| Fencing foil with the new Timing makes a fundamental difference.
This was posted on the armoury section but as I beleive it is of interest to other than techies I have repeated it here
Fencing With The New Timings (what really happened at Bristol)
Fencing with the new Timing.
I want to clear up some issues arising from the Bristol Open, which for non U.K. readers is a weekend (two day) three weapon male and female open event. This event takes place over two days and had entries for mens foil of 166 and mens Epee 210. Most U.K. top fencers take part as the competition is used for both senior and junior ranking point selection. At this event the new foil and saber timing were used, which caused much comment and some difficulties to the fencers.
Below are comments and explanations on what and why was happening on piste and how I believe the new timings will affect fencing .
What I have found is that it is possible make what seems to be a valid hit, which is executed as a failed flick or cutover in which the point is either flat to the lame or bent so far the tip of point is shorting to the blade after the tape covering the tip. In both cases the point is never depressed and in contact with the lame for a period of over 15 milliseconds, therefore no hit is registered. By pushing harder or maintaining contact nothing will happen, as the point is in contact with the valid target but is not depressed or is depressed but shorted against the un-insulated blade..
If the opponent now hits successfully while the attackers point is still pushed flat against the lame, a valid hit will come up against the attacker. If the attacker does nothing for 300 millisecond the box locks out and he now cannot score a hit what ever he subsequently does.
If instead of doing nothing or pushing harder the attacker withdraws his arm or his opponent continues to retreat the blade straightens up. At some point the pressure on the point starts pushing the point in the direction of the point barrel and the point contact breaks (the foil point is depressed) and after 15 milliseconds if the point is contact with the valid target a hit is registered. If the point is whipped off too quickly the point is not depressed for 15 milliseconds and no hit registers.
With the old timing this withdrawal before the contact period was reached was almost impossible. I think that lots of hits in the past have in fact been on this withdrawal or straightening after the initial attacking action. The action happening so fast that the referee or the watchers would not see what is in fact a renewal of an attack.
I am certain that the apparatuses worked exactly as the new regulation timings dictated hits should be registered.
Remarks regarding Foil that:
1. ‘In some way our apparatus work differently from another and therefore our apparatus settings were suspect’ is just wrong.
2. ‘That after a period of time the box timing changed’ is also wrong. There is no sign of instability or changes caused by heating or repeated use.
3. ‘Sweaty gloves causing hits to be blocked out or flick hits to arrive earlier.’ There is in general a fundamental miss-understanding about the yellow lights. The yellow lights (the small yellow L.E.D. at the front of each valid light or the larger yellow square shade in front of the valid lights) at foil show when there is electrical connection between the earth (blade guard) and the lame jacket, when this happens there is often also electrical contact between the glove, non valid jacket and mask and the valid lame target. So if you see the yellow light on your side constantly lit any hit by your opponent on your guard, blade, glove jacket or mask could bring up a valid light against you. This has nothing to do with blockage time or valid hit contact time.
4. ‘The blockage time of 300 milliseconds is too short to allow time for a perfectly executed riposte.’ You need to remember the time starts not after the parry but after the remise or continuation has registered on the apparatus by a valid hit lighting up. Good distance, parries taken away from the body, dare I say classical fencing will give the defender more/sufficient time to reposte in time.
5. ‘There was a difference between the apparatus timings and it was easier to get whip hits on some apparatuses ‘ Leon Paul have done a check on all the apparatus used at the weekend and all the boxes were within F.I.E. timing tolerance of 1 millisecond which is undetectable by a fencer. There was no difference in sensitivity of one box to another either the 40 new club battery boxes or the 8 Denver boxes.
6. ‘The auto reset timing on the battery boxes was too short’. This on all apparatuses is variable from zero to infinity, this timing is achieved using a resistance rheostat pot, so it was possible that I in the 40 new apparatus could have been playing up, but we haven't yet found one with a fault.
7. ‘The Leon Paul apparatuses worked differently from other boxes set to the F.I.E. regulations’. I cannot comment on what other manufacture have done or if their timings are regulation. However there is huge difference in fencing at the club and fencing in a D.E. fight.
8. ‘Yellow lights occurring when a hit is made even when the weapon was changed, means the apparatus is faulty.’ The apparatus are designed such that the earthing circuit of the piste is separate from the fencers earth circuit (the piste should be earthed to the apparatus for all our microprocessor apparatus not through the spool earth plug). This was very important at the beginning when the yellow lights locked as soon as they came on for a short period. If the piste is earthed through the spool when the fencers on that size test the yellow light will come on. It does not seem to have any other effect so it is not a major problem but we advise earthing directly to the apparatus to avoid confusion.
9. ‘A random valid light coming up, indicating a faulty apparatus’ This was traced to a faulty shorting ground lead. (but could have been at epee)
Remarks regarding Sabre,
1. ‘That clear hits either single or double seen or heard with no light coming up, which meant there had to be a fault with the timing or the apparatus.’ Even with a 0.5 millisecond contact time to register a valid this can allow a hit of 0.95 millisecond not to arrive. This depends on when the hit arrives in relation to the computer programming cycle time. I can demonstrate fast hits to the mesh one in ten times which can be heard but no hit is indicated. Other reasons for not working are high resistance in the circuit Sabre, body wire (broken lame jacket clip lead), spool, leads or lame (dead spot on the lame). It is never in our experience a faulty apparatus. Talking with Ian Williams he remarked you see at all A grades saber events apparent non –working equipment and he did not see at Bristol any thing unusual.
2. ‘The double hit lock out time is much too short’. This is a complaint that must be made to the F.I.E. and is not the result or incorrect setting of the apparatus.
The following personal remarks are about foil.
Because fencers were finding that fast whipped hits were not reregistering many fencers were trying to overcome this by hitting even harder, which I think the fencers will grow out of as they realize it does not work and slows up the movement.
I was concerned to see the violence of some of the hits. One of the foil fencers Dominic Chang had a bruised chest that looked as if he had been in street fight! It is time for the referees to start penalizing brutal actions or the use of unreasonable force.
Some fencers had decided that wearing a male chest protector means that more fast hits to the body don’t register so sales of these items at the Bristol competition shot up and you can expect a large increase in use for these items. Considering the hard hitting using them is justified on these grounds alone. Fencers must balance the not registering of hits on the hard surface against the less likelihood of the failed whipped cut over hits as outlined above.
Modern Foil fencing has mainly consisted of attack riposte and counter attack. The new timings should incur much more blade contact and what in the old days was called conversation with the blade. Second intentions and counter attacks will make a come back. Due to the shortened blockage time classical parries with the hand away from the body and the point in line to ensure the riposte is in time. Fencers will also take more parries in opposition so the attackers fast remise prevented/blocked.
During this period of uncertainty and before the foilist find ways to get round the timing changes the referees should take back control of foil fencing. Attacks should be clearly threatening the valid target with the point not some vague movement forward with absence of blade.
I might even take up foil fencing again.
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Barry Paul M.D. Leon Paul. | 
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