USFA explanation of rule change in error?

[rsy]

I have just received the email from the USFA giving the official notice of the timing changes. With regard to lockout times for foil it says:

The timing changes are:

1. In foil, the lockout time decreases slightly (from 350 milliseconds to 300 milliseconds). This reduces the window of time after a fencer registers a touch that his or her opponent may also register a touch. [My emphasis]

This seemed like a much smaller change than I had thought, so I looked in the current rule book and found the following in Appendix B To The Material Rules, Characteristics Of Scoring Apparatus, A. Foil, 1. The Central Judging Apparatus, (a) Principles

7. Conversely, after a lapse of a period of time X (which bears no relationship to ‘fencing time’ which is the basis of judging according to the conventions governing foil fencing) after the first signal given by the apparatus, the latter must ignore all signals for subsequent hits. The central apparatus must be capable of being regulated for the period of time between 700 and 800 milliseconds.

Also, on the FIE’s web site, the SEMI Commission report of the rule changes says that in foil the time for a double hit is decreased from 700 to 800 ms down to 275 to 325 ms.

Is the USFA statement (and their editorial comment “slightly”) an error, or have I misunderstood the timing of the foil lockout under the old rule?

-r

[neevel]

It's an error. What happened was, about 4 years ago the FIE was on the cusp of approving a 350 ms lockout time, but at the last minute it didn't happen (kind of like how the Mangiorotti foil point at the last minute didn't happen). The time remained at 700-800 ms, and this is what the boxes used by the USFA have been at.

-Dave