A variety of foil techniques can be used in any bout and with any weapon. Certain techniques are used offensively, with the purpose of landing a hit on your opponent while holding the right of way (foil and sabre). Others are used defensively, to protect against a hit or obtain the right of way.
- Offensive
- Attack: A basic fencing technique, also called a thrust, consisting of extending the sword arm to declare an attack and attempt to land a touch upon the opponent's valid area. In sabre, attacks are also made with a cutting action.
- Feint: An attack with the purpose of provoking a reaction from the opposing fencer.
- Lunge: A thrust while extending the front leg by using a slight kicking motion and propelling the body forward with the back leg.
- Beat Attack: In foil & sabre, the attacker beats the opponent's blade to gain priority (right of way) and continues the attack against the target area. In épée, a similar beat is made but with the intention to disturb the opponent's aim and thus score with a single light.
- Continuation of Attack: A typical épée action of making a 2nd after attack after the first attack is parried. This may be done with a change in line; example, an attack in the high line (above the opponent's bellguard, such as the shoulder) is then followed with an attack to the low line (below the opponent's bellguard, such as the thigh, or foot); or from the outside line (outside of the bellguard, such as outer arm) to the inside line (inside the bellguard, such as the inner arm or the chest). A second continuation is stepping slight past the parry and angulating the blade to bring the tip of the blade back on target.
- Defensive
- Parry: Basic defence technique, block the opponent's weapon while it is preparing or executing an attack to deflect the blade away from the fencer's valid area and (in foil and sabre) to give fencer the right of way. Usually followed be a riposte, a return attack by defender.
- CounterAttack: A basic fencing technique of attacking your opponent while generally moving back out of the way of the opponent's attack. Used quite often in épée to score against the attacker's hand/arm. More difficult to accomplish in foil and sabre unless one is quick enough to make the counterattack and retreat ahead of the advancing opponent without being scored upon.
- Point In Line: Extending the weapon and arm against the opponent's target area. In foil and sabre, this gives one priority if the extension is made before the opponent is approximately advance-lunge distance away. When performed as a defensive action, the attacker must then disturb the extended weapon to re-take priority; otherwise the defender has priority and the counter-attack like action will win the touch if the attacker does not manage a single light. When performed as an offensive action, the intent is usually a means for the attacker to draw a defensive action that can be deceived and the attack continued. In épée, there is no priority; the move may be used as a means by either fencer to achieve a double-touch and advance the score by 1 for each fencer.
The attacks and defenses may be performed in countless combinations of feet and hand actions. For example, fencer A attacks the arm of fencer B, drawing a high outside parry; fencer B then follows the parry with a high line riposte. Fencer A, expecting that, then makes his own parry by pivoting his blade under fencer B's weapon (from straight out to more or less straight down), putting fencer B's tip off target and fencer A now scoring against the low line by angulating the hand upwards.
