According to Article 10 of the FIE rules of competition, "the attack is the initial offensive action made by extending the arm and continuously threatening the valid target of the opponent."
A threatening weapon is normally interpreted to be one that will or could hit the opponent if no defensive action is taken. In other words, a weapon threatens if it is moving towards the target in a smooth, unbroken trajectory. This trajectory can be curved, especially if the attack is indirect, compound, or involves a cutting action. Hesitations and movements of the blade away from the target will usually be perceived as a break in the attack or a preparation of the attack.
One common misconception is that a straight or straightening arm is required to assert the attack. However, neither the strict wording nor the prevailing interpretation of the above rule require that the attacker's arm become straight or even nearly so. It is sufficient if the arm extends, even just slightly, from its normal on-guard position. A long arm at the moment of the touch is still good style, though, since it gives superior reach and clearly shows the fencer's intent. While the attack can often be asserted with only slight extension, retraction of the arm will usually be interpreted as a break in the attack.
Another common misconception is that a point attack does not threaten unless the point is aimed at the target. This is not generally true. An out-of-line point does threaten if it is moving towards the target on a smooth, unbroken trajectory. The most common example of this is the coupe' (cut-over), in which the blade is pulled away from the target to avoid the the opponent's blade, and then returned into line to finish the attack. Coupe' takes the right-of-way immediately, even though the point is initially pulled away. So-called "flicks", relatives of the coupe' that involve whipping the foible of the blade around parries or blocking body parts, can also take the right-of-way when the blade starts its final forward stroke.
Many fencers are under the mistaken impression that a bent arm or out-of-line point constitutes a preparation, and therefore that they can rightfully attack into it. If the bent arm is extending and the out-of-line point is moving towards the target, however, this assumption is usually false under modern fencing conventions. A successful attack on the preparation must clearly precede the opponent's initiation of the phrase or a break in his attack, or else arrive a fencing time ahead of his touch.
Sabre fencers must also consider Article 417 of the Rules of Competition, which states when the attack must land relative to the footfalls of a lunge, advance-lunge, (and fleche, historically). Attacks that arrive after the prescribed footfall are deemed continuations, and do not have right-of-way over the counter-attack. Sabre fencers must also remember that whip-over touches can be interpreted as remises, and not mal-pare's.
According to Article 10 of the FIE Rules of Competition, "the parry is the defensive action made with the weapon to prevent the attack from arriving".
A successful parry deflects the threatening blade away from the target. It is not sufficient merely to find or touch the opponent's blade; the fencer must also exhibit control over it. If the attack continues without any replacement of the point and makes a touch, it retains the right-of-way (mal-pare' by the defender). If the attacker must replace the point into a threatening line before continuing, it is a remise (renewal of the attack) and does not have right-of-way over the riposte. In practice, very little deflection is needed with a well-timed parry.
A well-executed parry should take the foible of the attacker's blade with the forte and/or guard of the defender's. This provides the greatest control over the opponent's blade. In other cases the parry can still be seen as sufficient if the attacking blade is sufficiently deflected. In ambiguous cases, however, the benefit of the doubt is usually given to the fencer who used his forte/guard. For example, if a fencer attempts to parry using his foible on his opponent's forte, it will often be interpreted in the reverse sense (eg. counter-time parry by the attacker), since such an engagement does not normally result in much deflection of the attack. A foible to foible parry could potentially be seen as a beat attack by the opposing fencer depending on the specifics of the action.
At foil, the opponent's blade should not only be deflected away from the target, but away from off-target areas as well. An attack that is deflected off the valid target but onto invalid target still retains right-of-way.
At sabre, the opponent's blade need only be deflected away from valid target, since off-target touches do not stop the phrase. Cuts are considered parried if their forward movement is checked by a block with the blade or guard. Otherwise, sabre parries must be particularly clean and clear to avoid the possibility of whip-over touches.
At epee, a good parry is simply any one that gains enough time for the riposte. Opposition parries and binds are commonly used, since they do not release the opponent's blade to allow a remise.
According to Article 233 section 6 of the FIE Rules of Competition, a point-in-line is a position "with the arm straight and the point threatening the valid target".
Properly done, the arm should be extended as far as possible, and form a more or less continuous line with the blade, with the point aimed directly at the high lines of the target. Excessive angulation at the wrist or fingers negates the point-in-line. Superfluous movement of the point also risks negating the line, especially in sabre. Derobements/trompements, however, are permitted.
In foil and sabre, the point-in-line has priority over attacks that are made without first taking the blade. With these weapons (but not with epee) it is forbidden to assume the point- in-line position before the command to fence has been given. In sabre, a point-in-line that hits with the edge may be considered to have missed, with the cut being considered a counter-attack (assuming it even registers).
Note that although the rules do not comment on the role of the feet in a point-in-line, there are "official interpretations" that convert the point-in-line into an attack--or, more importantly, a counter-attack--if it is delivered with a lunge or fleche. This interpretation allows the line to retain priority if it is delivered with an advance or jump, however. Some referees reject even the latter, along with any other movements (other than deceptions) that "improve the line". Yet another body of opinion holds that a line that develops into an attack is one continuous threat with no break in priority. The rulebook has nothing to help us resolve this dispute, but it seems that the first of these interpretations (that the line is valid except in the case of lunge or fleche) has the most official recognition.
Flicks are whip-like attacks that can score against very oblique and even concealed targets. Sometimes thought of as a recent corruption, flicks actually have a long history that stems from coupe' (the cut-over) and epeeists efforts to throw their points around the bell. Properly executed and judged, they are effective and beautiful attacks; poorly executed and judged, they can be painful and annoying.
One common criticism of the flick is that it would cause minor injury with a real weapon. The obvious, if flippant, response to this is not to flick when fencing with a real weapon.
Another common criticism is that flicks are difficult to defend against. One must simply remember to parry them as if they were cuts, not thrusts (using auxiliary parries like tierce, quinte, and elevated sixte). The flick is also highly sensitive to distance, and a well-timed break in the measure will cause it to land flat.
A third criticism is that flicks are usually given the priority, even though the attack often begins with the point aimed at the ceiling. However, the definition of an attack (see question 1.15) says nothing about where the point is aimed, only what it is threatening. It is normally true that an attack that scores must have threatened in at least its final tempo.
Sabre fencing has suffered from a related and more serious scourge, the whip-over. In this case, the foible bends around the opponent's blade or guard following a parry, to contact the target and register a touch. The scoring machines attempt to reduce these false touches by blocking hits within a certain time window following weapon contact, but this is of limited effectiveness and also has the unfortunate effect of blocking the occasional attack through the blade. Referees have tried to help out by analyzing whip-over touches as remises, but they still score over composed or delayed ripostes. The FIE has been considering and trying various possible fixes, including varying the timeouts and mandating stiffer sabre blades.
by Morgan Burke