Safety words and the referee commands
Ready when: nothing, this is the first card.
What you are learning
The salute and the referee's four calls ("en garde", "ready", "fence", "halt"), and what each one means for the fencer. Every bout starts and stops on these calls; starting early or not stopping on "halt" is unsafe and against the rules.
Words on this card Bout, Touch, Salute, Referee, En garde, Right of way
- Bout
- One fencing match between two fencers.
- Touch
- Landing the weapon on the other fencer's target; one touch is one point.
- Salute
- Raising the weapon to the face toward the other fencer and the referee before a bout.
- Referee
- The person who starts and stops the bout and decides who scored.
- En garde
- The referee's calls: take your stance; get ready; start fencing; stop.
- Right of way
- In foil and sabre, the rule that the fencer who attacked first gets the touch, unless the other blocked the attack first.
Show it first for the one teaching
- Salute: stand tall, raise the hand to the face, then lower it toward the other fencer.
- "En garde": step into the fencing stance. "Ready": stay still and ready.
- "Fence": start to move. "Halt": stop and stand still at once.
Your part while they practise
Be the referee: call "en garde", "ready", "fence", "halt".
Step by step
- Salute.
- Act each call: en garde, ready, fence, halt.
- Wait for "fence", not "ready".
- Stop the moment you hear "halt".
How much: 6 rounds 6 min a session 2 days a week
Say one thing Pick one line from "What you will see" for today and say only that.
The game: Referee's call
One child referees and the others act each call; anyone who moves at the wrong time loses a point.
Who plays: 2 or more; take turns as referee.
How to play, turn by turn
- Turns
- Everyone stands on the tape line
- The referee gives the calls, sometimes pausing a long time after "ready"
- On "fence", everyone steps forward and back on the spot; on "halt", everyone freezes
- 6 rounds, then a new referee
- Fair play
- A grown-up loses 2 points for each wrong move.
- Points
- Each player starts with 6 points; the referee takes 1 away for each wrong move.
- Fouls
- Lose 1 point
- Moving on "ready" instead of "fence"
- Moving after "halt"
- Forgetting the salute
- Winning
- The most points left after everyone has had a turn as referee.
- 3 points for 1 star
- 5 points for 2 stars
- 6 points for 3 stars
Easier or harder
Two commands.
The child decides who had the right of way in a described action.
What you will see, and what to say
- the child moves on "ready"
Wait for fence
Only "fence" starts the bout. - they argue the call
Agree on the hit, then go
The referee decides.
Self-check
The child does the commands correctly 5 times in a row.
Fitness for this
Warm up first: how to warm up, at workonfitness.com. For strength and stretching, its exercise library shows each exercise step by step, with an easier version.
This card trains respect for the start and end of a bout, rules.
awiseathlete.com/sports/fencing/fencing-b1