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________________________________________________________________________________ How Fencing is Fenced ________________________________________________________________________________
Fencing matches take place on a long, narrow strip called a piste which is fourteen metres long and two metres wide. Fencers take position at the 'on guard' lines, two meters equidistant from the centre of the piste. The referee says, 'On guard, ready? Fence!' and the fencers begin their fight. As the fencers try to score points, they move back and forth on the piste. If a fencer steps off the side of the piste, the referee stops the fight and repositions the fencers. If a fencer is chased off the very end of the piste, a point is awarded against him. When a fencer hits another the referee says, 'Halt!' and then indicates who won the point. Due to its speed, fencing uses modern electrical scoring devices to assist the referee in awarding points.
Fencers 'clip on' to the scoring apparatus. A wire connects to the weapon, runs up the fencer's sleeve and down to the bottom of the fencer's jacket. There, it connects to a 'spool' a longer, retractable cord that extends or retracts as the fencer moves back and forth. This cord is connected to the scoring box which is a computer with several timers and scoring lights. When a fencer hits his opponent, the scoring box emits a beep and illuminates the light on the side of the fencer who made the hit. The scoring box also has secondary lights to indicate when fencers are hit off-target. The on-target lights are coloured (either red or green), and the off-target lights are plain white. The referee uses the lights on the scoring box to confirm that a hit ('on target' or 'off target') took place. To award points, the referee applies the governing rules of fencing. The lights on the scoring box are a good but not always accurate reflection of who won the point. For example, if both fencers hit then lights on both sides will be illuminated and the referee must decide who awarded the point.
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Copyright © Essex Fencing 2008 All Rights Reserved Site designed and maintained by Chris Sullivan
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