REFEREE EDUCATION OVERVIEW The course you will be undertaking consists of a theory and practical element The theory focuses on the basic knowledge that a referee requires ahead of learning about the practicality of judging the materiality of hits. This required knowledge is enclosed in this document. You must learn this material to be ready for a theory exam ahead of the practical education. The practical education will take place in the form of a discursive seminar. Following the seminar, you will be assessed practically as a referee to indicate how effective you are. Your seminar will be led by a tutor with a wide range of experience. Please ensure you ask all and any questions you have during the seminar – it is meant to be an interactive session, not a lecture! Your practical assessment will require the application of the theory contained in this document and the work carried out in the seminar. The segments you must be familiar with for the theory exam are as follows: 1. Checks before the bout 2. Timing the bout 3. Ending the bout 4. The field of play 5. Paperwork 6. Hand signals 7. Penalties 1. Checks before the bout Clothing and weapon checks All clothing, including the glove, must be robust and in good condition without holes or tears. Minimum safety standards detailed by the competition type - Pay particular attention to the under-plastron, checking the stamp on it, not just the presence of it Protection levels come in 350N, 800N and 1600N – check at the beginning of any competition you referee which is required. Wearing the kit Braces must be worn over the shoulders correctly. Jacket and breeches must overlap by at least 10cm when on guard. All female fencers must wear a chest protector. At foil, all chest protectors must be under the plastron. This means that the cup guard style chest protectors, inserted in pockets in the jacket, are not allowed at foil. At foil and sabre, the lamé jacket must be in good condition and cover the target area. Masks must be free of dents and soft spots, all seams must be intact, and a back strap fitted. Any visor must be stamped with a date of manufacture within the last two years. Body wires and mask clips must be clipped on correctly and no large loops of wire hanging loose. The wire should be clipped on the sword arm side of the lame to ensure it cannot be fiddled with during the bouts Weapon Blade and Point Checks Blade must not be bent more than 1cm in the vertical plane Check that the base of the point (barrel) is fixed securely to the blade Check that the top of the point (tip) is secured at 2 equally spaced points (grub screws) Épée Insert a 1.5mm gauge between the tip and the barrel to test the total travel Insert a 0.5mm gauge between the tip and the barrel and then depress the tip to test the residual travel (it should not register a hit) Point spring must support a 750g weight A retaining device for the body wire must be inside the guard Blade must not be bent more than 1cm in the vertical plane Foil The top 15cm of the blade must be insulated (usually with tape) Point spring must support a 500g weight Sabre Blade must not be bent more than 4cm in the horizontal plane 2. Timing the fight Keeping time may seem easy... ...but it is absolutely vital to get it right every single time o Even if you have time-keepers, YOU are ultimately responsible o When not using a remote controlled box, this can require you to make very close calls as time expires o Many fights are won or lost in the closing seconds or as a result of time expiring o If there is a clock failure, it is your job to estimate how much time is left and to notify the fencers accordingly The basic rules... 1. The duration of a bout is the total time of the intervals between the referee’s commands of “Play!” and “Halt!” 2. A hit may not be scored after time has expired, even if the action started before 3. If the scores are tied at the end of normal time the fencers fence for a deciding hit, with a maximum time limit of one minute 4. Before extra starts the referee draws lots (coin toss / box random lights) to decide who will win if no hit is scored in the extra minute ***NOTE*** A fencer may not interrupt the bout to ask how much time is left, but they can ask when the bout is interrupted for some other reason 3. Ending the bout 1. The fencers must: • Return to the on guard lines • Salute their opponent 2. Referee must indicate the winner of the fight (see hand signals) 3. Fencers then shake hands with each other and the referee The bout is not complete until this is done 4. The field of play Size of the piste A piste is 14m long and between 1.5m and 2m wide. The lines delineating the boundaries are deemed to be part of the piste. o If any part of a fencer's foot is on a line then the foot is on the piste. o The boundaries extend vertically upwards, so a fencer can be on the piste even if neither foot is in contact with it. Crossing the boundares When a fencer crosses a boundary with one or both feet you must call 'Halt!' o Any hit made by an action that started before a fencer has left the piste, even if the hit lands after they have left the piste with one foot, is valid. o Any hit made by an action that started after a fencer has left the piste is annulled. o Any hit that lands after a fencer has left the piste with both feet, even where the action started before the fencer left the piste, is annulled. o Any hit made by the fencer who has not left the piste that is made with a simple and immediate action, even if it is made after their opponent has left the piste, is valid. If a fencer crosses the rear limit of the piste with both feet, either from the imposition of the above penalty or in the course of a fencing phrase, a hit is scored against them. o Despite a hit being scored against them, it is not a cardable offence. o It is the award of a penalty hit for crossing the rear limit of the piste. If a fencer has left the piste, and neither fencer has scored a valid hit, you must place the fencers on guard. o The fencer that crossed a lateral boundary with one or both feet is penalised. When placed on guard the fencer that remained on the piste advances one metre from the position that they occupied when their opponent left the piste. o The fencer that left the piste must retire to take the correct fencing distance. o The imposition of this penalty may place the fencer that left the piste beyond the rear limit of the piste with both feet and therefore they will lose a hit If a fencer involuntarily crosses a piste boundary as a result of any accidental cause (such as jostling) they incur no penalty. 5. Paperwork It may seem obvious, but it is absolutely crucial that you record the outcome of a bout correctly on the score sheet. o You must follow the bout sequence, record the final score and any penalties awarded. Bout sequence: o A pool sheet will have the order of bouts show on it in two or three columns of figures such as 1v2, 4v3, 7v2 o These are read vertically so that you complete the first column before starting the second. The bout scores: o The part of a pool sheet in which you record the results of the bouts that you direct in the grid with the fencers’ names, two series of numbers, and a set of blank squares. o The sheet below shows the following results: . Hannay beat Scudder 5 hits to 3. Bullivant beat Pienaar 4 hits to 3 at the expiration of time. Arbuthnot beat Blenkiron 2 hits each at time on priority. Recording penalties: o On each score sheet there should be a blank area below the results grid and the order of bouts. It is in this area that you record the details of every penalty that you award. o For each penalty you must record the bout in which it occurred, the name of the fencer penalised, the group of the offence, and the colour of the card awarded. You do not need to record the precise offence, although you can if you wish. It is important that you do note penalties on the score sheet. o If you don’t write it down, in the Rules it never happened. o For example, if (in foil) you penalise a fencer for covering and award a yellow card, but fail to write this on the score sheet, and later in the bout the fencer again covers and you award a red card; the fencer could appeal against the imposition of a red card because this was his first Group 1 offence. o By failing to write the first penalty down on the sheet you will denied the fencer’s opponent a hit. To save time, this can be recorded in a form of shorthand.