Foil Syllabus

Syllabus for Grades 1-9

Grade 1

Demonstrate: (with coach or partner)

1. The Grip
2. The Salute  
3. The On guard - Guards of Sixte & Quarte 
4. Steps Forward and Backward  
5. The Lunge - Hitting - Direct Attack 
6. Simple Parry with Direct Riposte 
7. Simple Parry with Direct first Counter-Riposte

Describe:

1. How to use your foil safely
2. How to fence safely 
3. The Target Area 
4. The Principles of Fencing with the foil 
5. Fencing Etiquette

Grade 2

Demonstrate: (with coach or partner) - While following your partner's steps forward and backward

1. Maintain fencing line
2. Maintain correct distances for hitting with - Riposte - Lunge - Step forward lunge 
3. Maintain lunging distance and make a direct Attack with a lunge each time your partner pauses
   

From a stationary position:

1. Guards of Septime and Octave
2. Engagements in Sixte, Quarte, Septime and Octave - Changes of Engagements - Pressures
3. Disengage Attack with a lunge on partner's pressure from:
   • Engagement in Sixte
   • Engagement in Quarte  
4. Circular Parry of:
   • Sixte with Direct Riposte
   • Quarte with Direct Riposte

Describe:

1. Courteous and respectful behaviour and fencers "Pledges of Honour" (cf. t.114, t.116, t.120)
2. Parts of the Foil 
3. Dimensions of the Piste

Grade 3

Demonstrate: (with coach or partner) -While following your partner's steps forward and backward:
 

1. Maintain engagements in Sixte, Quarte, Septime & OctaveDisengage
   
2. Attack with a lunge from Sixte each time your partner pauses and attempts to engage blades in:-
   
   • Sixte from a low line guard 
   • Quarte from a low line guard

From a stationary position:

1. Two types of lunge:
   • accelerating
   • explosive
2. Balestra - Balestra step forward - Balestra lunge 
3. Beats and change Beats in Sixte, Quarte, Septime & Octave 
4. Semi-circular Parries with Direct Ripostes  
5. A One-two Attack with an accelerating lunge when your partner attempts to:-
   • Engage blades in quarte then parries into Sixte
   • Engage blades in Sixte then parries into Quarte

Describe:

1. Simple Attacks and Ripostes, and name three types of Parries
2. Difference between Simple and Compound actions 
3. Duties of Referee and Judges 
4. Timekeeping during competitions 
5. Rules regarding the boundaries of the Piste

Grade 4

Demonstrate: (with coach or partner) -While following your partner's steps forward and backward:

1. Continuously change engagements in high line and low line guards
2. Maintain lunging distance with blades engaged and when your partner pauses, attack by One-two with a lunge
3. When your partner attacks with a lunge, Parry with:
   • Circular Party of Sixte with Direct and Indirect Ripostes
   • Circular Parry of Quarte with Direct and Indirect Ripostes 
4. Maintain lunging distance and when your partner pauses and lowers his/her foil point, make a feint Direct and Disengage with a lunge, when your partner:
   • Parries into Sixte
   • Parries into Quarte

From a stationary position:

1. Double, Low-High and High-Low compound attacks, with an accelerating lunge
2. Direct and Disengage attacks with Beats and Change-beats, with an explosive lunge  
3. Successive Parries

Describe:

1. Scoring on a pool sheet; first and second indicators
   • Electric foil recording apparatus
   • Fencers electrical equipment 
   • Testing the equipment before the start of a fight
   • A foil test weight and how it is used
2. The correct responses of a judge, and demonstrate your ability to judge in a pool

Grade 5

Demonstrate:(with coach or partner).While following your partner's steps forward and backward:

1. Maintain step-lunge distance and on one of your partner's steps forward, attack with:
   • Beat Direct with an explosive lunge
   • Beat Disengage with an explosive lunge
2. As your partner attacks with a lunge, step back to avoid the attack and attack with a step lunge as your partner returns guard
3. Parry your partner's attack with a Circular Parry of Sixte and hit with a Disengage Riposte - if your Circular Parry is deceived, then Parry Quarte with a Direct Riposte

From a Stationary Position:

1. Engage your partner's blade in:
   • Sixte, and attack with Coule direct and Coule Disengage and accelerating lunge
   • Quarte, and attack with Coule Direct and Coule Disengage and accelerating lunge
2. Diagonal Parries 
3. Direct Attack, with Fleche 
4. Engage your partner's blade in Sixte, Quarte, Octave and Septime, with a step forward
   

Describe:

1. Successive Parries and the reasons for them
2. Rules and penalties regarding:
   • Illegal use of back arm
   • Corps a corps
   • Turning
   • Hard hitting and dangerous fencing
3. Faults in the foil electrical recording apparatus when fencers are correctly connected and when:
   • One fencers is hit correctly on target and white light appears
   • A white light continually flashes on one side

Grade 6

Demonstrate: (with coach or partner)-While following your partner's steps forward and backward:

1. Maintain step-lunge distance and when your partner pauses, engage blades with a step forward in:
   • Sixte, and attack with Double and an accelerating lunge
   • Quarte, and attack with Double and an accelerating lunge
2. Maintain step-lunge distance and as your partner begins a step forward, Beat attack direct, with a Fleche. 
3. Maintain step-lunge distance and Disengage Attack with an explosive lunge as your partner steps forward to engage your blade in Sixte and in Quarte.
4. When your partner attacks into the low line, Parry Octave and Riposte into the high line - if your Riposte is parried, then Parry into Quarte and hit with a Direct second Counter-riposte.

