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piste click to hear : piste

Area on which the match takes place; it is 14 m long and between 1.5 and 2 m wide.
piste image
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See piste in : french | spanish
judge scorer president reel timekeeper scoring light foil warning line rear limit line electric foil electrical scoring apparatus body wire on guard line center line saber and épée warning line

judge click to hear : judge

Each of the officials who assist the president; they stand beside the piste and especially check the validity of the hits.

scorer click to hear : scorer

Official who registers the fencers’ hits and penalties.

president click to hear : president

Official who enforces the rules and is especially in charge of conducting the match and controlling the scoring apparatus.

reel click to hear : reel

Device that keeps the body wire under constant tension by following the forward and backward movements of the fencer.

timekeeper click to hear : timekeeper

Official who monitors the duration of the match; a single match is made up of three manches (sets) of three minutes, with a one-minute break between each manche.

scoring light click to hear : scoring light

Light that switches on to signal valid hits (red and green lights) and nonvalid hits (white lights).

foil warning line click to hear : foil warning line

Line 1 m from the rear limit line warning the foilist that the end of the piste is near.

rear limit line click to hear : rear limit line

Line 7 m from the center line that indicates that the fencer is outside the piste; when a fencer passes this line, a hit is awarded to the opponent.

electric foil click to hear : electric foil

Its end contains an electric button that senses hits; a hit is registered only when the pressure on the tip of the blade is greater than 500 g (maximum weight of the foil).

electrical scoring apparatus click to hear : electrical scoring apparatus

Electrical apparatus for registering the fencers’ hits by means of a body wire.

body wire click to hear : body wire

Insulated electric wire that runs through the fencer’s equipment and connects the weapon to the electrical scoring apparatus by means of the reel.

on guard line click to hear : on guard line

Line 2 m from the center line; the fencer must stay behind it to start and when resuming combat after a valid hit.

center line click to hear : center line

Line that divides the piste into two equal parts, one for each fencer.

saber and épée warning line click to hear : saber and épée warning line

Line 2 m from the rear limit line to warn the épéeist and the sabreur that they are near the end of the piste.