How is épée different from the other fencing weapons?
I · Intermediate · The weapons · 5 of 8Everything is target, from the mask to the toes. There is no priority. Whoever hits scores. If both hit and the apparatus registers both, both score. That makes épée the simplest weapon to follow and the most cautious to watch, since any attack risks being hit on the way in.
How it works
- The target: "the whole of the fencer's body including his clothing and equipment".
- Any hit counts: "whatever part of the body (trunk, limbs or head), the clothing or the equipment it touches".
- Point only: "The épée is a thrusting weapon only."
- Double hit: when both are hit and the apparatus registers both, "a hit is scored against each competitor".
- Not hits: points meeting each other, or a hit on the ground where it is not insulated.
- The guard and the piste: a hit on the opponent's guard or on the conductive piste should not register. If it does, the referee annuls it.
- One good, one bad: if only one of two hits is valid, only that one scores.
- One doubtful: if one hit is established and the other doubtful because of the equipment, the fencer with the established hit may accept the double or have it annulled.
- Off the piste: if a fencer leaves with both feet, only the fencer still on the piste can score, even in a double hit.
- Pools at 4-4: a double hit is not counted. They fence for one deciding hit.
- No excuses for bad kit: glue, rust or paint on a fencer's own weapon does not justify annulling hits registered against them.
The glossary has the double hit, the valid target, the hit, the electrical scoring apparatus, the body cord and the deciding hit.
Tricky cases
An épée fencer is hit on the foot. Does that count?
Yes. The whole body is the target.
Both lights come on. Does the referee decide who attacked?
No. In épée both fencers score.
A fencer's point hits the metal piste and a light comes on. Is that a hit?
No. A hit on the conductive piste should not register, and the referee annuls it if it does.
One fencer hits a moment before the other, and only one light comes on. Why?
The apparatus registers a second hit only if it arrives within a very short time of the first. That timing is set in the Material Rules, which were not read.
Why the rule exists
Épée is the duel kept as a sport. In a duel there was no referee to award priority, only the fact of who was hit, so the apparatus alone decides. Counting doubles against both fencers preserves the point of the exercise, which was to hit without being hit.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Épée | Whole body, no priority, doubles count | FIE t.91; FIE t.92 |
| Foil | Trunk only, priority | FIE t.77; FIE t.82 |
| Sabre | Above the hips, priority | FIE t.97; FIE t.100 |
| Épée pools at 4-4 | Doubles do not count | FIE t.38.1 |
From the rule book
Fédération Internationale d'Escrime, Technical Rules (August 2026), articles t.33, t.38 and t.90 to t.95. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: FIE Technical Rules (PDF).