From a stationary position:

1. Cutover Attacks with a lunge, on partner's pressure from Sixte, Quarte, Septime and Octave
2. Compound Ripostes and Counter-ripostes 
3. Opposition Counter-attacks in Sixte, Quarte and Octave with a step forward

Describe:

1. Preparatory actions and their tactical use
2. Counter offensive actions 
3. Fencing time: single and multi-time actions 
4. What is meant by 'taking the initiative" and why is this important in a fight?

Grade 7

Demonstrate: (with coach or partner)-While following your partner's steps forward and backward:

1. Maintain step-lunge distance and attack direct with lunge as your partner steps forward or, if your partner attacks on your step forward, Parry Quarte with a Direct Riposte 
2. Maintain step-lunge distance and when your partner pauses, attack with feint direct with Balestra and Cutover with lunge 
3. Maintain lunging distance and at the start of your partner's attack or step forward preparation:
   • Beat Parry into Quarte with a Direct Riposte
   • Beat Parry into Septime with a Direct Riposte
4.  Maintain step-lunge distance and as your partner pauses and attempts to engage blades in Quarte and then Parries Sixte, attack by One-two with a step lunge

From a stationary position:

1. Parries ending in guards of Prime, Seconde, Tierce, Quinte and Neuvieme
2. Maintaining line, Simple and Compound Derobements 
3. Remise, Redoublement, Reprise

Describe:

1. Second-intention actions
2. Importance of mixing one and two tempo attacks and when you would use them 
3. Open Eyes' Actions 
4. Duties of Arm Judge

Grade 8

Demonstrate:(with coach or partner)-While following your partner's steps forward and backward:

1. Maintain step-lunge distance and choose the moment to attack your partner using a mixture of lunges and step-lunges:
   • Taking the blade into Quarte and direct attack
   • Taking the blade into Sixte and disengage attack
   • Feint direct and attack with one-two  
2. At lunging distance, maintain line and:
   • Hit with Simple Derobement as your partner steps forward and attempts to engage blades in Sixte or Quarte
   • Hit with Compound Derobement as your partner steps forward and attempts to engage blades and parries in Sixte or Quarte

From a stationary position:

1. From step-lunge distance, make an invitation by step forward, jump forward or half lunge and if your partner attacks, parry Neuvieme and riposte direct
2. From step-lunge distance and low hand position, make a feint with a step forward and:
   • Attack direct if your partner does not react
   • Attack by disengage if your partner takes a parry of Quarte or Circular Sixte
   • Parry Neuvieme and riposte direct if your partner attacks with a Beat Direct
3. Bind, Croise, Envelopment 
4. Froissement direct attack with lunge

Describe:

1. Your understanding of distance, timing and speed in fencing
2. Counter-Time 
3. Ceding and Opposition Parries

Grade 9

Demonstrate:(with coach or partner)-While following your partner's steps forward and backward:
 

1. Maintain step-lunge distance and when your partner pauses, engage your partner's blade into Quarte with step forward and:
   • attack by Coule direct with a lunge if your partner does not react
   • Attack by Disengage if your partner changes the engagement or closes the line
   • Attack by Croise if your partner deceives your attempt to engage with an extended sword arm
2. Maintain lunging distance and when your partner attacks, parry Prime with a step forward and riposte at close quarters 
3. Maintain step-lunge distance and on one of your partner's steps forward, attack with a Beat direct and:
   • Hit if your partner fails to parry
   • Remise if your partner parries and steps forward with an indirect feint
   • Reprise Disengage with Fleche if your partner parries with a step back and delays the riposte

From a stationary position:

1. At lunging distance, attack with feint direct and disengage with various sizes of lunges (short medium and long) depending on whether your partner parries Prime with a step forward, standing still or a step backward
2. From step-lunge distance, engage your partner's blade in Octave with a step forward and:
   • Attack by Cutover if your partner does not react
   • Parry Quarte and direct riposte if your partner attacks into your high line with a lunge
   • Attack by Beat direct lunge if your partner deceives your blade with an extended sword arm.

Demonstrate your ability to:

1. Fence your partner for 5 hits and explain how all the hits were scored; if your partner is successful in scoring hits, explain how you should have avoided them
2. Preside a fight for 5 hits 
3. Give your partner a short "warm-up" lesson with mobility, involving direct and indirect attacks, single parries and direct ripostes and counter-ripostes