The oldest of the three competitive weapons is the foil. The foil is a thrusting weapon, up to 500 grams (1.1 lbs). It has a circular, curved hand-guard. The target area for foil fencing is the torso except for the back below the hipbones; only hits which arrive on the target area score. Hits which arrive off-target stop the action but don’t score a touch.

A set of rules referred to as ‘right-of-way’ determine which fencer scores if both are hit. The basic principle of right of way is that when attacked, you need ensure that you are not hit before attempting to hit your opponent back. If neither fencer has right-of-way and both are hit, then no touch is scored.

Target area: for Foil, as a former training weapon – the trunk of the body only (shown in red)