Commentary reposted by permission of poster "edew" from the Fencing.net discussion forum.
Fencing.net

"My beef, or will you fencers do it right, for once?"

After refereeing for 4 days at the JOs, I thought I'd share some thoughts about fencing and how to better yourselves when you are fencing. These beefs are primarily for the women foilists, but applies to men and women in both foil and saber. Epeeists can ignore this thread.

• RULE 1: if you take the blade (beat, parry, whatever), YOU HAVE CONTROL, move forward and press and pressure your opponent.

I have seen time and again where fencer A advances, fencer B, while retreating, finds A's blade, and then continues to retreat. WHY? Once you get the blade, you have right of way. Right of way is like gold. Once you get it, don't give it up. Here, B gives it up without even giving A a sporting chance to try to wrest it away from B.

• RULE 2: Arm out! That old drill of having your arm extending when lunging? It's a good idea!

If two fencers make a simultaneous lunge (and that happens quite often), the one who's constantly extending will get the touch if the other dithers or makes indecisive actions with the bent arm. Gotta let that arm go out. This is especially true in saber. In foil, you might get a simultaneous call, but if you're holding back too much, it will be called against you.

• RULE 3: If you're searching for the blade (in foil), and don't get it, your opponent's attack has precedence over your continuation.

That's in the rules and that's how it's called. If you're searching for the blade and don't find it, don't bother to continue with an attack. Unless your opponent is withering and retreating. Another idea is to make your search a part of your attack so it looks like an attack to the referee (and the opponent). If you find the blade, well goodie for you. If not, it's still an attack. It helps that you don't stop moving forward. In saber, don't even bother to continue with an attack if you fail to find the blade when searching. You're dead.

• RULE 4: When your opponent stops moving forward, go ahead and move forward and take over right of way.

In both foil and saber, right of way is the name of the game. Hitting the other person is the secondary, or consequence of holding on and utilizing right of way. Treat right of way like it's gold. Hoard it. Keep it. Never relinquish it. Make your opponent work his or her 4$$ off to wrest it from you. If your opponent does something stupid instead of trying to get the right of way from you, hit him (or her).

• RULE 5: DON'T STOP IN THE ZONE.

What's the zone? Suppose both fencers are at on guard lines. Ready, fence! Both take a step forward. Both stop. DON'T YOU STOP! If you get there, slow down, but continue moving and then explode and make the hit. So often, I see the fencer(s) coming out of the on guard blocks speeding at their opponents, only to stop on a dime just as they get into the zone (within lunging distance). Why stop? Push on! Or retreat back after a false lunge. Or something. There's nothing mystical about the zone. Get in, get through and punch through. Push your opponent.

As a referee, it's doubly exasperating to see fencers advance into the zone and then stop. When both fencers do it, it just kills the momentum of the bout. Bouts can finish faster if fencers penetrate the zone and continue through for a hit. DON'T STOP IN THE ZONE!!!!