Sports & Outdoors

How To Attack In Foil Fencing

The foil is the lightest of the three fencing weapons in current usage, and is derived from the old training weapon. In this Videojug guide Karim Bashir, fencing coach, talks you through the basics of how to attack in foil fencing. Enlarge

How To Attack In Foil Fencing

The foil is the lightest of the three fencing weapons in current usage, and is derived from the old training weapon. In this Videojug guide Karim Bashir, fencing coach, talks you through the basics of how to attack in foil fencing.

Top Tips

  • Foil is a point weapon, which means you have to hit the valid target with the tip of the sword.
  • You can hit on target, which is the area covered by the red jacket, and off target, which is the rest of the body.
  • Foil is a weapon of convention, which means the referee decides who the attacking fencer is.
  • The opponent has three options: they can get hit, they can make the attack miss, or they can parry. If they do either if the last two options, it is their turn to attack.
  • Fencers use feints, which is when they pretend to go to one area of the target, then go to another.