Crossing the limits of the strip

March 11, 1:45 PMBaltimore Fencing ExaminerGreg Paye

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Fencing strips at Maryland Fencing Club, Abingdon

A confusing collection of rules are those that address the enforcement of the strip: the rectangular field of play in fencing. There have been changes to the rules over the years, and those have contributed to the confusion. I will do my best to provide a general explanation of the strip rules. My interpretations here come after direct quotes from the U.S. Fencing Association rule book, September 2008 edition.

When a competitor crosses one of the lateral boundaries of the strip with one or both feet, the referee must immediately call 'Halt'.

This is pretty self-explanatory. What isn't specified is that crossing with one foot or both feet means at least a whole foot. Having one's toes hang a bit over the line (or anything similar) but still having some part of the foot-in-question over the strip does not merit a halt.

If the fencer goes off the strip with both feet, the referee must annul everything that has occurred after the boundary has been crossed, except a touch received by the competitor who has crossed the boundary even after he has crossed it, provided that this touch results from a simple and immediate action.

If you cross the strip and afterward you land a touch, the referee could annul that touch, depending if your action started before crossing the strip, and if you crossed the strip with one or both feet. If you cross the strip and your opponent makes a simple, immediate action which hits you just after you cross the line, the refee should allow that touch. This can be a really fuzzy area of interpretation. If a fencer makes a fleche (running attack) and misses on the first action, but makes a new attack just before he goes off the strip, the referee may not catch that. In that same situation the fencer receiving that fleche attack may counter-attack just as the fencer is going off the strip. The referee may or may not allow that counter-attack, depending on the timing.

If one of the competitors leaves the strip with both feet, only a touch made by the fencer who remains on the strip with at least one foot can be counted valid, even in the case of a double touch.

Here is where a lot of the potential ambiguity ends. If the offending fencer leaves the strip with both feet (and most do after a fleche) then only the actions of the fencer still on the strip count after the offending fencer crossed the line.

Should a competitor cross the rear limit of the strip completely — i.e. with both feet — a touch will be scored against him/her.

Most fencers learn this one really quickly. What some don't learn is that the boundaries of the strip extend upward from the lines. If a fencer backs off the end of the strip with one foot, then lifts the other, but the other is still over the strip, then that fencer is still considered to be on the strip. It is not until the fencer's second foot crosses the rear line completely that he is considered to be off the end of the strip.

A competitor who crosses one of the lateral boundaries of the strip with one or both feet is penalized. When the competitors are replaced on guard, the opponent of the competitor who has crossed the lateral boundary will step forward one meter from the position he occupied when his opponent left the strip; the competitor who is penalized must retreat in order to resume the correct fencing distance.

This is a noticable change from the past. In the past there were different rules about how to penalize a fencer (if at all) for crossing the lateral boundary depending on whether the line had been crossed with one or both feet. Now it is all the same. If you cross with one foot or both feet, everything stops, your opponent advances a meter and extends his arm, and you have to get back on-guard at the proper distance (points not touching with arms extending).

If the exercise of this penalty places a competitor with both feet beyond the rear limit of the strip, that competitor is considered as having been touched.

If that resetting of the distance pushes you over the rear line, that's a touch for your opponent.

I believe this lateral boundary rule and its interpretation are a departure from the past. I think that in my youth the rule was that the offending fencer was punished by sending him back a meter versus awarding the non-offending fencer by advancing him a meter. I could be worong on that one - I don't have an old rule book around to verify it.

I've noticed with this rule change that some non-offending fencers being quite anxious to nudge themselves forward after the referee calls halt, but before the referee awards the one meter. Perhaps this is not intentional or perhaps it is, either way, I always tell my fencers that if the referee calls halt, keep an eye on your opponent. Don't let your opponent stop, stand up, and quietly step one or steps foward while the referee is looking at the offending fencer, then happily take his meter award once the referee turns his attention to him. If this happens it might be worth a gentle suggestion to your referee, "Pardon me sir/ma'am. I believe my opponent atlready took his/her one meter immediately after you called halt." If the referee tells you to stuff it, you can just thank him and move on, but at least now your opponent knows he is on-notice.

A competitor who crosses one of the lateral boundaries of the strip with one or both feet – e.g. when making a fleche – to avoid being touched will be penalized as specified in Articles t.114, t.116, t.120.

I'm not sure why this is in the rule book, except as insurance against misinterpretation. To me the existing rules cited here should already cover the topic of leaving the strip to avoid a touch well enough.

A competitor who unintentionally crosses one of the boundaries of the strip as the result of any accidental cause (such as jostling) incurs no penalty whatever.

This is a little insurance tacked on at the end to insure that the referee is not under any obligation to penalize a fencer for something for which he is not resposible. If your opponent tackles you and you go off the strip - not your fault - no penalty. If some dope leaves something lying on the strip, no one sees it, and you trip over it and go off the strip - not your fault - no penalty.