
Some terminology used in the sports of fencing.
A
- Advance - To step forward.
- Attack - An offensive movement.
B
- Balestra - A balestra is a short jump forward during an attack.
- Beat - A beat is a forceful tap on your opponent's blade in preparation of an attack.
- Bout - A bout is a fencing match usually conducted on a strip and scored using electical machine. A typical bout last 3 minutes or 5 touches which ever come first.
- Broken Tempo - A pause deliberatly made between two movementswhich normally follow each other immediately.
C
- Compound Attack - An attack which includes one or more feints.
- Corkscrew parry - A term I coined. It is a parry of six or four but with the continuation of spiraling forword for a touch against the opponent.
- Corps a Corps - When two fencers are touching. Action usually is halted by the director in this case.
- Counter Time - A movement by second intention.
- Croise - Taking the opponent's blade from a high to a low line on the same side as the engagement.
D
- Disengagement - Moving the weapon from the line of engagement into an opposite line by passing under the opponent's blade.
- Doighte - Finger play. How to manipulate the blade.
- Double - An attacking movement during which the blade performs a complete circle in order to deceive the opponent's circular parry.
E
- Engagement - Crossing of the blades.
- Envelopment - Taking the opponent's blade anddescribing a circle to return to the line of engement without losing contact of blades.
- Epee - The duelling sword or weapon.
F
- Feint Attack - An offensive movement made to resemble an attack in order to draw a reaction from the opponent.
- Fencing measure - The distance which exist between two fencers.
- Fencing time - The time required to perform one simple fencing action.
- Fleche attack - An attack made by a succession of running steps (with the rear foot crossing over the front).
- Forte - The strong half part of the blade near the guard.
G
H
I
L
Lunge - The basic offensive move.
T
- Telegraph - This is something you should avoid. It is doing something in the preparation of an attack that let's your opponent know you are about to attack and thereby loosing the element of surprise.
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