How to Understand a Fencing Referee's Calls and Signals

The best way to understand what's going on in a fencing match is to pay attention to what the referee calls. However, understanding a fencing referee means you will need to understand both the basic rules of fencing and the hand signals referees use to signify the action of the bout. Whether you are a spectator or a fencer yourself, knowing how fencing referees make calls can help you appreciate the sport better. Follow these steps, and you'll have a basic understanding of what the referee is calling and why they made that call.

Part One of Three:
Learning the Basic RulesEdit

1
Be familiar with the three weapon types.
- Sabre: Sabre is unique in that sabre fencers are allowed to make “cuts” with the entire blade rather than only thrusting with the tip of the blade. In sabre fencing, everything from the waist up (excluding the hands) is considered a valid target. Points are only scored if a touch is made on a valid target, and off-target attacks do not halt the match. Unlike the other two weapons, sabre is not timed, and sabre fencers are not allowed to cross their feet (while moving forward).
- Foil: Foil fencers make attacks only with the tip of the blade. Touches do not register if the tip of the blade is not compressed, and so foil fencers only make thrusting attacks. In foil fencing, only the torso (including the groin) is considered a valid target, and touches made off-target will briefly halt the match.
- Epee: Epee fencers thrust with the tip of the blade like foil fencers do. Epee fencing allows for touches to be scored anywhere on the body.
2
Understand Right-of-Way. Right-of-Way is a rule that only applies to sabre and foil (i.e. the rule is not used at all in epee). In simple terms, Right-of-Way (hereafter abbreviated to RoW) determines “attack priority” if two fencers manage to score a touch simultaneously. Whichever fencer has RoW gets the point in the case of a simultaneous touch. In general, RoW is handed to the fencer who advances and attacks first in a match; RoW is lost if a fencer misses an attack or is parried. A fencer who does not have RoW can still earn a point, but only if the fencer who has RoW does not manage to land a touch before or simultaneously.
- RoW can be “stolen” through a beat attack (in the United States, this is sometimes informally called prise de fer, literally meaning “taking the blade”), which is a small, sharp attack made to the tip of the opponent’s blade; the beat attack deflects the opponent’s blade away and gives the fencer who made the beat attack RoW.
- In foil fencing, if the fencer with RoW is off-target, but the fencer without RoW makes a valid touch, no point is awarded and the fencers fence again from where they left off. If the fencer with RoW makes a valid touch, but the fencer without RoW is off-target, then the fencer with RoW gets the point.
- In sabre fencing, many points are determined in the middle of the fencing strip. In these cases, a fencer may lose points for bringing their arm back or attacking after their opponent initiates an attack. The fencer who was holding their arm back or hesitating gives up RoW and therefore loses the point.
- Since epee fencing does not use RoW, whichever fencer scores a touch first gets the point. If a simultaneous touch occurs, both fencers are awarded a point.
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Part Two of Three:
Learning the Different Hand SignalsEdit

