Badges are a good way to structure your learning and set targets for achievement, particularly for younger fencers. As a modern sport, fencing has its own achievement awards scheme for those who like to collect badges.
British Fencing has three types of achievement awards and they are as follows:
- The MiniSWORD Awards for 5-7 year olds are focused on the FUNdamentals of Movement – Agility, Balance and Coordination (ABCs) – as well as the importance of fun in sport and the enjoyment of exercise. Badges and certificates featuring the cheerful, friendly, fencing fox can be awarded at the three stages of the award scheme.
- GO/FENCE Achievement Awards for children 8+ using plastic fencing equipment; this scheme is undergoing a refresh as of the end of 2017.
- The weapon specific awards are for ages 8+ using one of the three Olympic metal weapons.
- For ages 8+ demonstrating technical competency
- Focused on a wider range of weapon specific fencing skills
- Progressive awards at Levels 1-6
Weapon-Specific Awards Syllabus – Foil
Foil Grade 1
Demonstrate: (with coach or partner)
1. The grip
2. The salute
3. The on guard – guards of sixte and quarte
4. Steps forward and backward
5. The lunge – hitting – direct attack
6. Simple parry with direct riposte
7. Simple parry with direct first counter-riposte
Describe:
1. How to manage your foil safely
2. How to fence safely
3. The target area
4. The principles of fencing with the foil
5. Fencing etiquette
Foil Grade 2
Demonstrate: (with coach or partner)
While following your partner’s steps forward and backward:
1. Maintain fencing line
2. Maintain correct distances for hitting with – riposte – lunge – step forward lunge
3. Maintain lunging distance and make a direct attack with a lunge each time your partner pauses
From a stationary position:
4. Guards of septime and octave
5. Engagements in sixte, quarte, septime and octave – Changes of engagements – Pressures
6. Disengage attack with a lunge on partner’s pressure from:
– Engagement in sixte
– Engagement in quarte
7. Circular parry of:
– Sixte with direct riposte
– Quarte with direct riposte
Describe:
1. Courteous and respectful behaviour and fencers’ “Pledge
of Honour” (cf. t.84)
2. Parts of the foil
3. Dimensions of the piste
Foil Grade 3
Demonstrate: (with coach or partner)
While following your partner’s steps forward and backward:
1. Maintain engagements in sixte, quarte, septime and octave
2. Disengage attack with a lunge from sixte each time your partner pauses and attempts to engage blades in:-
– Sixte from a low line guard
– Quarte from a low line guard
From a stationary position:
3. Two types of lunge:
– accelerating
– explosive
4. Balestra – balestra step forward – balestra lunge
5. Beats and change-beats in sixte, quarte, septime, and Octave
6. Semi-circular parries with direct ripostes
7. A one-two attack with an accelerating lunge when your partner attempts to:-
– Engage blades in quarte then parries into sixte
– Engage blades in sixte then parries into quarte
Describe:
1. Simple attacks and ripostes, and name three types of parries
2. Difference between simple and compound actions
3. Duties of:
– Referee
– Judges (as in t.36)
4. Timekeeping during competitions
5. Rules regarding the boundaries of the piste
Foil Grade 4
Demonstrate: (with coach or partner)
While following your partner’s steps forward and backward:
1. Continuously change engagements in high line and low line guards
2. Maintain lunging distance with blades engaged and when your partner pauses, attack by one-two with a lunge
3. When your partner attacks with a lunge, parry with:
– Circular parry of sixte with direct and indirect ripostes
– Circular parry of quarte with direct and indirect ripostes
4. Maintain lunging distance and when your partner pauses and lowers their foil point, make a direct feint then disengage with a lunge, when your partner:
– Parries into sixte
– Parries into quarte
From a stationary position:
5. Double, low-high and high-low compound attacks, with an accelerating lunge
6. Direct and disengage attacks with beats and change-beats, with an explosive lunge
7. Successive parries
Describe:
1. Scoring on a pool sheet; first and second indicators
2. The electrical foil recording apparatus
3. Fencers’ electrical equipment
4. Testing the equipment before the start of a fight
5. A foil test weight and how it is used
Foil Grade 5
Demonstrate: (with coach or partner)
While following your partner’s steps forward and backward:
1. Maintain step-lunge distance and on one of your partner’s steps forward, attack with:-
– Beat direct with an explosive lunge
– Beat disengage with an explosive lunge
2. As your partner attacks with a lunge, step back to avoid the attack and then attack with a step lunge as your partner returns on guard
3. Parry your partner’s attack with a circular parry of sixte and hit with a disengage riposte – if your circular parry is
deceived, then parry quarte with a direct riposte
From a Stationary Position:
4. Maintaining line, simple and compound derobements
5. Diagonal parries
6. Direct attack, with fleche
7. Remise and reprise
Describe:
1. Successive parries and the reasons for them
2. Rules and penalties regarding:-
– Illegal use of back arm
– Turning
– Hard hitting and dangerous fencing
3. The cause of these faults in the electrical recording apparatus when fencers are correctly connected and:-
– One fencer is hit correctly on target and the white light appears
– A white light continually flashes on one side
Foil Grade 6
While following your partner’s steps forward and backward:
1. Maintain step-lunge distance and when your partner pauses, engage blades with a step forward in:-
– Sixte, and attack with double and an accelerating lunge
– Quarte, and attack with double and an accelerating lunge
2. Maintain step-lunge distance and as your partner begins a step forward, beat attack direct, with a fleche.
3. Maintain step-lunge distance and disengage attack with an explosive lunge as your partner steps forward to engage your blade in sixte or in quarte.
4. When your partner attacks into the low line, parry octave and riposte into the high line – if your riposte is parried, then parry the counter-riposte into quarte and hit with a direct second counter-riposte.
From a stationary position:
5. Cutover attacks with a lunge, on partner’s pressure from sixte, quarte, septime and octave
6. Compound ripostes and counter-ripostes
7. Opposition counter-attacks in sixte, quarte and octave with a step forward
Describe:
1. Preparatory actions and their tactical use
2. Counter offensive actions
Demonstrate:
3. Referee hand signals for
– On guard, ready, fence, halt
– Attack good
– Attack parried, riposte good
– Attack off target
– Hit awarded
4. Referee a fight to 5 hits correctly using hand signals