Foil Fencing Level 1 - Ability

  • Footwork:
    From ‘on guard’ advance, retire, half-steps, lunge and recover.

  • Blade manipulation:
    The salute
    The grip and transports from sixte:
    -circular to sixte,
    -lateral to quarte
    -semi-circular to octave.

  • Blade manipulation:
    Engagements from sixte to:
    -sixte, quarte, octave, high sixte.

  • The Hit:
    Direct, disengage and counter-disengage from sixte
    -delivered with a step forward,
    -delivered with a step back,
    -delivered with a lunge and recovery.

  • Defence:
    Parry from sixte: circular sixte, simple quarte, high sixte,
    Successive parries of:
    -circular sixte followed by simple quarte,
    -circular sixte followed by high sixte.
    Direct riposte from sixte with a bent arm.

    Foil Fencing Level 2 - Competence

  • Footwork:
    Accelerated step-lunge,
    step forward followed by step in place and lunge,
    from the lunge reprise by fleche.

  • Blade manipulation:
    Engagement and change of engagement:
    -engage sixte change to quarte,
    -engage quarte change to sixte,
    -engage quarte change to high sixte,
    -engage and change in the low lines

  • The hit:
    delivered with cut over and point momentum
    -with a step and with a lunge.

  • Defence:
    Parry from quarte: circular quarte, sixte, high sixte.
    Riposte from sixte and quarte by disengage and by cut-over, at close quarters and at full extension.

  • Tactics:
    First counter-riposte on the lunge, direct, disengage and cut-over.

    Foil Fencing Level 3 - Proficiency

  • Footwork:
    Step and lunge at various cadences,
    balestra-lunge, step back and fleche,
    half step and fleche.

  • Blade manipulation:
    Beat attacks from sixte, quarte & octave
    Through beat of septime advancing and retiring,
    Compound attack of feint direct and evasion of:-
    -circular sixte,
    -lateral quarte,
    -high sixte.

  • The hit:
    direct and indirect delivered by fleche with two variations of footwork

  • Defence:
    double parries and successive parries of:
    -sixte-quarte, sixte-high sixte, sixte-octave,
    circular sixte parry and simple quarte parry followed by accelerated riposte

  • Distance:
    Riposte by one-two at close quarters (bent arm)
    Riposte by one-two and double with a lunge.

  • Tactics:
    Simple or compound attack on the opponent’s recovery.

    Foil Fencing Level 4 - Excellence

  • Footwork:
    Maintaining distance and indirect hitting to any open target -
    (the coach constantly moving between all guards.)
    A sequence of 3 hits whilst retiring and a 4th delivered by fleche.

  • Blade manipulation:
    From engagement of quarte, destructive septime/high septime parry & riposte,
    From sixte, septime through beat whilst retiring,
    From sixte take high sixte and then seconde riposte,
    From septime pronation to prime for opposition.

  • The hit:
    Parry of sixte and quarte followed by simple riposte by observation.
    Inversion from quarte to prime to hit at close quarters.
    From prime hitting to the low line, by cut-over to the low line and by cut-over to the high line.

  • Defence:
    First counter-riposte direct, by cut-over by one-two.
    First counter-riposte direct, by cut-over by one-two followed by reprise by fleche.

  • Tactics:
    First counter riposte followed by remise.
    Beat feint direct followed by parry of sixte, high sixte or quarte and riposte by step, lunge or fleche.
    Beat feint followed by derobement

    Foil Fencing Level 5 - Distinction

  • Footwork:
    Accelerated step-lunge with beat or change of engagement and direct attack.
    From half-step completing indirect or compound attack with step-lunge or fleche.

  • Blade manipulation:
    Double engagements of sixte-quarte and quarte-sixte followed by simple attack.
    Double engagement followed by parry riposte (with or without the second engagement being deceived)
    Double engagement followed by compound attack by observation.
    Engagement followed by pressure and direct attack

  • The hit:
    Speed exercises of: High sixte parry riposte to flank, redouble to shoulder and sixte riposte whilst retiring.
    Quarte riposte by one-two, remise and quarte riposte by cut-over,
    Circle sixte riposte to shoulder, remise parry quarte (or prime) and riposte to other shoulder.

  • Defence:
    Inducement (by change of engagement, half-parry, feint or pause) and parry riposte from the exposed line.
    Counter-attack by opposition against one-two and high-low compound attacks.

  • Tactics:
    Simple fleche attack on the opponent’s preparation or on recovery from feint.
    Broken-time attack or riposte on the opponent’s recovery.
    Counter-time performed on the opponent’s recovery