Priority (fencing)
Priority or right of way is the decision criterion used in foil and sabre fencing to determine which fencer receives the touch, or point, when both fencers land a hit within the same short time-frame (less than 1 second). After this window, if one fencer had already landed a hit, the electrical scoring apparatus would "lock-out," or fail to record, an opponent's subsequent hit, and thus the one fencer to land a hit is awarded the touch. In épée fencing, if both fencers land valid hits at the same time, they each receive a point. Because of this, foil and saber are considered conventional weapons. After a halt, a referee parses what happened into actions, from which it can be determined whether to award a point or not. Offensive Actions Offensive actions Attack - An attempt to hit when the opponent is not already attacking. Riposte - An attempt to hit the opponent after a successful parry Counter-Riposte - An attempt to hit the opponent after a riposte was successfully parried Counter-attacks Counter Attack - An attempt to hit when the opponent is already attacking. Other Offensive Actions Redouble/Remise/Reprise - A second attempt to hit after a previous attempt missed