When fencing with a foil, only the torso of the body is a valid target. The arms, legs and head are illegal targets. The back is also a legal target, from the waist to the bottom of the neck.
Attacks on the front of the opponent are divided into four areas. The first is high outside. This is an attack to the top of the opponent, going to the outside of his blade between his blade and shoulder.
Low outside is the same area as high outside but made closer to the waist.
High inside is to the inside of the blade, in the middle of the chest to the shoulder.
Low inside is the same as high inside but lower.
In order for a hit on one of these target areas to count, a certain amount of pressure must be put on the opponent with the blade. The end of the blade is covered with a plastic tip to ensure that damage is kept to a minimum. In professional tournaments, fencers wear a special jacket that has electrical monitors to tell whether or not a blade has hit a target area with enough pressure to signify a point. Otherwise the blade must bend when hitting the target area to show if enough pressure has been given.
Refereeing a Fencing Match
During a fencing match, there should be a total of 5 referees. One of these referees is the President, and they actually call the match. The other four are judges, two assigned to each fencer.
When a possible touch is made, the referee will halt the match. He will then consult each of the judges on whether or not a point was made. Each judge has one vote and the President has one and a half votes, so if there is a tie he overrides. The judge may vote either “Yes” a point has been made, “No,” a point has not been made, or “Abstain,” meaning they did not see well enough to determine whether or not a point was made.
Right of Way
Sometimes in fencing both fencers will attack at almost the same time. The attacker who firsts extends their arm has what is called “right of way.” Once the arm is extended, the opponent cannot attack the fencer for a point until they have either parried the blade or the attacker returns to position. The President and judges must always watch for right of way.