Learn the tierce parry in sabre: hand position, closing the line, FIE rules, common mistakes, a milestone check and safety notes for beginners.
How do I block a cut I can barely see coming? The honest answer: you do not hit blindly against it, you close the line in which the cut arrives. Under FIE rules, a parry against cuts is correctly executed when it stops the attack before it is completed by closing the line in which it is to end [3]. In sabre, the tierce is one of the three most important parries, alongside quarte and quinte [1].
Sabre is a cutting and thrusting weapon [1]. Hits count with the edge, the back and the flat of the blade, not only with the point [3]. That means your opponent has many routes to your target, and a clean parry saves you hits.
Realistically: the hand position settles after a few evenings. You only land the parry reliably once you have got used to the speed of a real partner – that is experience, not a study statement.
The tierce is one of the four positions with a pronated hand, in which the palm faces the floor (prime, seconde, tierce, quinte) [2]. So the hand lies "from above" on the grip. Your coach will show you which side of the body the tierce covers; in sabre it is the standard outside parry (practice standard).
Set the blade so that the opponent's cut lands on your blade and not on your target. That is the point: under the FIE rules the parry counts as correctly executed if it prevents the cut from arriving before the attack is finished [3]. You do not have to "knock it away", you have to block its path.
You carry out defensive actions exclusively with the weapon [3]. The free hand and free arm are off limits: anyone who uses them for attack or defence gets a penalty hit (red card), and their own hit is annulled [3].
Move the blade only as far as you need to close the line. The parry ends before the cut arrives. The bigger your path, the later you arrive (practice). Practise first without a partner in front of a mirror: ten parries in slow motion, then ten at tempo. Only then let a partner test you with slow cuts. That way you build the movement without speed putting you under pressure straight away.
The parry gives you the right to riposte. To end the attacker's action, it must come immediately, without hesitation or pause [3]. If you hesitate, the attacker may start again (redoublement, remise or reprise) [3].
Milestone: if you intercept at least 18 of 20 slow cuts from your partner with the tierce and can riposte in the same moment, you move on to the quinte. That is a practice standard, not a study value.
The hand is exposed in sabre fencing. There have been cases where unbroken blades penetrated hands; the FIE therefore introduced new, compulsory glove standards in international competition from 1 April 2014 [6]. Never practise without glove and mask.
Beginners react more slowly than experienced fencers: in a study with ten beginners and ten experienced fencers, the beginners' reaction time was 25.5 to 34.8 % higher [5]. So start with slow, pre-agreed cuts. With several possible stimuli and responses, reaction time rises further [5], so first one line, then two. This guide explains and motivates – it does not replace supervised training.
Whoever defends looks more, not less. In an eye-tracking study of national-level sabre fencers, the number of fixations and of scanned locations was higher in defensive than in offensive actions [4]. That is an observation, not proof of a training effect. But it fits practice: do not stare at the blade, look at your partner's shoulder and arm, and let the tierce arise from the whole picture (practice).
The tierce is one of the eight hand positions and parries and belongs to the four positions with a pronated hand, in which the palm faces the floor [2]. In sabre it is, alongside quarte and quinte, one of the most important parries [1].
Tierce, quarte and quinte [1]. The thrusting weapons foil and épée mainly use quarte, sixte and octave instead [1]. In sabre, cuts count, and head and arms belong to the target [1].
No. Defensive actions must be made with the weapon [3]. Anyone who uses the free hand or free arm receives a red card, and their hit is annulled [3].
Yes, if you want to end the attacker's action: the riposte must come immediately, without hesitation or pause [3]. If you wait, your opponent may start again [3].
Quinte Parry in Sabre Fencing: Block Head Cuts Above the Mask