Athletics-Fencing-Terms-1/Beginning/Foil Flashcards
Based off of "Fencer's Start-Up- a Beginner's Guide to Fencing" by Doug Werner
piste
(pist)
playing field or fencing strip
46 feet long, 6 feet and 7 inches wide
Divided in half, then into three parts: first line from center is On Guard; final third/sixth is a Warning(?)
Basic Gear:
Mask
Jacket
Glove
Weapon/Foil/Epee/Sabre
Two types of foils:
French grip- longer and straight with a slight curve
pistol grip- L-shaped handle with better, bigger grip
Parts of a foil:
handle- obvious
guard- shield thingy that separates the handle and blade
forte- (fort) fatter end of blade near grip
foible- (foy-bul) thinner end of blade at tip
Salute
feet in first position
hand to mask (guard at lip height, blade straight up and down)
Then blade is brought down to right
first position
dominant foot pointing straight ahead/at the target
other foot pointed perpendicularly out to the side
On Guard/En Guard
start in first position
step forward about shoulder width (but forward) and bend your knees a bit
dominant hand out ahead of you, hand at chest level, elbow bent so that it is only several inches from chest
other arm should be back away from torso, elbow bent, kind of hand above head height, but next to it…
Advancing
from on guard step forward (toe in front) first with front foot, pushing off with back foot, then when front foot lands, move back foot forward, maintaining the same distance between the two feet (shoulder width)
Retreating
from on guard step backward with back foot, pushing off with the front foot, then follow with front foot
also used as defense
Cross-Step (Forward)
from on guard step forward with back foot, landing at right angles to the front foot in front of its toe, then step forward with front foot
Cross-Step (Backward)
from on guard step backward with front foot, passing back foot, then take back foot back to normal position
Balestra
(ba-less-tra)
from on guard raise front foot then push up/jump with back foot, land on both feet and lunge immediately
Appel
(a-pel)
tap front foot
fleche
(flesh)
from on guard lean forward until you almost fall, then jump at opponent using front foot (at this point nearly horizontal), land by bringing back foot forward
Foil
light, flexible blade for thrusting
point scores (not length of blade)
target: trunk or torso
Right of Way or Priority
to be able to score, you must extend your sword arm first (straighten out elbow) and point at opponent’s torso
How do you hold your grip(strength-wise)?
Like a baby loris is hugging it for dear life- hold firmly, but gently
How do you hold your (French) grip(position wise)?
thumb on top of handle, index underneath thumb (these two fingers will control the blade)
other three support the blade underneath it
when on guard, palm should be up, handle against underside of the wrist, tip of blade at eye level
Thrust
simple straighten sword arm
Lunge
thrust
kick front foot forward (when it lands the knee should bend to about 90 degrees)
straighten/push forward with rear leg, with back foot still flat and perpendicular
drop back arm down so it is parallel to straightened back leg
stay upright in torso
Making a hit
once the blade’s tip (no edges in foil or epee) touches the opponent, bring the handle slightly up so that it curves upwards