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"Flicking" or "Whipping" What is it?
In ancient times when the occurrence of a swordfight wasn't too rare, gentlemen trained at a game called foil with the express purpose of learning to duel. In other words, to learn how to survive these occasional swordfights by killing their worthy opponent.To facilitate the training of these men, it was necessary to practice with flexible steel weapons. The blades acted like light swords but when the fatal thrust was delivered the blade would bend rather than penetrate. The action on the part of the victor was almost identicle to that of running a sharp weapon through the vitals of an enemy, and so it was proper training.

As civilization progressed and the duel was outlawed the need to learn to swordfight was replaced by the desire to simply play foil for it's own sake. Since it was a game, there was a simple object; to hit the opponent with the point of the blade.

It was not necessary to bend the blade and simulate thrusting through organs to score a point and a victory. Fencers soon realized that to score a point and win a medal one needed only to hit with the point in whatever manner possible.

The flick is another method of hitting with the point of one's weapon without thrusting.

If you simply swing your weapon laterally it will hit flat. Modern weapons have a tiny sensor in the tip that must be depressed before it can be called a hit. A flat hit will not depress this sensor anymore than hitting the side of your keyboard will depress the keys on top.

When you flick, you stop the progress of your blade suddenly and allow the flexibility of the blade to swing the tip only forward.this brings the sensor around and allows it to hit as though thrusting.
The flick is very useful for going around your opponent's defense. Like a jumpshot in basketball or an end run in football, when the defense closes the direct approach off, the attacker must simply take another approach, around or over.

Though most common in foil, the flick is used in all three weapons.
The most important thing to remember is that the weapon should be held loosely until the moment of the flick. It must be allowed to move freely in the hand to develop the momentum it needs to bend in upon itself.

Relax the hand, and push it forward, above your opponent's lame if you intend to hit the back or shoulder.

Sharply close the hand and pull the grip down without interrupting the forward movment of the hand.

As the tip moves down toward the lame', push the hand into the target to ensure that the tip hits point first and scores.

There are many different ways to flick, and many different ways to learn each way. The best advice I can offer you is to exercise your hand a lot.
When you can hold your hand still while flexing your weapon in mid air, then you can begin to flick. If you can hold your hand out in front of you with your fingers open, then using only your fingers bring the blade down and sharply stop it, making it flick severly, then start trying to do so while moving.
Once you can do it while moving, without lifting your hand or throwing your point backwards to gain momentum, without lifting your hand in preperation, and without hitting with anything but the point. Then you are flicking.