On guard - Ready? - Play! lt is the signal for which every fencer is waiting, once on the piste. The tension undergone before the match explodes and sets the stage for the pleasure of moving, confronting and fighting the other person "while respecting the rules". Of practising a combat sport ... People claim that fencing is complicated, its rules difficult and very numerous. Is  it really the case?

The question to ask ourselves is: what are the rules intended for, and why are they necessary? lt is difficult to answer this question in a paragraph, but here are some lines of thought:

We practise a combat sport. The first rule is to protect ourselves. Most of the rules serve this purpose.

Then, we are confronting other fencers. Rules are needed to decide who wins. Finally, fencing is a sport, we look for equal opportunities. Rules guarantee that all fencers use the same equipment.

The number of rules seems great, but many of them are applied to all three weapons. The Referee makes sure the rules are respected and sanctions any breaches.

ln brief, the answer to the initial question amounts to three points:

Protect your health - decide who wins - equal opportunities.

FENCING - Offences and penalties ... revisited (bod.fr)