Rules Guide
Fencing Right Of Way Explained
Right of way is the priority system used in foil and sabre to decide who earns the touch when both athletes appear to hit at the same time.
If this is the one rule that has made fencing hard to follow, this page fixes that in under three minutes.
The simple version
- The fencer who starts a valid attack first has priority.
- If the defender deflects that attack (parry) and counterattacks, priority transfers to them.
- The referee awards the touch based on that sequence, not just which lights came on.
Think of it like boxing
The fighter who throws first has momentum. In fencing, the fencer who initiates first has priority. To take priority away, the other fencer must deflect that attack (parry) and then counterattack. Simply landing a hit while being attacked does not count.
The difference: in boxing, the referee does not need to track priority. In fencing, they do. That is the job of the official standing at the center of the strip calling each exchange.
A rally, step by step
Here is how a single exchange plays out in foil:
Fencer A attacks
Fencer A extends their arm and steps forward. They now have priority.
Fencer B parries
Fencer B deflects A's blade to the side. Priority now transfers to Fencer B.
Fencer B counterattacks
Fencer B extends and scores a touch. Because they parried first, they had priority.
Both lights come on
The scoring machine detects contact from both fencers. The referee awards the point to Fencer B, the one who had priority.
Why both lights come on
The electronic scoring machine detects any conductive contact within a 300-millisecond window and lights both sides simultaneously. It is fast, faster than a referee can see in real time.
The lights tell you that contact happened. The referee tells you who earned it. Once you separate those two jobs, fencing becomes much easier to follow.
In epee, the timing window is 40 milliseconds. If both fencers land within that window, both score a point. No priority, no referee judgment needed. This is why epee is often described as the simplest weapon to follow.
Common viewer questions
Why did the referee give the point to the person who seemed to get hit?
Because the fencer who got the point had priority. In foil and sabre, landing a touch is not enough. You need to either have initiated the attack first, or parried the attack coming at you before scoring. The referee tracks priority through the exchange and awards the point accordingly.
Does this apply in all three weapons?
Only foil and sabre use right of way. Epee has no priority system. In epee, whoever lands first scores. If both land within a 40-millisecond window, both score. This is why many new fans find epee easier to follow at first.
How do I get better at reading right of way live?
Watch the feet, not the blades. The fencer moving forward is usually the attacker and holds priority. When a fencer retreats, deflects the blade (parries), and then counterattacks, they have transferred priority to themselves. You can feel momentum shifts before the lights go on.
What is a parry?
A parry is a defensive action where a fencer deflects the incoming blade. In foil and sabre, a successful parry takes priority away from the attacker and gives it to the defender, who can then score on the counterattack. In epee, parries still matter but do not affect who scores; being faster does.
Watch the feet
The fastest way to read right of way live: watch the feet, not the blades. The fencer stepping forward is usually initiating and holds priority. The fencer stepping back is defending. When the direction reverses after a parry, priority has transferred. You will feel it before you fully see it.