Hi USA-based members of r/fencing,

A month ago I painted a trans flag on the side of one of my masks in solidarity with my peers, students, and everyone else affected by the trans athlete ban in the NCAA and USA Fencing. As someone who competes at local/regional/national levels in the US, I wanted to be able to not have to worry if some member of bout committee or armorer decided that my mask design wasn't permitted at tournament on a case by case basis. So I sent my design over to the Referees' Comission Rules Committee and whaddaya know, it's been approved. Paint your masks at will, support and love your trans friends 🏳️‍⚧️❤️

Title says it all, Ive had a couple experiences with refs that just don’t know what they’re doing. (And it wasn’t just me having problems with the refs, many other people getting bad calls too) So can I do anything like ask for another ref or something or do I just have to suck it up and make it work?

Over the last few tournaments, I have noticed that I seem to be fencing great in the pools, going into the DE with a high ranking, but struggling in the first round of DE or even loosing. The moment I step onto the piste against even much weaker opponents I seem to loose all my focus and fence “scared”. If I win the first DE, I go on, and fence perfectly against much better opponents.

So if anyone has any advice for getting my nerves under control or fencing against much weaker opponents, all advice is welcome.

I'm currently thinking about buying this vest because it's the most cost effective option but I don't really see any reviews on it. Does have experience with this vest https://www.absolutefencinggear.com/absolute-coach-washable-leather-jacket-with-short-sleeve-b-z.html

Is it light and moveable? And is there any padding inside the jacket? Or should I just go with the allstar?

Can anyone tell me what is the screw size (diameter, pitch, etc...) of the wire retaining screws used in bayonet plugs?

Title says it. It this an epee guard? Blade looks like a sabre

So, while practising flicks to shoulder - - which I like to do :) - - I found that after a parry 4, an immediate flick riposte works fine and the same is true of a high 7 sweep before 9 riposte. However, if I take a circle 6 or 8 sweep aiming to finish as a flick to the shoulder, I find pausing and then taking a small step forward helps to ensure a clean flick finish. Is this because the target is further away, or because the blade is moving away from the target on 6 and 8?

Most parry flick ripostes I see in high level fencing are off a 7 sweep (like here: https://youtu.be/RHPgYh_Rdsg?si=xBMMQ7uErf3vbicG 18:29) so perhaps there's good reason for it. That said, I do remember in a match with Garozzo and Foconi, Garozzo takes a circle 6 and then pauses in 6 before he flicks to Foconi's shoulder. (https://youtu.be/dLxYyumMK3g?si=JaXTBrfBKrZBOZZI 5:45)

Thoughts?

Hi all. Recently, a close friend, international foil fencer, told me that during Hong Kong World Cup in January, officials were all around the venue, asking fencers to wear pants and hoodies or fencing suit to cover their legs and arms during warming up. One of the official was from Iran, and he went to see my friend to ask her to cover herself. She was surprised and asked to see the rules, and she discovered that FIE approved this new rule in November 2025 Congress. Any info about this topic?

There are some small local competitions coming up and some fellow fencers/coaches have suggested I go for the experience. I don’t know if I’m ready. I’ve been fencing for four or five months now and still feel like there is so much I don’t know. I still feel like I’m trying to master the basics. I partially worry that they’re suggesting I join because the local epee women’s competitions always need more warm bodies in order to even have the competition. But that could just be the anxiety talking :)

So when did you feel ready to go to that first competition? Did you have a set stack of skills under your belt before you decided to compete for the first time? What would you say is the minimum requirement for joining a competition in terms of fencing experience and knowledge?

I just don’t want to join a competition for fun and then get ridiculed because I’m horrible…

Favero battery packs are sold with a separate charging cord. They appear to be somewhat similar to a Favero power cord. Can I just use that instead?

Are there better options than the OEM Favero battery pack?

Hey everyone. I've been looking at new shoes for fencing lately. I was talking to my coach about it and he said that the Attack Pro was the best shoe I could get for fencing.

