Need fencing help (Sport fencing)?

Question

u see im in a fencing camp and me and my frend were versing eachother, and everytime we wuld each touch eacother with the sword. now there were sometimes i wuld get him a few seconds before or he would get me a few seconds before, but would that count as his touch?

Answer 1

Normally, the answer would depend on which weapon you're fencing. If there is a gap of a few seconds between one touch and the other, then the touch goes to the person who gets the first touch.

In epee, it is always the case that the first touch scores, unless the touches arrive simultaneously, within 300 milliseconds of each other, in which case both touches score.

In foil and sabre, the scoring conventions determine whether the attacker or defender scores. The attacker is the fencer who begins an offensive action first, putting the other fencer on the defensive. The conventions, or rules of priority, specify whether the attack is successful when the touch arrives on target. For the defender to score, the initial offensive action must be parried (blocked or deflected) and a riposte (offensive action following a defensive action) made immediately. If there is a gap of a few seconds, this is too long to count as an immediate riposte. Therefore, the touch would go to the fencer whose touch landed on valid target first.