Learn the flank cut in sabre: target area, arm extension before the lunge, FIE rules, common mistakes, a milestone check and safety notes for beginners.
Where am I actually allowed to cut in sabre? The honest answer: anywhere above the belt line. The FIE glossary defines the flank as the target area beneath the weapon arm of the fencer [1]. The flank cut is therefore a cut to this area. It is a basic element in sabre, a cutting and thrusting weapon [3], in which hits with the edge, back and flat of the blade count [2].
The appeal of the flank cut lies in its target: it is a separate area next to chest and head that you can offer as an alternative (practice). How well you hit it depends less on strength than on timing and on whether you master the rules for a correct attack. That is exactly what you learn here.
Realistically: the movement is recognisable after a few evenings. You hit with control and at the right tempo only after many repetitions – that is experience, not a study result.
In sabre the whole area above the belt line is target [2][3]. That includes head and arms, but not hands [3]. The flank lies beneath the opponent's weapon arm [1]. Hits outside the valid area are not registered [3].
Under FIE rules an attack is correctly executed if the straightening of the arm – with point or edge continuously threatening the target – precedes the start of the lunge [2]. Arm first, then leg. This applies to every cut.
All hits with the edge, flat or back of the blade count [2]. But you may not hit with the guard: anyone who hits with the hand guard is penalised, and the hit is annulled [2]. Draw the cut from shoulder and forearm, not from the whole body (practice standard).
In an attack with a lunge, the hit must arrive at the latest when the front foot touches the floor [2]. That is your time window. If you hit later, the action is no longer correctly executed.
After the cut you return to the on-guard position (see the recovery guide). If your cut is parried, the opponent has the right to riposte [2]. Do not stay in the lunge.
Milestone: if you execute ten flank cuts in a row with the arm straight before the lunge and a clean recovery, without hitting with the guard, you are ready to combine the chest cut and the parries. That is a practice standard, not a study value.
In sabre you hit a person with a blade. So practise cuts first on pads and then in a controlled way on a partner in jacket and mask, never at full force. There have been cases where unbroken sabre blades penetrated hands; from 1 April 2014 the FIE introduced new, compulsory glove standards in international competition [5].
For perspective: at international FIE tournaments épée fencers had a clearly lower risk of time-loss injury than foil and sabre fencers (risk ratio 0.52 versus foil and 0.47 versus sabre); most injuries affected the legs [4]. So sabre is one of the weapons with a higher risk, but at a low level: overall the rate was 0.28 per 1000 competition participations [4]. This guide explains and motivates – it does not replace supervised training.
Do not fight the blade, finish the cut. Hits "through the blade", where your blade touches both the opponent's weapon and the target at the same time, are valid if they arrive clearly on the target [2]. For you that means: if your cut meets contact with the opposing blade, do not break off as long as the target is clearly reached. Braking gives hits away. Also practise the sequence first without an opponent at a fixed point, so that you feel arm extension, cut and lunge as one connected movement, and film yourself from the side while doing so (practice).
The flank cut is a cut to the flank, the target area beneath the opponent's weapon arm [1]. It is valid as long as it arrives above the belt line [2].
Yes. Under FIE rules, hits with the edge, the flat and the back of the blade count [2]. Hitting with the hand guard is not allowed [2].
It covers the whole body above a horizontal line over the hip bones [2]. According to the Hessian Fencing Association's teaching booklet, head and arms belong to it, but not the hands [3].
No. In sabre it is forbidden to cover the target or replace it with a non-valid body surface [2]. The offender's hit is annulled, and a penalty follows [2].
Chest Cut in Sabre Fencing: A Cut to the Chest With Arm Extension and Feint