Safety First
Our guidelines on safety are under constant review.
Also, beginners may appreciate the reassurance under Does it Hurt?
In short: no.
Introduction
Fencing is a safe sport. Regulation equipment conforming to safety standards and common sense fencing helps to maintain our good safety record.
If you are attending classes for the first time, please observe the dress code outlined in What do I wear?
Safety First
- Always wear a mask when fencing.
- Occasionally in a controlled lesson, the coach may dispense with the mask while demonstrating a particular point, but this is an exception.
- Unless the coach says otherwise, the rule is PLAY IT SAFE.
Official Safety Guidelines
A summary of British Fencing Safety Guidelines is available as a PDF document.
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The Essential Equipment Guide is available as a PDF document. Indicative prices are correct as at September 2013.
General Safety Rules
Finally, a few common sense precautions. Although they apply to all, they are directed more at the younger fencer whose enthusiasm and exuberance is sometimes difficult to control!
- First, NEVER wave your weapon about in front of people who aren’t wearing masks.
- NEVER turn your back on the person you are fencing. This leaves the neck and back of the head exposed. In competition this is illegal and you will be penalised.
- NEVER remove your mask in the middle of a fight expecting your opponent to stop without warning. The recognised way to stop a fight is to hold up your unarmed hand, palm facing your opponent, and step backwards. Do this BEFORE you take off your mask.
- Finally, NEVER, NEVER slash at your opponent with your sword; this serves no purpose except to injure. There is no warning or penalty, you will be disqualified from a competition or banned from fencing for dangerous behaviour.
- Remember, fencing is fun, providing you PLAY IT SAFE.
Safety Equipment
• The mask
• The plastron
• The jacket
• The glove
• Breeches
The Olympic sport of fencing is comprised of four disciplines: foil, epée, and sabre plus the one-hit épée competition in modern pentathlon. All are fenced on a long rectangular strip (the piste), and electronic scoring aids are normally used to assist in the detection of hits. The rules governing these three weapons are determined by the FIE (Fédération Internationale d’Escrime). Briefly, the FIE weapons are described as follows:
Olympic fencing appears to be safe for the present and has even been expanded to include Women’s Epée. Since the IOC perpetually changes its roster of Olympic sports, nothing is certain beyond Beijing. Although fencing is one of only four sports to have been involved in every modern Olympic Games since their inception in 1896, it has been mentioned in the past as one of the disciplines that may be eliminated from future Games.
The field of play is a long strip, or piste. A scored encounter between fencers is called a bout. Bouts are fenced to either 5 or 15 touches: the first fencer to score the required number of touches wins.
Fencing is a safe sport. Regulation equipment conforming to safety standards and common sense fencing helps to maintain our good safety record.
A summary of 
Finally, a few common sense precautions, although they apply to all, they are directed more to the younger fencer whose enthusiasm and exuberance is sometimes difficult to control!
Always wear an under plastron. This is a half jacket that covers your sword arm side and is worn under the fencing jacket.