1
Consider the referee's point of view. All hand signals are made from the referee’s point-of-view. If, for example, the referee declares an “attack from the left”, it is referring to the fencer on the referee’s left. The referee will always begin in a neutral pose with both hands resting at his/her sides.
2
Learn the signal for On Guard, Ready, Fence: The referee brings both hands upwards, palms facing down, with the fingers of each hand pointing in the direction of the fencer in that respective direction then simply turns his or her hands so that the palms face upwards. Finally, the referee brings both hands sharply together towards the center of the fencing strip.
3
Learn the signal for Halt: The referee raises a hand straight upwards in the direction of the fencer who committed the infraction (e.g. if the fencer to the referee’s right is at fault, the referee will raise his or her right hand).
- If a touch is scored, a referee might not use a hand signal to signify the match halting.
4
Learn the signal for Attack: The referee raises a hand and then brings it down, pointing their fingers at the ground on the side from which the attacking action comes from.
- Some referees cup their hand when pointing their fingers, others do not, but either way, the signal is the same.
5
Learn the signal for Touch (Attack Arrives): The referee brings an arm straight up until it is parallel to the ground. The fingers of that hand are kept straight and pointing in the direction of the fencer that the touch was scored against. For example, if the fencer on the left scores against the fencer on the right, the referee raises his or her right arm.
- Keep in mind that the nature of the attack that arrives can vary. It could have been a normal attack, a counterattack, a riposte, etc. A touch also doesn’t guarantee a point, it only signifies that a touch has been scored by a fencer.
6
Learn the signal for No (Attack Misses): Much like the Touch signal, the referee raises an arm to signify the fencer the attack was made against. However, in this case, the referee will bend their elbow and bring their index finger to their temple with the rest of their hand closed, palm facing outward. The referee will sweep their finger back and forth one time, as if wagging their finger at a misbehaving child. Some referees will not bring their finger back to their temple and will only make the outward motion.
7
Learn the signal for Off-Target: This signal is for foil fencing only. Again, like the Touch signal, the referee will bring their arm up, but this time, the arm will stay bent and the referee will bring their forearm out and then back in, as if sweeping dust off their torso or trying to do the Robot.
8
Learn the signal for Preparation (Improper Attack): The referee keeps their elbow bent and raises only their forearm in the direction of the fencer who made the improper attack. The referee extends their arm and then brings it back in, as if pushing a door open and then shutting it again.
- Only seen in sabre fencing. Signifies that the fencer was hesitating to attack and lost Right-of-Way because their opponent attacked first or that the fencer was being too erratic with their arm movements and forfeited RoW.
9
Learn the signal for Parry: The referee takes the forearm of the arm from the side the attack comes from and aligns it perpendicular to the arm on the side of the fencer that parried the attack. The wrists of both hands should be touching and the forearms and hands should be reminiscent of a lowercase t. For example, if a fencer on the right parries the attack of the left fencer, the right arm is brought straight up with the elbow bent and the fingers of the right hand pointing up and the left forearm goes behind and across the right arm.
10
Learn the signal for Beat Attack: The referee makes a small circular motion with their index finger (the finger will be pointing straight up) with the hand on the side of the fencer who the beat attack was made against. Some referees make the motion with their hand closed.
- Some referees do not use this hand signal and only verbally confirm that a successful beat attack was performed.
11
Learn the signal for Simultaneous: The referee makes the Attack signal on both sides at the same time.
- In saber and foil fencing, this means that both fencers made an attack at the same time. This hand signal is often followed by the No Touch signal.
12
Learn the signal for No Touch: The referee makes an exaggerated Off-Target signal with both hands at the same time. No points are awarded to either fencer.
13
Learn the signal for Double Touch: In epee fencing only; referee makes the Touch signal with both arms at the same time.
14
Learn the signal for Point: The referee brings a hand straight up on the side of the fencer that earned the point.
15
Learn the signal for Double Point: In epee fencing only; the referee makes the Point signal on both sides at the same time.
16
Learn the signal for Card (Penalties): The referee raises a card in the direction of the fencer who incurred the penalty.
- If a fencer is yellow carded, they have been given a formal warning.
- If a fencer is issued a red card, their opponent is given a point.
- If a fencer is shown the black card, they are disqualified from the rest of the competition.
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Part Three of Three:
Applying What You've LearnedEdit

1
Understand how referees make calls: The referee will never show hand signals for the entire set of actions leading up to a point. The referee only shows the most recent actions relevant to the point. Each action shown will take place in order of occurrence, with the referee showing the hand signal for each action individually and calling out each action verbally at the same time. To conclude your education on understanding a fencing referee, try to figure out what the referee is calling on the following examples. The answers are listed at the bottom of this part.
2
Practice with these examples. Test your knowledge. What do these signals mean? You'll find the answer below.
- Example 1:
- Example 2:
- Example 3:
- Example 4:
- Example 5:
- Example 6:
- Example 7:
3
Check your answers. Make sure you understand the referee's reasoning:
- Example 1: The fencer on the right attacked first, but missed. The fencer on the left took the opportunity to riposte, and landed the attack. Therefore, the left fencer got the point.
- Example 2: Both fencers attacked at the same time, so no points are awarded.
- Example 3: This is an example of foil fencing (evidenced by the "off-target" call). The fencer on the left attacked first but missed. The fencer on the right landed a riposte, but not on a valid target. No point is awarded.
- Example 4: Note that this must be an epee bout (due to the presence of the double point). Both fencers attack at the same time, and both scored a touch. Both fencers are awarded a point.
- Example 5: The fencer on the right attacks first, but is parried. The left fencers riposte is missed, and the remise attack from the right scores. The fencer on right is given the point.
- Example 6: The fencer on the left was in "preparation," meaning that he or she was either being erratic with their attack or started their attack after their opponent had already begun attacking. Therefore, the fencer on the right is given RoW and is given priority for the successful touch. The fencer on the right gets the point.
- Example 7: The fencer on the left attacks first, but is parried. The riposte from the right is also parried. The counter-riposte from the left misses, and then an attack from the right fencer finally scores a touch. The fencer on the right is awarded the point.
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TipsEdit

The best practice is to watch real fencing matches (in person or online) and follow along with the action.

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If you are a fencer, knowing why your opponent got a point against you can help you improve your performance in a match. Knowing what you did wrong will help you fix your technique.

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Referees will also issue verbal commands along with the hand signals, use those to help you follow along if you're having trouble with the hand signals alone.

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WarningsEdit

Professional referees are rarely wrong. This article shouldn't be used with the intent to try to argue for a point.

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When spectating a fencing match, make sure you are behind the referee at all times; referees move often along the fencing strip as the match goes on and they need to be able to focus on the match.

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