Fencing Practice and Techniques - Participants

Participants

There are at least three people involved: two fencers and a referee, formerly called a "Director" or "President of the jury". The referee may be assisted by a jury of two or four line-judges. This was common practice prior to the introduction of electronic scoring. Their function is somewhat similar to that of linesmen in soccer. Their primary job used to be to watch for hits scored. Consequently, the arrival of the electronic scoring apparatus has rendered them largely redundant. Under current FIE rules, a fencer may ask for two side-judges (one to watch each fencer) if (s)he thinks that the referee is failing to notice some infringement of the rules on his/her opponent's part (such as use of the unarmed hand, substitution of the valid target area, breaching the boundary of the piste etc.).