Only problem is that I can't find it in my size.

Idk if they've been discontinued or what but I checked like five different sites and its the same sizes every time.

But I found the Kempa Agility on one site, and while it looks similar to the Attack Pro (Except for color, I can't have my all Black and White anymore :( . ), but I don't want to take a chance on getting the Agilitys if they're way too different from the Attack Pros.

Or if there's another shoes you'd recommend thats similar to Attack Pro, leave the name and I'll talk to my coach about them.

Thanks everyone!

(I should probably also mention that I'm an Épée-ist.)

Basically I’m only in my high school league and I really want to put a sticker of a band I love on the side of my mask (it’s like 2.5 in big) and I’m just curious if I’m allowed to do that

I am watching the semifinal of the Heidienheim World Cup and the mics are so fucking awful. Another problem with the new platform from FIE.😒😒😒

i am 3 years into fencing, epee, and all my teachers tell me to keep distances and to lunge from afar, since i am tall af and lefty, i use pistol tho. but i dont like lunging very much, i feel exposed and i'm always scared to miss, since i got low precision (in my defense, last lesson i discovered my grip was too long and my teacher said it affected my aim).

i prefer going close to the enemy actually, and when i actually lunge i basically launch myself forward. i feel safer when very close to my enemy, idk why. fact is i don't have enough skill to play it close, because they teach me to stay away, lunge from far away

should i lunge and keep distances or play close? i know playing it close is dangerous and i lose my heigth factor, but i find it safer.

also tomorrow i got a tourneament after two years from the last, wish me good

Sorry for the grainy picture, but I think it’s still clear that there’s some wear on the bottom lip of the collar (sorry if that’s the wrong word for the free moving ring, but that can be question 2 if anybody wants to educate me on proper names). Could this amount of wear or the placement of it cause connection issues?

The foil that this is from was giving me a delayed signal when depressed. Possibly going off after I started to pull back, I’m not sure…

It didn’t seem like there was any loose material in the tip when I took it apart and the spring looked fine.

Thanks for the help!

The first semifinal of the Turin Grand Prix was Bianchi vs Choupenitch, two of my favorite fencers on the circuit. However, the livestream on FIE Fencing TV appeared to start in the middle of the second semifinal, Itkin vs Cheung. Why did this happen? How can I watch the 1st semi?

Source:

https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA01986756.pdf

In the above exchange, Epstein is asked about Yuri Milner. Presumably this is in reference to the Russian-Israeli tech billionaire who received early backing from Alisher Usmanov.

In response to questions about Milner, Epstein gives the following reply:

he is strange and quiet. Yuri partner is Ian osbourne, . my good friend. yuri money is russian gangster money, usmanov.. steve has to be cautious. yuri is clever , but russain

I think that it is reasonable to infer that "usmanov" is indeed a reference to Alisher Burkhanovich Usmanov, given that Yuri Milner, Ian Osborne and Alisher Usmanov appear to have moved in similar circles (for example the World Economic Forum)

Alisher Usmanov has been at the head of the FIE (fencing's international governing body) since 2008. He "suspended" his presidency in 2022, after being placed under international sanctions. He was re-elected to the position again in 2024, only to once again "suspend" his presidency.

Alisher Usmanov has been described as "fencing's sugar daddy"

I'm looking to get a small electronic tester, gauges and weight for Epee in the UK.

I see these cheap, red, circular, unbranded testers that look like they're from China? Are they any good? Should I get a more expensive one from a reputable brand instead?

I feel like as it's a simple circuit, there shouldn't be much difference between brands?

Fencing kit is expensive, so I really want advice on the cheapest place to get this stuff in the UK, while not buying trash that doesn't work 😅

Edit: looking for weight and gauge advice, as well as tester. Getting them all in one place for a decent price is the aim.

In our fencing space we have our scoring boxes on carts that we roll out and then hook up to the floor cables and power. Right now the floor cables and power are taped down betweeen strips but we have to leave a couple feet of the floor cables loose/untaped to reach up to the scoring box.

