Copy of `British Fencing - glossary of fencing terms`

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British Fencing - glossary of fencing terms Category: Sport and Leisure > Fencing Date & country: 14/12/2007, UK Words: 133

Open eyes
starting a movement with no prior knowledge of how it will finish, relying on reflexes to adjust and make the correct ending

Opposition
blade movement maintaining constant contact with the opponent's blade

Orthopaedic grip
general term for moulded grips of various designs used on foils and epees

Parry
defensive action to deflect an opponent's attack by opposing 'forte to opponent's foible'

Part-whole
the teaching of a movement in parts, ie isolating the parts of the movement demanding most skill and practising them in isolation; then putting the parts together to make a whole movement

Patinando
a step forwards with an appel from the rear foot at the same time as the front foot lands

Phrase
a sequence of fencing movements performed without a break

Piste
the field of play on which a bout takes place

Plastron
a half-jacket with no underarm seam, worn for extra protection on the sword arm under the fencing jacket; also a padded over-jacket worn by a fencing coach when giving individual training

Pommel
a metal cap screwed to the end of the blade which locks the parts of the weapon together and provides a counter-balance to the blade

Pool (poule)
the grouping of fencers or teams in a competition

Preparation of attack
the movement of blade or foot to obtain the best position from which to make an attack

Prime
high line, pronated guard on the non-sword-arm side

Principle of defence
the execution of a parry by the defencer's forte opposing the attacking foible, ie 'opposition of forte to foible'

Priority
the right of way gained by the fencer at foil and sabre by extending the sword arm and continually threatening the opponent's target

Progressive actions
actions made with the sword point continually moving towards the opponent's target

Pronation
the position of the sword hand with the knuckles uppermost

Quarte
high line, semi-supinated guard on the non-sword-arm side

Quinte
low line, pronated guard on the non-sword-arm side at foil and epee; and a high guard at sabre to protect the head

Rassemblement
the bringing of both feet together, either forwards or backwards, so that the heels are touching with the feet at right angles and the body in an upright position

Recovery
the return to the On guard position

Redoublement
the renewal of an action after being parried by replacing the point on the target in a different line to the original action

Remise
the renewal of an action after being parried by replacing the point on the target in the line of the original action

Repechage
the competition formula which gives losers of a direct elimination bout a second chance to stay in the competition

Reprise
the renewal of an action made with a lunge by first returning to guard forwards or backwards

Riposte
an offensive action following a successful parry of an attack

Seconde
low line, pronated guard on the sword-arm side

Septime
low line, semi-supinated guard on the non-sword-arm side

Sixte
high line, semi-supinated guard on the sword-arm side

Successive parries
two or more consecutive parries made to defend against compound attacks

Supination
the position of the sword hand with the finger-nail uppermost

Tang
the part of the blade on which the hilt is mounted

Tierce
high line, pronated guard on the sword-arm side