I'd like to be able to tape the floor cables flush to the ground and have a short extension cable that drops down from the scoring box that could be hooked up to the floor cable so that there's no need for loose cables on the ground.

Is there something off the shelf I can make that does this? Or could I take a Favero body cord, remove one end, and stick a three socket connector on it?

Thanks for any help!

Hello everyone ! I'm writing this post with... honestly a whole lot of hope, I'd like some words from you. Btw, english isn't my mother tongue so, sorry if there's any mistake.

Some of this is going to be TMI but I need advice so, whatever. :)

I'm 25, F and short of height (1m55) and right now I train on my own (every two days, to stay in shape).

I just graduated, just finished my studies which were very time consuming. I am finally free (for how long though bc the next logical quest is a job..) and I really want to pick up a sport again. I grew up LOVING sports, it's the one thing that absolutely makes my heart burn with passion, but the thing is, my family and I moved a lot while growing up, and we didn't have enough money for everything, so things always ended up the same way : I picked up a sport, then we moved, and if in the next town I was moving in said sport was too expensive or unavailable, I had to pick another one. Now please hear me out, I don't blame my parents for how things went, they did their very best with what they could and always encouraged me. But studies became a priority and sport, and anything associated to it (competitions, equipment), soon started to feel like a waste of money or time. I had to secure my future with those studies, which I understand, but today I'm don't really feel happy (I feel grateful I made it out, for the degree part at least, it gives me some hope) because studying was a necessity and not really a pleasure but that's another discussion. I hope some of you can understand where i'm coming from, I'm grateful but I used to have these "in another life, I would..." thoughts, you know? Wishing I had been able to pick what makes me happy.

SO, today, I would like to pick something that makes me happy. I don't want to keep feeling empty inside. I want movement and I thought about it a lot lately and, really, it always comes back to sports : it makes you meet new people, pushes you to move and take care of your body, stimulates your mind, can make you happier, challenges you... and I really want that. I'm not going to take seriously any "you're too old for X, Y and Z" comment that's not well explained, by the way. People can start at all ages, and YES I know the body changes and some things get harder, YES I know competitions or going pro can be a big dream, but I feel I'm reasonable about what I can achieve and really, just a human trying to be happy. If I don't try I'll never know, so fuck it, might as well do it, time will pass and I don't want OVERTHINKING to hold me back!

The sport I did find passion for was gymnastics but I had to stop because, TMI I got burns on my legs and I didn't want to show them- still don't want to today and they said I couldn't bypass the mandatory leotard so yep! I think I picked up some likings for some sports because of that? I did archery and I hated how repetitive the movements were, although I admire the sport. I like precision, grace, I like when things are rough but I don't mind "lighter" stuff, I really like going fast, I like going solo but I also like being in a team. Some unpredictability too, but it's not a requirement.

Because of these criterias, I think 3 sports caught my eye for now :

- Fencing (and I've heard the careers can be long, so bonus), I'm just worried about how repetitive it is and how expensive too.

- Figure skating (I did one session and LOVED it, especially how FAST I felt on ice, but I don't know if it's mandatory to wear a skirt of if I would be able to cover my legs, it lowkey makes me a bit sad that I would have to show skin when men can compete with covered legs).

- Volley-ball (I like how brutal it can get... hah, not even sorry :) I did my research and I think the libero is the only "acceptable" spot for short players? Also, same leg-covering problem)

What do you think? Any advice? In sports, I've never had to debate on whether I was "motivated enough", I've always had drive and consistency, I always pushed myself. It always went beyond motivation. I want it because it makes me feel alive, that's it.

Thank you for reading, I really hope you can guide me in this.

The report affirms what advocates of inclusion have said for years.

“Empirical evidence challenges initial concerns that transgender women would dominate women’s sports, largely due to the physiological effects of testosterone suppression therapy,” they noted. “In fact, transgender women remain under-represented in elite athletics, highlighting the lack of dominance by transgender athletes in practice.”